1. Praise be to
Allah, Who hath sent to His Servant the Book, and hath allowed therein
no Crookedness:
2. (He hath made it) Straight (and Clear) in
order that He may warn (the godless) of a terrible Punishment from Him,
and that He may give Glad Tidings to the Believers who work righteous
deeds, that they shall have a goodly Reward,
3. Wherein they shall remain for ever:
4. Further, that He may warn those (also) who
say, "Allah hath begotten a son":
5. No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor
had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths
as a saying what they say is nothing but falsehood!
6. Thou wouldst only, perchance, fret thyself to
death, following after them, in grief, if they believe not in this
Message.
7. That which is on earth we have made but as a
glittering show for it, in order that We may test them - as to which of
them are best in conduct.
8. Verily what is on earth we shall make but as
dust and dry soil (without growth or herbage).
9. Or dost thou think that the Companions of the
Cave and of the Inscription were wonders among Our Sign?
10. Behold, the youths betook themselves to the
Cave: they said, "Our Lord! bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose
of our affair for us in the right way!"
11. Then We draw (a veil) over their ears, for a
number of years, in the Cave, (so that they heard not):
12. Then We roused them, in order to test which
of the two parties was best at calculating the term of years they had
tarried!
13. We relate to thee their story in truth: they
were youths who believed in their Lord, and We advanced them in
guidance:
14. We gave strength to their hearts: Behold,
they stood up and said: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and of the
earth: never shall we call upon any god other than Him: if we did, we
should indeed have uttered an enormity!
15. "These our people have taken for worship
gods other than Him: why do they not bring forward an authority clear
(and convincing) for what they do? Who doth more wrong than such as
invent a falsehood against Allah?
16. "When ye turn away from them and the things
they worship other than Allah, betake yourselves to the Cave: Your Lord
will shower His mercies on you and disposes of your affair towards
comfort and ease."
17. Thou wouldst have seen the sun, when it
rose, declining to the right from their Cave, and when it set, turning
away from them to the left, while they lay in the open space in the
midst of the Cave. Such are among the Signs of Allah. He whom Allah,
guides is rightly guided; but he whom Allah leaves to stray,- for him
wilt thou find no protector to lead him to the Right Way.
18. Thou wouldst have thought them, whilst they
were asleep, and We turned them on their right and on their left sides:
their dog stretching forth his two fore-legs on the threshold: if thou
hadst looked at them, thou wouldst have certainly turned back from them
in flight, and wouldst certainly have been filled with terror of them.
19. Such (being their state), We raised them up
(from sleep), that they might question each other. Said one of them,
"How long have ye stayed (here)?" They said, "We have stayed (perhaps) a
day, or part of a day." (At length) they (all) said, "(Allah) (alone)
knows best how long ye have stayed here.... Now send ye then one of you
with this money of yours to the town: let him find out which is the best
food (to be had) and bring some to you, (that ye may satisfy your hunger
therewith): And let him behave with care and courtesy, and let him not
inform any one about you.
20. "For if they should come upon you, they
would stone you or force you to return to their religion, and in that
case ye would never attain prosperity."
21. Thus did We make their case known to the
people, that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that
there can be no doubt about the Hour of Judgment. Behold, they dispute
among themselves as to their affair. (Some) said, "Construct a building
over them": Their Lord knows best about them: those who prevailed over
their affair said, "Let us surely build a place of worship over them."
22. (Some) say they were three, the dog being
the fourth among them; (others) say they were five, the dog being the
sixth,- doubtfully guessing at the unknown; (yet others) say they were
seven, the dog being the eighth. Say thou: "My Lord knoweth best their
number; It is but few that know their (real case)." Enter not,
therefore, into controversies concerning them, except on a matter that
is clear, nor consult any of them about (the affair of) the Sleepers.
23. Nor say of anything, "I shall be sure to do
so and so tomorrow"-
24. Except "If Allah so wills," and remember thy
Lord when thou forgettest, and say, "I hope that my Lord will guide me
ever closer (even) than this to the right course."
25. So they stayed in their Cave three hundred
years, and nine (more).
