The Cave

And these cities! We destroyed them when they did wrong, and We had appointed for their destruction a tryst.

Thereafter he followed a way.

All praise unto Allah who hath sent down unto His bondman the Book, and hath not placed therein any crookedness.

Straightforward, that it may warn of a severe violence from before Him, and bring glad tidings to the believers who work righteous works that theirs shall be a goodly hire.

They will abide therein for ever.

And that it may warn those who say: God hath taken a son.

No knowledge thereof have they, nor had their fathers. Odious is the word that cometh out of their mouths; they say not but a lie.

Haply thou art going to kill thyself over their footsteps, if they believe not in this discourse, out of sorrow.

Verily We have made whatsoever is on the earth as an adornment thereof, that We may prove them - which of them is best in work.

And verily We are going to make whatsoever is thereon a soil bare.

Deemest thou that the people of the cave and the inscription were of Our signs a wonder?

Recall what time the youths betook themselves to the cave, then said: our Lord! vouchsafe unto us mercy from before Thee, and prepare for us in our affair a right course.

Wherefore We put a covering over their ears in the cave for a number of years.

Thereafter We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties was best at reckoning the time that they had tarried.

We recount unto thee their tidings With truth. Verily they were certain youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.

And We braced their hearts when they stood forth and said: our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth; never we shall call upon a god beside him; for then we shall be saying an abomination.

These, our people, have taken for themselves gods beside Him - wherefore bring they not for them an authority manifest? --and who doth greater wrong than he who fabricateth against God a lie?

And now when ye have withdrawn from them and that which they worship, except God, betake yourselves to the cave; your Lord will unfold for you some of His mercy, and will prepare for you of your affair an easy arrangement.

And thou Woudst behold the sun when it riseth veering away from their cave on the right, and when it setteth, passing them by on the left, while they were in the spacious part thereof: that is of the signs of Allah. Whomsoever Allah guideth, he indeed is the guided; and whomsoever He sendeth astray, for him thou wilt never find a directing friend.

And thou wouldst have deemed them awakes whereas they were asleep and We turned them over on the right side and on the left side, while their dog stretched forth his two forelegs on the threshold. If thou hadst observed them, thou wouldst have surely turned away from them in fright, and wouldst have surely been filled with awe of them.

And likewise we raised them up that they might question among themselves; there spake a speaker from amongst them: how long have ye tarried? They said we have tarried a day or part of a day. They said, your Lord knoweth best how long ye have tarried; now send one of you with this your money unto the city and let him see which food is purest there, and let him bring you a provision thereof, and let him be circumspect, and let him by no means discover you to anycne.

Verily they, if they come to know of you, would stone you or make you revert to their faith, and lo! then ye will never fare well.

And likewise We caused their affair to be lit upon that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that the Hour- there is no doubt thereof, Recall what time they were disputing among themselves regarding their affair, and then they said: build over them a building--their Lord is the Best Knower about them-then those who prevailed in their affair said: surely we will raise over them a place of worship.

Anon they will say: they were three the fourth of them their dog. And they will say: they were five, the sixth of them their dog- -guessing at the unknown --and they willl say: they were seven, the eighth of them their dog. Say thou: my Lord is the Best Knower of their number; there knew them only a few; so debate thou not regarding them except an cut ward debating, and ask not regarding them anyone of them.

And never say thou of a thing: verily I am going to do that on the morrow.

Except with this reservation that Allah so will. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest; and say thou belike my Lord will guide me to something nearer than this to right direction.

And they tarried in their cave three hundred years and added nine.

Say thou: Allah knoweth best how long they tarried; His alone is the hidden knowledge of the heavens and the earth. How well He seeth and heareth. They have no patron beside Him, nor in His rule He associateth anyone.

And rehearse thou that which hath been revealed unto thee of the Book of thy Lord; and none may alter His Words, and never wilt thou find beside Him a covert.

And endure thy self in the company of those who call upon their Lord in the morning and evening seeking His and let not thine eyes countenance rove from them seeking the adornment of the life of this world, and obey thou not him whose heart We have made to neglect Our remembrance, and who followeth his lust, and whose affair is exceeding the bound.

And say thou: the truth is from your Lord; let him therefore who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve. Verily We have gotten ready for the wrong-doers a Fire the awnings whereof shall encompass them; and if they cry for relief they shall be relieved with water like the dregs of oil scalding their faces. 111 the drink, and vile the resting-place!

Verily those who believe and work the righteous works-- verily We waste not the hire of one who doth well in regard to his work.

These! for them are Gardens Everlasting whereunder rivers flow; bedecked they shall be therein with bracelets of gold, and wear they shall green robes of satin and brocade, reclining therein on the couches; excellent the reward, and goodly the resting-place!

