Surah Al Kahf – The Cave (1-30)
In the name of Allah, the entirely Merciful, the especially Merciful
- All Praise is for Allah, Who has revealed the Book upon His Servant [Muḥammad (ﷺ)] and has made it perfect without any confusions.
- He has made it straight forward, to warn the disbelievers of a severe punishment from Him and to give good news to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have an excellent reward, (that is Paradise).
- In which they will remain forever.
- And to warn those who say, “Allah has a son”.
- They have no knowledge about it, nor did their fathers. What a terrible claim that comes out of their mouths! What they say is nothing but lies.
- (O Muhammad!) you will perhaps worry yourself to death over them if they do not believe in this message.
- Surely, We have made whatever is on the earth as beauty for it, in order to test which of the people are best in deeds.
- And for sure, We will turn whatever is on the earth into a barren land.
- Do you think that the news or names of the people of the Cave were the only wonders of our signs?
- When the young men took shelter in the cave and said, ” Our Lord, grant us mercy from Yourself and provide us with guidance in our matters.”
- Then we covered up their sense of hearing, (causing them to go into a deep sleep), in the Cave for a number of years.
- Then we woke them up so we may show them which of the two groups was best at calculating the time period that they had stayed in the cave.
- We narrate to you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) their story with truth: Truly they were young men who believed in their Lord (Allah), and We increased them in guidance.
- And We made their hearts firm and strong when they stood up against their cruel king and disbelieving people and said: “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, never shall we call upon any (god) other than Him; or we would truly be uttering an outrageous lie.”
- “These people of ours have taken gods besides Allah. Why do they not bring a clear proof to support them? Who could be more unjust than someone who makes up lies about Allah?
- And one of them advised his friends “Now that you have separated yourselves from them and what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will shower His Mercy on you and will make your matter easy for you.”
- And you might have seen the sun, when it rose, turning away from their Cave towards the right; and when it set, turning away from them towards the left, so that they were not disturbed by it’s bright light, while they lay asleep in the wide space inside the cave. That is one of the signs of Allah. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided; but whomever He leads astray, for him you will find no helpful friend to guide him (to the right Path).
- And you would have thought they were awake, though they were asleep. We turned them over, to the right and left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. Had you looked at them, you would have turned and run away, filled with fear.
- When we woke them up they questioned each other. One of them asked: How long have you slept? Some replied: “Perhaps a day, or part of a day.”
(Then) they said (to one another), “Your Lord knows best how long you have remained. So send one of you with these silver coins of yours to the city, and let him find the purest of food and bring some of that to you.Let him be careful and he must not let anyone know about you. - ” For, indeed, if the cruel king and his people find out about you, they will stone you , or force you back into their faith, and then you will never succeed
- That is how We caused them to be discovered so that their people would know that Allah’s promise is true and that there is no doubt that the Last Hour will come to pass. When the people argued with each other about the case of the young men (after their death), some suggested, suggested to seal the door of their cave. But the people of power amongst them said, “we will surely build a mosque over them”
- Some will say, ‘They were three, their dog made four,’ while others will say, ‘They were five, and the dog made six’ – guessing in the dark – and some will say, ‘They were seven, and their dog made eight.’ Say ‘My Lord knows best about their number.’ Only a few have real knowledge about them, so do not argue, but stick to what is clear, and do not ask any of these people about them;
- And never say about anything, “I will definitely do this tomorrow,”
- without adding, “if Allah wills it!” But if you forget, then remember your Lord, and say, “I trust my Lord will guide me closer to what is right.”
- They stayed in their cave for three hundred and nine years
- Say, (O Prophet,) “Allah knows best how long they stayed. His is the knowledge of all that is hidden in the heavens and earth- How well He sees! How well He hears!- and they have no one to protect them other than Him; He does not allow anyone to share His rule.
- And recite what has been revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. No one can change His Words, nor can you find any refuge besides Him. ‘
- And patiently stick with those who call upon Allah , in morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and do not let your eyes turn away from them, desiring the luxuries of this worldly life, and do not follow those who are distracted by this world and from worshipping Allah and whose actions are a waste of time.
- And say, ˹oh Prophet that “˹This Quran˺ is the truth from your Lord. Whoever wills let them believe, and whoever wills let them disbelieve.” Surely We have prepared for the wrongdoers a wall of fire which will surround them completely. When they cry for help, they will be given boiling water which will burn their faces. What a horrible drink! And what a terrible place to rest!
- As for those who believe and do good actions – of course, We do not waste the reward of those who are good in actions.