Surah Al-Kahf

أَوْيُصْبِحَمَآؤُهَاغَوْرًۭافَلَنتَسْتَطِيعَلَهُۥطَلَبًۭا

or its water sinks deep into the ground, so that thou wilt never be able to find it again!"

وَأُحِيطَبِثَمَرِهِۦفَأَصْبَحَيُقَلِّبُكَفَّيْهِعَلَىٰمَآأَنفَقَفِيهَاوَهِىَخَاوِيَةٌعَلَىٰعُرُوشِهَاوَيَقُولُيَٰلَيْتَنِىلَمْأُشْرِكْبِرَبِّىٓأَحَدًۭا

And [thus it happened:] his fruitful gardens were encompassed [by ruin], and there he was, wringing his hands over all that he had spent on that which now lay waste, with its trellises caved in; and he could but say, "Oh, would that I had not attributed divine powers to any but my Sustainer!"

وَلَمْتَكُنلَّهُۥفِئَةٌۭيَنصُرُونَهُۥمِندُونِٱللَّهِوَمَاكَانَمُنتَصِرًا

-for now he had nought to succour him in God's stead, nor could he succour himself.

هُنَالِكَٱلْوَلَٰيَةُلِلَّهِٱلْحَقِّهُوَخَيْرٌۭثَوَابًۭاوَخَيْرٌعُقْبًۭا

For thus it is: all protective power belongs to God alone, the True One. He is the best to grant recompense, and the best to determine what is to be.

وَٱضْرِبْلَهُممَّثَلَٱلْحَيَوٰةِٱلدُّنْيَاكَمَآءٍأَنزَلْنَٰهُمِنَٱلسَّمَآءِفَٱخْتَلَطَبِهِۦنَبَاتُٱلْأَرْضِفَأَصْبَحَهَشِيمًۭاتَذْرُوهُٱلرِّيَٰحُوَكَانَٱللَّهُعَلَىٰكُلِّشَىْءٍۢمُّقْتَدِرًا

AND PROPOUND unto them the parable of the life of this world: [it is] like the water which We send down from the skies, and which is absorbed by the plants of the earth: but [in time] they turn into dry. stubble which the winds blow freely about. And it is God [alone] who determines all things.

ٱلْمَالُوَٱلْبَنُونَزِينَةُٱلْحَيَوٰةِٱلدُّنْيَاوَٱلْبَٰقِيَٰتُٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتُخَيْرٌعِندَرَبِّكَثَوَابًۭاوَخَيْرٌأَمَلًۭا

Wealth and children are an adornment of this, world's life: but good deeds, the fruit whereof endures forever, are of far greater merit in thy Sustainer's sight, and a far better source of hope.

وَيَوْمَنُسَيِّرُٱلْجِبَالَوَتَرَىٱلْأَرْضَبَارِزَةًۭوَحَشَرْنَٰهُمْفَلَمْنُغَادِرْمِنْهُمْأَحَدًۭا

Hence, [bear in mind] the Day, on which We shall cause the mountains to disappear and thou shalt behold the earth void and bare: for [on that Day] We will [resurrect the dead and] gather them all together, leaving out none of them.

وَعُرِضُوا۟عَلَىٰرَبِّكَصَفًّۭالَّقَدْجِئْتُمُونَاكَمَاخَلَقْنَٰكُمْأَوَّلَمَرَّةٍۭبَلْزَعَمْتُمْأَلَّننَّجْعَلَلَكُممَّوْعِدًۭا

And they will be lined up before thy Sustainer, [and He will say:] "Now, indeed, you have come unto Us [in a lonely state], even as We created you in the first instances - although you were wont to assert that We would never 'appoint for you a meeting [with Us]!"

وَوُضِعَٱلْكِتَٰبُفَتَرَىٱلْمُجْرِمِينَمُشْفِقِينَمِمَّافِيهِوَيَقُولُونَيَٰوَيْلَتَنَامَالِهَٰذَاٱلْكِتَٰبِلَايُغَادِرُصَغِيرَةًۭوَلَاكَبِيرَةًإِلَّآأَحْصَىٰهَاوَوَجَدُوا۟مَاعَمِلُوا۟حَاضِرًۭاوَلَايَظْلِمُرَبُّكَأَحَدًۭا

And the record [of everyone's deeds] will be laid open; and thou wilt behold the guilty filled with dread at what [they see] therein; and they will exclaim: "Oh, woe unto us! What a record is this! It leaves out nothing, be it small or great, but takes everything into account!" For they will find all that they ever wrought [now] facing them, and [will know that] thy Sustainer does not wrong anyone.

وَإِذْقُلْنَالِلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِٱسْجُدُوا۟لِءَادَمَفَسَجَدُوٓا۟إِلَّآإِبْلِيسَكَانَمِنَٱلْجِنِّفَفَسَقَعَنْأَمْرِرَبِّهِۦٓأَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥوَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓأَوْلِيَآءَمِندُونِىوَهُمْلَكُمْعَدُوٌّۢبِئْسَلِلظَّٰلِمِينَبَدَلًۭا

AND [remember that] when We told the angels, "Prostrate yourselves before Adam," they all prostrated themselves, save Iblis: he [too] was one of those invisible beings, but then he turned away from his Sustainer's command. Will you, then, take him and his cohorts for (your], masters instead of Me, although they are your foe? How vile an exchange on the evildoers' part!

