Sura 18, The Cave (Al-Kahf)

[18:0] In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
[18:1] Praise GOD, who revealed to His servant
this scripture, and made it flawless.
[18:2] A perfect (scripture) to warn of severe
retribution from Him, and to deliver good news
to the believers who lead a righteous life, that
they have earned a generous recompense.
[18:3] Wherein they abide forever.
[18:4] And to warn those who said, " GOD has
begotten a son!"
[18:5] They possess no knowledge about this,
nor did their parents. What a blasphemy
coming out of their mouths! What they utter is
a gross lie.
[18:6] You may blame yourself on account of
their response to this narration, and their
disbelieving in it; you may be saddened.
The End of the World*
[18:7] We have adorned everything on earth, in
order to test them, and thus distinguish those
among them who work righteousness.
Footnote
[18:8] Inevitably, we will wipe out everything
on it, leaving it completely barren.*
Footnote
The Dwellers of the Cave
[18:9] Why else do you think we are telling
you about the people of the cave, and the
numbers connected with them? They are
among our wondrous signs.
[18:10] When the youths took refuge in the
cave, they said, "Our Lord, shower us with
Your mercy, and bless our affairs with Your
guidance."
[18:11] We then sealed their ears in the cave
for a predetermined number of years.
[18:12] Then we resurrected them to see which
of the two parties could count the duration of
their stay therein.
[18:13] We narrate to you their history,
truthfully. They were youths who believed in
their Lord, and we increased their guidance.
[18:14] We strengthened their hearts when
they stood up and proclaimed: "Our only Lord
is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We
will never worship any other god beside Him.
Otherwise, we would be far astray.
[18:15] "Here are our people setting up gods
beside Him. If only they could provide any
proof to support their stand! Who is more evil
than the one who fabricates lies and attributes
them to GOD?
The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus*
[18:16] "Since you wish to avoid them, and
their worshiping of other than GOD,* let us
take refuge in the cave. May your Lord shower
you with His mercy and direct you to the right
decision."
Footnote
A Guiding Teacher is a Prerequisite
[18:17] You could see the sun when it rose
coming from the right side of their cave, and
when it set, it shone on them from the left, as
they slept in the hollow thereof. This is one of
GOD's portents.* Whomever GOD guides is the
truly guided one, and whomever He sends
astray, you will not find for him a guiding
teacher.
Footnote
[18:18] You would think that they were awake,
when they were in fact asleep. We turned them
to the right side and the left side, while their
dog stretched his arms in their midst. Had you
looked at them, you would have fled from
them, stricken with terror.
[18:19] When we resurrected them, they asked
each other, "How long have you been here?"
"We have been here one day or part of the
day," they answered. "Your Lord knows best
how long we stayed here, so let us send one of
us with this money to the city. Let him fetch
the cleanest food, and buy some for us. Let
him keep a low profile, and attract no
attention.
[18:20] "If they discover you, they will stone
you, or force you to revert to their religion,
then you can never succeed."
Connection With the End of the World*
[18:21] We caused them to be discovered, to
let everyone know that GOD's promise is true,
and to remove all doubt concerning the end of
the world.* The people then disputed among
themselves regarding them. Some said, "Let
us build a building around them." Their Lord
is the best knower about them. Those who
prevailed said, "We will build a place of
worship around them."
Footnote
[18:22] Some would say, "They were three;
their dog being the fourth," while others would
say, "Five; the sixth being their dog," as they
guessed. Others said, "Seven," and the eighth
was their dog. Say, "My Lord is the best
knower of their number." Only a few knew the
correct number. Therefore, do not argue with
them; just go along with them. You need not
consult anyone about this.
Remembering God Every Chance We Get
[18:23] You shall not say that you will do
anything in the future,
[18:24] without saying, "GOD willing."* If you
forget to do this, you must immediately
remember your Lord and say, "May my Lord
guide me to do better next time."