Propound thou unto them the similitude of two men. We appointed to one of them two gardens of vine and hedged both with date- palms, and We placed in-between the twain tillage.

Each of the two gardens brought forth its produce and stinted not aught thereof; and We caused to gush forth in the midst of the twain a river.

And he had property. Then he Said unto his fellow while he spake with him: I am more than thou in substance and am mightier in respect of retinue.

And he entered his garden, while he was a wrong-doer in respect of his own soul; he said: I imagine not that this shall ever perish.

Nor I imagine that the Hour is going to happen; and if am brought back to my Lord, surely I will find something better than this as a retreat.

His fellow said unto him, while he spake with him: hast thou disbelieved in Him Who created thee of dust, then of a sperm, and formed thee a man?

But he is Allah, my Lord; and with my Lord associate not anyone.

Wherefore saidst thou not, when thou enteredest thy garden: whatsoever Allah may will! there is no power save in Allah! If thou beholdest I am inferior to thee in substance and offspring.

Then belike my Lord will vouchsafe unto me something better than thy garden and send thereon a belt from the heaven that it become a plane slippery.

Or the water thereof become deep sunken so that therefor thou canst not make a search.

And his property was encompassed; and lo! he was wringing the palms of his hands over that which he had expended thereon, while itlay fallen down on its trellises, and saying: Oh, would that had not associated with my Lord anyone:

And there could be no party suceouring him as against Allah, nor could he himself be an avenger.

Herein is all protection from Allah the True: He is excellent in respect of reward and excellent in respect of the final end!

And propound thou unto them the similitude of the life of the World. It is as water which We send down from the heaven, then there mingleth therewith the vegetation of the earth, and lo! it becometh dry stubble which the winds scatter and Allah is over everything potent.

Substance and sons are the adornment of the life of the World, and the righteous works that last are excellent with thy Lord in respect of reward, and excellent in respect of hope.

And beware a Day whereon we will make the mountains to pass, and thou wilt see the earth away plain, and We shall gather them, and We shall leave of them not one.

And they shall be sent before thy lord in ranks! now are ye come to Us even as We had created you the first time; aye ye fancied that We had appointed for you no tryst.

And the Book shall be placed, and thou wilt see the culprits alarmed at that which is therein, and they will say: Ah! woe unto us! what aileth this book that it leaveth not any sin small or great but it hath computed it! And they shall find all that they had wrought present; and thy Lord wrongeth not any one.

And recall what time we said unto the angels: prostrate yourselves before Adam, and they prostrated themselves, but Iblis did not; he was of the genii; so he trespassed the commandment of his Lord. Would ye then take him and his progeny as patrons instead of Me, whereas they are unto you an enemy III is for the wrong-doers an exchange!

I Made them not present at the creation of the heavens and the earth nor at the creation of themselves; nor was I one to take the seducers as supporters;

And beware a Day whereon He will say: cry unto my associates say cry unto whom ye fancied. So they will call unto them, and they will answer them not, and We shall place between them a partition.

And the culprits will behold the Fire and imagine that they are about to fall therein, and they shall not find therefrom a way of escape.

And assuredly We have variously propounded in this Qur'an for mankind every kind of similitude; and man is of all things the most disputing.

And naught preventeth mankind from believing when the guidance hath come unto them, and from asking foregiveness of their Lord, but that there may come unto them the dispensation of the ancients, or that the torment may come Unto them face to face.

And We send not apostles save as bringers of glad tidings and warners; and those who disbelieve dispute with falsehood that they rebut thereby the truth; and they take My signs and that whereof they are warned as a mockery.

And who doth greater wrong than he who is admonished with the signs of His Lord yet turneth away from them and forgetteth that which his hands have sent forth? Verily We have set up veils over lest they should understand it, and in their ears a heaviness; and if thou callest them to the guidance, lo! they will not let themselves be guided ever.

And thy Lord is the Forgiver, Owner of mercy. Were He to call them to account for that which they have earned; He would have hastened for them torment; but for them is a tryst beside which they cannot find a place to betake themselves to.

And recall what time Musa said unto his page: I shall not cease until I reach the confluence of the two seas, or I shall go on for ages.

And when the twain reached the confluence of the two, they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the sea freely.

And when the twain had passed by, he said unto his page: bring us our morning-meal, assuredly we have met from this journey of ours, toil

He said: lookest thou! when we betook ourselves to the rock, then forgot the fish; and naught but the Satan made me forget to mention it, and it took its way into the sea--a marvel!

Musa said: that is that which we have been seeking. So they turned back upon their footsteps, retracing.

Then the twain found a bondman from Our bondmen, him We had vouchsafed a mercy from before Us, and him We had taught from Our presence a knowledge.