26. Say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed:
with Him is (the knowledge of) the secrets of the heavens and the earth:
how clearly He sees, how finely He hears (everything)! They have no
protector other than Him; nor does He share His Command with any person
whatsoever.
27. And recite (and teach) what has been
revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord: none can change His Words, and
none wilt thou find as a refuge other than Him.
28. And keep yourself content with those who
call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face; and let not
thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life;
nor obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of
Us, one who follows his own desires, and his affair has become all
excess.
29. Say, "The Truth is from your Lord": Let him
who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it): for the wrong-doers
We have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames), like the walls and
roof of a tent, will hem them in: if they implore relief they will be
granted water like melted brass, that will scald their faces, how
dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!
30. As to those who believe and work
righteousness, verily We shall not suffer to perish the reward of any
who do a (single) righteous deed.
31. For them will be Gardens of Eternity;
beneath them rivers will flow; they will be adorned therein with
bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and
heavy brocade: They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good the
recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on!
32. Set forth to them the parable of two men:
for one of them We provided two gardens of grape-vines and surrounded
them with date palms; in between the two We placed tillage.
33. Each of those gardens brought forth its
produce, and failed not in the least therein: in the midst of them We
caused a river to flow.
34. (Abundant) was the produce this man had : he
said to his companion, in the course of a mutual argument: "more wealth
have I than you, and more honor and power in (my following of) men."
35. He went into his garden while he wronged
himself: He said, "I deem not that this will ever perish,
36. "Nor do I deem that the Hour (of Judgment)
will (ever) come: Even if I am brought back to my Lord, I shall surely
find (there) something better in exchange."
37. His companion said to him, in the course of
the argument with him: "Dost thou deny Him Who created thee out of dust,
then out of a sperm-drop, then fashioned thee into a man?
38. "But as for my part, Allah is my Lord, and
none shall I associate with my Lord.
39. "Why didst thou not, as thou wentest into
thy garden, say: 'Allah's will (be done)! There is no power but with
Allah.' If thou dost see me less than thee in wealth and sons,
40. "It may be that my Lord will give me
something better than thy garden, and that He will send on thy garden
thunderbolts (by way of reckoning) from heaven, making it (but) slippery
sand!-
41. "Or the water of the garden will run off
underground so that thou wilt never be able to find it."
42. So his fruits were encompassed (with ruin),
and he remained twisting and turning his hands over what he had spent on
his property, which had (now) tumbled to pieces to its very foundations,
and he could only say, "Woe is me! Would I had never ascribed partners
to my Lord and Cherisher!"
43. Nor had he numbers to help him against
Allah, nor was he able to deliver himself.
44. There, the (only) protection comes from
Allah, the True One. He is the Best to reward, and the Best to give
success.
45. Set forth to them the similitude of the life
of this world: It is like the rain which We send down from the skies:
the earth's vegetation absorbs it, but soon it becomes dry stubble,
which the winds do scatter: it is (only) Allah who prevails over all
things.
46. Wealth and sons are allurements of the life
of this world: But the things that endure, good deeds, are best in the
sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes.
47. On the Day We shall remove the mountains,
and thou wilt see the earth as a level stretch, and We shall gather
them, all together, nor shall We leave out any one of them.
48. And they will be marshaled before thy Lord
in ranks, (with the announcement), "Now have ye come to Us (bare) as We
created you first: aye, ye thought We shall not fulfill the appointment
made to you to meet (Us)!":
49. And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed
(before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of
what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book
is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account
thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not
one will thy Lord treat with injustice.
50. Behold! We said to the angels, "Prostrate to
Adam": they prostrated except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he
broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as
protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! Evil would be
the exchange for the wrong-doers!
51. I called them not to witness the creation of
the heavens and the earth, not (even) their own creation: nor is it for
Me to take as helpers such as lead (men) astray!
52. On the Day He will say, "Call on those whom
ye thought to be My partners," and they will call on them, but they will
not listen to them; and We shall make for them a place of common
perdition.
53. And the Sinful shall see the fire and
apprehend that they have to fall therein: no means will they find to
turn away therefrom.