مَّآأَشْهَدتُّهُمْخَلْقَٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِوَٱلْأَرْضِوَلَاخَلْقَأَنفُسِهِمْوَمَاكُنتُمُتَّخِذَٱلْمُضِلِّينَعَضُدًۭا

I did not make them witnesses of the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor of the creation of their own selves; and neither do I [have any need to] take as My helpers those [beings] that lead [men] astray.

وَيَوْمَيَقُولُنَادُوا۟شُرَكَآءِىَٱلَّذِينَزَعَمْتُمْفَدَعَوْهُمْفَلَمْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟لَهُمْوَجَعَلْنَابَيْنَهُممَّوْبِقًۭا

Hence, [bear in mind] the Day on which He will say, "Call [now] unto those beings whom you imagined to have a share in My divinity!" - whereupon they will invoke them, but those [beings] will not respond to them: for We shall have placed between them an unbridgeable gulf.

وَرَءَاٱلْمُجْرِمُونَٱلنَّارَفَظَنُّوٓا۟أَنَّهُممُّوَاقِعُوهَاوَلَمْيَجِدُوا۟عَنْهَامَصْرِفًۭا

And those who were lost in sin will behold the fire, and will know that they are bound to fall into it, and will find no way of escape therefrom.

وَلَقَدْصَرَّفْنَافِىهَٰذَاٱلْقُرْءَانِلِلنَّاسِمِنكُلِّمَثَلٍۢوَكَانَٱلْإِنسَٰنُأَكْثَرَشَىْءٍۢجَدَلًۭا

THUS, INDEED, have We given in this Qur'an many facets to every kind of lesson [designed] for [the benefit of] mankind. However, man is, above all else, always given to contention:

وَمَامَنَعَٱلنَّاسَأَنيُؤْمِنُوٓا۟إِذْجَآءَهُمُٱلْهُدَىٰوَيَسْتَغْفِرُوا۟رَبَّهُمْإِلَّآأَنتَأْتِيَهُمْسُنَّةُٱلْأَوَّلِينَأَوْيَأْتِيَهُمُٱلْعَذَابُقُبُلًۭا

for, what is there to keep people from attaining to faith now that guidance has come unto them, and from asking their Sustainer to forgive them their sins - unless it be [their wish] that the fate of the [sinful] people of ancient times should befall them [as well], or that the [ultimate] suffering should befall them in the hereafter?

وَمَانُرْسِلُٱلْمُرْسَلِينَإِلَّامُبَشِّرِينَوَمُنذِرِينَوَيُجَٰدِلُٱلَّذِينَكَفَرُوا۟بِٱلْبَٰطِلِلِيُدْحِضُوا۟بِهِٱلْحَقَّوَٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ءَايَٰتِىوَمَآأُنذِرُوا۟هُزُوًۭا

But We send [Our] message-bearers only as heralds of glad tidings and as warners - whereas those who are bent on denying the truth contend [against them] with fallacious arguments, so as to render void the truth thereby, and to make My messages and warnings a target of their mockery.

وَمَنْأَظْلَمُمِمَّنذُكِّرَبِـَٔايَٰتِرَبِّهِۦفَأَعْرَضَعَنْهَاوَنَسِىَمَاقَدَّمَتْيَدَاهُإِنَّاجَعَلْنَاعَلَىٰقُلُوبِهِمْأَكِنَّةًأَنيَفْقَهُوهُوَفِىٓءَاذَانِهِمْوَقْرًۭاوَإِنتَدْعُهُمْإِلَىٱلْهُدَىٰفَلَنيَهْتَدُوٓا۟إِذًاأَبَدًۭا

And who could be more wicked than he to whom his Sustainer's messages are conveyed and who thereupon turns away from them, forgetting all [the evil] that his hands may have wrought? Behold, over their hearts have We laid veils which prevent them from grasping the truth, and into their ears, deafness; and though thou call them onto the right path, they will never allow themselves to be guided.

وَرَبُّكَٱلْغَفُورُذُوٱلرَّحْمَةِلَوْيُؤَاخِذُهُمبِمَاكَسَبُوا۟لَعَجَّلَلَهُمُٱلْعَذَابَبَللَّهُممَّوْعِدٌۭلَّنيَجِدُوا۟مِندُونِهِۦمَوْئِلًۭا

Yet, [withal,] thy Sustainer is the Truly-Forgiving One, limitless in His grace. Were He to take them [at once] to task for whatever [wrong] they commit, He would indeed bring about their speedy punishment [then and there]: but nay, they have a time-limit beyond which they shall find no redemption

وَتِلْكَٱلْقُرَىٰٓأَهْلَكْنَٰهُمْلَمَّاظَلَمُوا۟وَجَعَلْنَالِمَهْلِكِهِممَّوْعِدًۭا

as [was the case with all] those communities that We destroyed when they went on and on doing wrong: for We had set a time-limit for their destruction.

وَإِذْقَالَمُوسَىٰلِفَتَىٰهُلَآأَبْرَحُحَتَّىٰٓأَبْلُغَمَجْمَعَٱلْبَحْرَيْنِأَوْأَمْضِىَحُقُبًۭا

AND LO! [In the course of his wanderings,] Moses said to his servant: "I shall not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I [have to] spend untold years [in my quest]!"