Footnote
[300 + 9]*
[18:25] They stayed in their cave three
hundred years, increased by nine.*
Footnote
[18:26] Say, " GOD is the best knower of how
long they stayed there." He knows all secrets
in the heavens and the earth. By His grace
you can see; by His grace you can hear. There
is none beside Him as Lord and Master, and
He never permits any partners to share in His
kingship.
[18:27] You shall recite what is revealed to
you of your Lord's scripture. Nothing shall
abrogate His words, and you shall not find
any other source beside it.
Quranic Study Groups
[18:28] You shall force yourself to be with
those who worship their Lord day and night,
seeking Him alone. Do not turn your eyes
away from them, seeking the vanities of this
world. Nor shall you obey one whose heart we
rendered oblivious to our message; one who
pursues his own desires, and whose priorities
are confused.
Absolute Freedom of Religion
[18:29] Proclaim: "This is the truth from your
Lord," then whoever wills let him believe, and
whoever wills let him disbelieve. We have
prepared for the transgressors a fire that will
completely surround them. When they scream
for help, they will be given a liquid like
concentrated acid that scalds the faces. What
a miserable drink! What a miserable destiny!
[18:30] As for those who believe and lead a
righteous life, we never fail to recompense
those who work righteousness.
[18:31] They have deserved gardens of Eden
wherein rivers flow. They will be adorned
therein with bracelets of gold, and will wear
clothes of green silk and velvet, and will rest
on comfortable furnishings. What a wonderful
reward; what a wonderful abode!
Property as an Idol*
[18:32] Cite for them the example of two men:
we gave one of them two gardens of grapes,
surrounded by date palms, and placed other
crops between them.
Footnote
[18:33] Both gardens produced their crops on
time, and generously, for we caused a river to
run through them.
[18:34] Once, after harvesting, he boastfully
told his friend: "I am far more prosperous than
you, and I command more respect from the
people."
[18:35] When he entered his garden, he
wronged his soul by saying, "I do not think
that this will ever end.
[18:36] "Moreover, I think this is it; I do not
think that the Hour (the Hereafter) will ever
come to pass. Even if I am returned to my
Lord, I will (be clever enough to) possess an
even better one over there."
[18:37] His friend said to him, as he debated
with him, "Have you disbelieved in the One
who created you from dust, then from a tiny
drop, then perfected you into a man?
[18:38] "As for me, GOD is my Lord, and I will
never set up any other god besides my Lord.
Important Commandment
[18:39] "When you entered your garden, you
should have said, 'This is what GOD has given
me (Mã Shã Allãh). No one possesses power
except GOD (Lã Quwwata Ellã Bellãh) .' You
may see that I possess less money and less
children than you.
[18:40] "My Lord may grant me better than
your garden. He may send a violent storm
from the sky that wipes out your garden,
leaving it completely barren.
[18:41] "Or, its water may sink deeper, out of
your reach."
[18:42] Indeed, his crops were wiped out, and
he ended up sorrowful, lamenting what he had
spent on it in vain, as his property lay barren.
He finally said, "I wish I never set up my
property as a god beside my Lord."
[18:43] No force on earth could have helped
him against GOD , nor was it possible for him
to receive any help.
[18:44] That is because the only true Lord and
master is GOD; He provides the best
recompense, and with Him is the best destiny.
[18:45] Cite for them the example of this life
as water that we send down from the sky to
produce plants of the earth, then they turn
into hay that is blown away by the wind. GOD
is able to do all things.
Rearranging Our Priorities
[18:46] Money and children are the joys of
this life, but the righteous works provide an
eternal recompense from your Lord, and a far
better hope.
[18:47] The day will come when we wipe out
the mountains, and you will see the earth
barren. We will summon them all, not leaving
out a single one of them.
[18:48] They will be presented before your
Lord in a row. You have come to us as
individuals, just as we created you initially.
Indeed, this is what you claimed will never
happen.
[18:49] The record will be shown, and you will
see the guilty fearful of its contents. They will
say, "Woe to us. How come this book leaves
nothing, small or large, without counting it?"
They will find everything they had done
brought forth. Your Lord is never unjust
towards anyone.
