Surah Al-Kahf

وَكَذَٰلِكَأَعْثَرْنَاعَلَيْهِمْلِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟أَنَّوَعْدَٱللَّهِحَقٌّۭوَأَنَّٱلسَّاعَةَلَارَيْبَفِيهَآإِذْيَتَنَٰزَعُونَبَيْنَهُمْأَمْرَهُمْفَقَالُوا۟ٱبْنُوا۟عَلَيْهِمبُنْيَٰنًۭارَّبُّهُمْأَعْلَمُبِهِمْقَالَٱلَّذِينَغَلَبُوا۟عَلَىٰٓأَمْرِهِمْلَنَتَّخِذَنَّعَلَيْهِممَّسْجِدًۭا

AND IN THIS way have We drawn [people's] attention to their story, so that they might know - whenever they debate among themselves as to what happened to those [Men of the Cave] that God's promise [of resurrection] is true, and that there can be no doubt as to [the coming of] the Last Hour. And so, some [people] said: "Erect a building in their memory; God knows best what happened to them." Said they whose opinion prevailed in the end: "Indeed, we must surely raise a house of worship in their memory!"

سَيَقُولُونَثَلَٰثَةٌۭرَّابِعُهُمْكَلْبُهُمْوَيَقُولُونَخَمْسَةٌۭسَادِسُهُمْكَلْبُهُمْرَجْمًۢابِٱلْغَيْبِوَيَقُولُونَسَبْعَةٌۭوَثَامِنُهُمْكَلْبُهُمْقُلرَّبِّىٓأَعْلَمُبِعِدَّتِهِممَّايَعْلَمُهُمْإِلَّاقَلِيلٌۭفَلَاتُمَارِفِيهِمْإِلَّامِرَآءًۭظَٰهِرًۭاوَلَاتَسْتَفْتِفِيهِممِّنْهُمْأَحَدًۭا

[And in times to come] some will say, "[They were] three, the fourth of them being their dog," while others will say, "Five, with their dog as the sixth of them" -idly guessing at something of which they can have no knowledge -and [so on, until] some will say, "[They were] seven, the eighth of them being their dog." Say: "My Sustainer knows best how many they were. None but a few have any [real] knowledge of them. Hence, do not argue about them otherwise than by way of an obvious argument, and do not ask any of those [story-tellers] to enlighten thee about them."

وَلَاتَقُولَنَّلِشَا۟ىْءٍإِنِّىفَاعِلٌۭذَٰلِكَغَدًا

AND NEVER say about anything, "Behold, I shall do this tomorrow,"

إِلَّآأَنيَشَآءَٱللَّهُوَٱذْكُررَّبَّكَإِذَانَسِيتَوَقُلْعَسَىٰٓأَنيَهْدِيَنِرَبِّىلِأَقْرَبَمِنْهَٰذَارَشَدًۭا

without (adding], "if God so wills." And if thou shouldst forget [thyself at the time, and become aware of it later], call thy Sustainer to mind and say: "I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right!"

وَلَبِثُوا۟فِىكَهْفِهِمْثَلَٰثَمِا۟ئَةٍۢسِنِينَوَٱزْدَادُوا۟تِسْعًۭا

AND [some people assert], "They remained in their cave three hundred years"; and some have added nine [to that number].

قُلِٱللَّهُأَعْلَمُبِمَالَبِثُوا۟لَهُۥغَيْبُٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِوَٱلْأَرْضِأَبْصِرْبِهِۦوَأَسْمِعْمَالَهُممِّندُونِهِۦمِنوَلِىٍّۢوَلَايُشْرِكُفِىحُكْمِهِۦٓأَحَدًۭا

Say: "God knows best how long they remained [there]. His [alone] is the knowledge of the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: how well does He see and hear! No guardian have they apart from Him, since He allots to no one a share in His rule!"

وَٱتْلُمَآأُوحِىَإِلَيْكَمِنكِتَابِرَبِّكَلَامُبَدِّلَلِكَلِمَٰتِهِۦوَلَنتَجِدَمِندُونِهِۦمُلْتَحَدًۭا

AND CONVEY [to the world] whatever has been revealed to thee of thy Sustainer's writ. There is nothing that could alter His words; and thou canst find no refuge other than with Him.

وَٱصْبِرْنَفْسَكَمَعَٱلَّذِينَيَدْعُونَرَبَّهُمبِٱلْغَدَوٰةِوَٱلْعَشِىِّيُرِيدُونَوَجْهَهُۥوَلَاتَعْدُعَيْنَاكَعَنْهُمْتُرِيدُزِينَةَٱلْحَيَوٰةِٱلدُّنْيَاوَلَاتُطِعْمَنْأَغْفَلْنَاقَلْبَهُۥعَنذِكْرِنَاوَٱتَّبَعَهَوَىٰهُوَكَانَأَمْرُهُۥفُرُطًۭا

And contain thyself in patience by the side of all who at morn and at evening invoke their Sustainer, seeking His countenance, and let not thine eyes pass beyond them in quest of the beauties of this world's life; and pay no heed to any whose heart We have rendered heedless of all remembrance of Us because he had always followed [only] his own desires, abandoning all that is good and true.