Musa said unto him: shall I follow thee that thou mayest teach me of that which thou hast been taught a directive knowledge.

He said: verily thou wilt not be able to have with me patience;

And how canst thou have patience over that which thy knowledge encompasseth not

Musa said: thou wilt find me, if Allah will, patient, and shall not disobey thee in any affair.

He said: then if thou wilt follow me ask me not of anything until begin thereof some mention.

Then the twain journeyed until when they embarked in a boat, he scuttled it. Musa said: hast thou scuttled it that thou mayest drown the people thereof? Assuredly thou hast committed a thing grievous.

He said: said I not that thou wouldst not be able to have with me patience?

Musa said: take me not to task for that forget, and impose not in my affair hardship.

Then the twain journeyed until when they met a boy, and he killed him. Musa said: hast thou slain a person innocent not in return for a Person Assuredly thou hast committed a thing formidable.

He said: said I not unto thee that thou wouldst by no means be able to have with me patience?

Musa said: if I ask thee regarding aught after this, company not with me; surely there hath reached to thee from my side an excuse.

Then the twain journeyed until when they came unto the people of a city, they begged food from the people thereof, but they refused to entertain the twain. Then they found therein a wall, about to fall down, and he set it upright. Musa said: hadst thou willed, thou mightest have taken therefor a hire.

He said: this shall be the parting between me and thee; now I shall declare unto thee the interpretation of that wherewith thou wast not able to have patience.

As for the boat, it belonged to poor men working in the sea, so I intended to damage it, for there was before them a prince taking every boat by force.

And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we apprehended that he might impose upon the twain exorbitance and infidelity.

So we intended that their Lord should change for the twain one better than he in piety and closer in affection.

And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town and underneath it was a treasure belonging to them and their father had been righteous. So thy Lord intended that the twain should attain their maturity and bring forth for themselves their treasure as a mercy from thy Lord. And I did it not of mine own command; that is the interpretation of that wherewith thou wast not able to have patience.

And they ask thee of Zul Qarnain. Say thou: shall recite unto you of him some mention.

Verily We! We established him in the earth, and vouchsafed unto him of everything a way.

Then he followed a way.

Until when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he perceived it setting in a miry spring, and he found beside it a nation. We said: Zul Qarnian! either chastise them or take in respect of them the way of kindness.

He said: as for him who doeth wrong, presently we shall torment him, and thereafter he shall be brought back to his Lord, and He shall torment him with a torment formidable.

And as for him who believeth and worketh righteously, unto him shall be a goodly hire, and anon we shall speak unto him of our affair something easy.

Thereafter he followed a way.

Until when he reached the rising place of the sun, he perceived it rising upon a nation for whom against it We had not set a veil.

Thus it was. And surely We have encompassed all that was with him, in knowledge

Until when he arrived between the two mountains, he found beside them a people who well-nigh understood not a word.

`They said: O Zul-Qarnain verily Yajuj and Majuj are working corruption in the land; shall we then pay thee tribute on condition that thou place between us and them a barrier!

He said: better is that where in my Lord hath established me; so help me with might, and I shall place between you and them a rampart.

Bring me lumps of iron. Then when he had evened Up between the two mountain-sides, he said: blow! Then when he had made it fire, he said: bring me and I shall pour thereon molten cOpper.

Thus they Were not able to mount it, nor Were they able to burrow through it.

He said: this is a mercy from my Lord; then when the promise of my Lord cometh, He shall make it powder, and the promise of my Lord is ever true.

And We shall leave them on that day surging one against anot her and the trumpet shall be blown, and then We shall assemble them together.

And We shall set hell on that Day unto the infidels with a setting.

Unto those whose eyes had been under a covering from My remembrance, nor had they been able to hear.

Deem then those who disbelieve that they may take My bondmen, instead of Me, as patrons! Verily We have gotten ready the Hell for the infidels as an entertainment.

Say thou: shall I declare unto you the greatest losers in respect of works?

They are those whose effort is wasted in the life of the world, and they deem that they are doing well in performance.

They are those who disbelieve in the signs of their Lord and in the meeting with Him; so of non-effect will be made their works, and We shall not allow them on the Day of Judgment any weight.

That shall be their meed--Hell-for they disbelieved and held My revelations and My apostles in mockery.

Verily those who believe and do righteous works, unto them shall be gardens of Paradise for an entertainment.

As abiders therein, they shall not seek therefrom any change.

Say thou: were the sea to become ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would surely exhaust ere the words of my Lord exhausted, even though We brought onot her like thereof for support.

Say thou: I am but a human being like yourselves; revealed unto me is that your God is One God. Whosoever then hopeth for the meeting with his Lord, let him work righteous work, and let him not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.