Classification of God's Creatures
[18:50] We said to the angels, "Fall prostrate
before Adam." They fell prostrate, except
Satan. He became a jinn, for he disobeyed the
order of His Lord.* Will you choose him and
his descendants as lords instead of Me, even
though they are your enemies? What a
miserable substitute!
Footnote
[18:51] I never permitted them to witness the
creation of the heavens and the earth, nor the
creation of themselves. Nor do I permit the
wicked to work in My kingdom.*
Footnote
[18:52] The day will come when He says, "Call
upon My partners, whom you claimed to be
gods beside Me," they will call on them, but
they will not respond to them. An
insurmountable barrier will separate them
from each other.
[18:53] The guilty will see Hell, and will realize
that they will fall into it. They will have no
escape therefrom.
Disbelievers Refuse to Accept the
Completeness of the Quran
[18:54] We have cited in this Quran every kind
of example, but the human being is the most
argumentative creature.
[18:55] Nothing prevented the people from
believing, when the guidance came to them,
and from seeking the forgiveness of their Lord,
except that they demanded to see the same
(kind of miracles) as the previous generations,
or challenged to see the retribution
beforehand.
[18:56] We only send the messengers as
simply deliverers of good news, as well as
warners. Those who disbelieve argue with
falsehood to defeat the truth, and they take
My proofs and warnings in vain.
Divine Intervention
[18:57] Who are more evil than those who are
reminded of their Lord's proofs, then disregard
them, without realizing what they are doing.
Consequently, we place shields on their hearts
to prevent them from understanding it (the
Quran) , and deafness in their ears. Thus, no
matter what you do to guide them, they can
never ever be guided.
[18:58] Yet, your Lord is the Forgiver, full of
mercy. If He called them to account for their
deeds, He would annihilate them right there
and then. Instead, He gives them a respite
until a specific, predetermined time; then they
can never escape.
[18:59] Many a community we annihilated
because of their transgressions, we designated
a specific time for their annihilation.
Valuable Lessons from Moses and His Teacher
[18:60] Moses said to his servant, "I will not
rest until I reach the point where the two rivers
meet, no matter how long it takes."
[18:61] When they reached the point where
they met, they forgot their fish, and it found its
way back to the river, sneakily.
[18:62] After they passed that point, he said to
his servant, "Let us have lunch. All this
traveling has thoroughly exhausted us."
[18:63] He said, "Remember when we sat by
the rock back there? I paid no attention to the
fish. It was the devil who made me forget it,
and it found its way back to the river,
strangely."
[18:64] (Moses) said, "That was the place we
were looking for." They traced their steps
back.
[18:65] They found one of our servants, whom
we blessed with mercy, and bestowed upon
him from our own knowledge.
[18:66] Moses said to him, "Can I follow you,
that you may teach me some of the knowledge
and the guidance bestowed upon you?"
[18:67] He said, "You cannot stand to be with
me.
[18:68] "How can you stand that which you do
not comprehend?"
[18:69] He said, "You will find me, GOD willing,
patient. I will not disobey any command you
give me."
[18:70] He said, "If you follow me, then you
shall not ask me about anything, unless I
choose to tell you about it."
[18:71] So they went. When they boarded a
ship, he bore a hole in it. He said, "Did you
bore a hole in it to drown its people? You
have committed something terrible."
[18:72] He said, "Did I not say that you cannot
stand to be with me?"
[18:73] He said, "I am sorry. Do not punish
me for my forgetfulness; do not be too harsh
with me."
[18:74] So they went. When they met a young
boy, he killed him. He said, "Why did you kill
such an innocent soul, who did not kill
another soul? You have committed something
horrendous."
[18:75] He said, "Did I not tell you that you
cannot stand to be with me?"
[18:76] He said, "If I ask you about anything
else, then do not keep me with you. You have
seen enough apologies from me."
[18:77] So they went. When they reached a
certain community, they asked the people for
food, but they refused to host them. Soon,
they found a wall about to collapse, and he
fixed it. He said, "You could have demanded a
wage for that!"