وَقُلِٱلْحَقُّمِنرَّبِّكُمْفَمَنشَآءَفَلْيُؤْمِنوَمَنشَآءَفَلْيَكْفُرْإِنَّآأَعْتَدْنَالِلظَّٰلِمِينَنَارًاأَحَاطَبِهِمْسُرَادِقُهَاوَإِنيَسْتَغِيثُوا۟يُغَاثُوا۟بِمَآءٍۢكَٱلْمُهْلِيَشْوِىٱلْوُجُوهَبِئْسَٱلشَّرَابُوَسَآءَتْمُرْتَفَقًا

And say: "The truth [has now come] from your Sustainer: let, then, him who wills, believe in it, and let him who wills, reject it." Verily, for all who sin against themselves [by rejecting Our truth] We have readied a fire whose billowing folds will encompass them from all sides; and if they beg for water, they will be given water [hot] like molten lead, which will scald their faces: how dreadful a drink, and how evil a place to rest!

إِنَّٱلَّذِينَءَامَنُوا۟وَعَمِلُوا۟ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِإِنَّالَانُضِيعُأَجْرَمَنْأَحْسَنَعَمَلًا

[But,] behold, as for those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds-verily, We do not fail to requite any who persevere in doing good:

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَلَهُمْجَنَّٰتُعَدْنٍۢتَجْرِىمِنتَحْتِهِمُٱلْأَنْهَٰرُيُحَلَّوْنَفِيهَامِنْأَسَاوِرَمِنذَهَبٍۢوَيَلْبَسُونَثِيَابًاخُضْرًۭامِّنسُندُسٍۢوَإِسْتَبْرَقٍۢمُّتَّكِـِٔينَفِيهَاعَلَىٱلْأَرَآئِكِنِعْمَٱلثَّوَابُوَحَسُنَتْمُرْتَفَقًۭا

theirs shall be gardens of perpetual bliss - [gardens] through which running waters flow - wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and will wear green garments of silk and brocade, [and] wherein upon couches they will recline:" how excellent a recompense, and how goodly a place to rest!

وَٱضْرِبْلَهُممَّثَلًۭارَّجُلَيْنِجَعَلْنَالِأَحَدِهِمَاجَنَّتَيْنِمِنْأَعْنَٰبٍۢوَحَفَفْنَٰهُمَابِنَخْلٍۢوَجَعَلْنَابَيْنَهُمَازَرْعًۭا

AND PROPOUND unto them the parable of two men, upon one of whom We had bestowed two vinyards, and surrounded them with date-palms, and placed a field of grain in-between.

كِلْتَاٱلْجَنَّتَيْنِءَاتَتْأُكُلَهَاوَلَمْتَظْلِممِّنْهُشَيْـًۭٔاوَفَجَّرْنَاخِلَٰلَهُمَانَهَرًۭا

Each of the two gardens yielded its produce and never failed therein in any way, for We had caused a stream to gush forth in the midst of each of them.

وَكَانَلَهُۥثَمَرٌۭفَقَالَلِصَٰحِبِهِۦوَهُوَيُحَاوِرُهُۥٓأَنَا۠أَكْثَرُمِنكَمَالًۭاوَأَعَزُّنَفَرًۭا

And so [the man] had fruit in abundance. And [one day] he said to his friend, bandying words with him, "More wealth have I than thou, and mightier am I as regards [the number and power of my] followers!"

وَدَخَلَجَنَّتَهُۥوَهُوَظَالِمٌۭلِّنَفْسِهِۦقَالَمَآأَظُنُّأَنتَبِيدَهَٰذِهِۦٓأَبَدًۭا

And having [thus] sinned against himself, he entered his garden, saying, "I do not think that this will ever perish!

وَمَآأَظُنُّٱلسَّاعَةَقَآئِمَةًۭوَلَئِنرُّدِدتُّإِلَىٰرَبِّىلَأَجِدَنَّخَيْرًۭامِّنْهَامُنقَلَبًۭا

And neither do I think that the Last Hour will ever come. But even if [it should come, and] I am brought before my Sustainer, I will surely find something even better than this as [my last] resort!"

قَالَلَهُۥصَاحِبُهُۥوَهُوَيُحَاوِرُهُۥٓأَكَفَرْتَبِٱلَّذِىخَلَقَكَمِنتُرَابٍۢثُمَّمِننُّطْفَةٍۢثُمَّسَوَّىٰكَرَجُلًۭا

And his friend answered him in the course of their argument: "Wilt thou blaspheme against Him who has created thee out of dust, and then out of a drop of sperm, and in the end has fashioned thee into a [complete] man?

لَّٰكِنَّا۠هُوَٱللَّهُرَبِّىوَلَآأُشْرِكُبِرَبِّىٓأَحَدًۭا

But as for myself, [I. know that] He is God, my Sustainer; and I cannot attribute divine powers to any but my Sustainer."

وَلَوْلَآإِذْدَخَلْتَجَنَّتَكَقُلْتَمَاشَآءَٱللَّهُلَاقُوَّةَإِلَّابِٱللَّهِإِنتَرَنِأَنَا۠أَقَلَّمِنكَمَالًۭاوَوَلَدًۭا

And [he continued:] "Alas, if thou hadst but said, on entering thy garden, `Whatever God wills [shall come to pass, for] there is no power save with God!' Although, as thou seest, I have less wealth and offspring than thou,

فَعَسَىٰرَبِّىٓأَنيُؤْتِيَنِخَيْرًۭامِّنجَنَّتِكَوَيُرْسِلَعَلَيْهَاحُسْبَانًۭامِّنَٱلسَّمَآءِفَتُصْبِحَصَعِيدًۭازَلَقًا

yet it may well be that my Sustainer will give me something better than thy garden -just as He may let loose a calamity out of heaven upon this [thy garden], so that it becomes a heap of barren dust