There is a Good Reason for Everything
[18:78] He said, "Now we have to part
company. But I will explain to you everything
you could not stand.
[18:79] "As for the ship, it belonged to poor
fishermen, and I wanted to render it defective.
There was a king coming after them, who was
confiscating every ship, forcibly.
[18:80] "As for the boy, his parents were good
believers, and we saw that he was going to
burden them with his transgression and
disbelief.*
Footnote
[18:81] "We willed that your Lord substitute in
his place another son; one who is better in
righteousness and kindness.
[18:82] "As for the wall, it belonged to two
orphan boys in the city. Under it, there was a
treasure that belonged to them. Because their
father was a righteous man, your Lord wanted
them to grow up and attain full strength, then
extract their treasure. Such is mercy from your
Lord. I did none of that of my own volition.
This is the explanation of the things you could
not stand."
Zul-Qarnain: The One With the Two Horns or
Two Generations
[18:83] They ask you about Zul-Qarnain. Say,
"I will narrate to you some of his history."
[18:84] We granted him authority on earth,
and provided him with all kinds of means.
[18:85] Then, he pursued one way.
[18:86] When he reached the far west, he
found the sun setting in a vast ocean, and
found people there. We said, "O Zul-Qarnain,
you can rule as you wish; either punish, or be
kind to them."
[18:87] He said, "As for those who transgress,
we will punish them, then, when they return to
their Lord, He will commit them to more
retribution.
[18:88] "As for those who believe and lead a
righteous life, they receive a good reward; we
will treat them kindly."
[18:89] Then he pursued another way.
[18:90] When he reached the far east, he found
the sun rising on people who had nothing to
shelter them from it.
[18:91] Naturally, we were fully aware of
everything he found out.
[18:92] He then pursued another way.
[18:93] When he reached the valley between
two palisades, he found people whose
language was barely understandable.
Gog and Magog*
[18:94] They said, "O Zul-Qarnain, Gog and
Magog are corruptors of the earth. Can we pay
you to create a barrier between us and them?"
Footnote
[18:95] He said, "My Lord has given me great
bounties. If you cooperate with me, I will build
a dam between you and them.
[18:96] "Bring to me masses of iron." Once he
filled the gap between the two palisades, he
said, "Blow." Once it was red hot, he said,
"Help me pour tar on top of it."
[18:97] Thus, they could not climb it, nor
could they bore holes in it.
[18:98] He said, "This is mercy from my Lord.
When the prophecy of my Lord comes to pass,
He will cause the dam to crumble. The
prophecy of my Lord is truth."
[18:99] At that time, we will let them invade
with one another, then the horn will be blown,
and we will summon them all together.
[18:100] We will present Hell, on that day, to
the disbelievers.
[18:101] They are the ones whose eyes were
too veiled to see My message. Nor could they
hear.
[18:102] Do those who disbelieve think that
they can get away with setting up My servants
as gods beside Me? We have prepared for the
disbelievers Hell as an eternal abode.
Examine Yourself
[18:103] Say, "Shall I tell you who the worst
losers are?
[18:104] "They are the ones whose works in
this life are totally astray, but they think that
they are doing good."
[18:105] Such are the ones who disbelieved in
the revelations of their Lord and in meeting
Him. Therefore, their works are in vain; on the
Day of Resurrection, they have no weight.
[18:106] Their just requital is Hell, in return for
their disbelief, and for mocking My revelations
and My messengers.
[18:107] As for those who believe and lead a
righteous life they have deserved a blissful
Paradise as their abode.
[18:108] Forever they abide therein; they will
never want any other substitute.
The Quran: Everything We Need
[18:109] Say, "If the ocean were ink for the
words of my Lord, the ocean would run out,
before the words of my Lord run out, even if
we double the ink supply."
[18:110] Say, "I am no more than a human
like you, being inspired that your god is one
god. Those who hope to meet their Lord shall
work righteousness, and never worship any
other god beside his Lord."