54. We have explained in detail in this Qurán,
for the benefit of mankind, every kind of similitude: but man is, in
most things, contentious.
55. And what is there to keep back men from
believing, now that Guidance has come to them, nor from praying for
forgiveness from their Lord, but that (they wait for) the ways of the
ancients to overtake them, or the Wrath be brought to them face to face?
56. We only send the messengers to give Glad
Tidings and to give warnings: But the unbelievers dispute with vain
argument, in order therewith to weaken the truth, and they treat My
Signs as a jest, as also the fact that they are warned!
57. And who doth more wrong than one who is
reminded of the Signs of his Lord, but turns away from them, forgetting
the (deeds) which his hands have sent forth? Verily We have set veils
over their hearts so that they understand this not, and over their ears,
deafness. If thou callest them to guidance, even then will they never
accept guidance.
58. But your Lord is Most forgiving, full of
Mercy. If He were to call them (at once) to account for what they have
earned, then surely He would have hastened their punishment: but they
have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no refuge.
59. Such were the towns we destroyed when they
committed iniquities; but we fixed an appointed time for their
destruction.
60. Behold, Moses said to his attendant, "I will
not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I
spend years and years in travel."
61. But when they reached the Junction, they
forgot (about) their Fish, which took its course through the sea
(straight) as in a tunnel.
62. When they had passed on (some distance),
Moses said to his attendant: "Bring us our early meal; truly we have
suffered much fatigue at this (stage of) our journey."
63. He replied: "Sawest thou (what happened)
when we betook ourselves to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the
Fish: none but Satan made me forget to tell (you) about it: it took its
course through the sea in a marvelous way!"
64. Moses said: "That was what we were seeking
after:" So they went back on their footsteps, following (the path they
had come).
65. So they found one of Our servants, on whom
We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge
from Our own Presence.
66. Moses said to him: "May I follow thee, on
the footing that thou teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which
thou hast been taught?"
67. (The other) said: "Verily thou wilt not be
able to have patience with me!"
68. "And how canst thou have patience about
things which are beyond your knowledge?"
69. Moses said: "Thou wilt find me, if Allah so
will, (truly) patient: nor shall I disobey thee in aught."
70. The other said: "If then thou wouldst follow
me, ask me no questions about anything until I myself speak to thee
concerning it."
71. So they both proceeded: until, when they
were in the boat, he scuttled it. Said Moses: "Hast thou scuttled it in
order to drown those in it? Truly a strange thing hast thou done!"
72. He answered: "Did I not tell thee that thou
canst have no patience with me?"
73. Moses said: "Rebuke me not for forgetting,
nor grieve me by raising difficulties in my case."
74. Then they proceeded: until, when they met a
young boy, he slew him. Moses said: "Hast thou slain an innocent person
who had slain none? Truly a foul (unheard of) thing hast thou done!"
75. He answered: "Did I not tell thee that thou
canst have no patience with me?"
76. (Moses) said: "If ever I ask thee about
anything after this, keep me not in thy company: then wouldst thou have
received (full) excuse from my side."
77. Then they proceeded: until, when they came
to the inhabitants of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused
them hospitality. They found there a wall on the point of falling down,
but he set it up straight. (Moses) said: "If thou hadst wished, surely
thou couldst have exacted some recompense for it!"
78. He answered: "This is the parting between me
and thee: now will I tell thee the interpretation of (those things) over
which thou wast unable to hold patience.
79. "As for the boat, it belonged to certain men
in dire want: they plied on the water: I but wished to render it
unserviceable, for there was after them a certain king who seized on
every boat by force.
80. "As for the youth, his parents were people
of faith, and we feared that he would grieve them by obstinate rebellion
and ingratitude (to Allah).
81. "So we desired that their Lord would give
them in exchange (a son) better in purity (of conduct) and closer in
affection.
82. "As for the wall, it belonged to two youths,
orphans, in the Town; there was, beneath it, a buried treasure, to which
they were entitled: their father had been a righteous man: So thy Lord
desired that they should attain their age of full strength and get out
their treasure - a mercy (and favor) from thy Lord. I did it not of my
own accord. Such is the interpretation of (those things) over which thou
wast unable to hold patience."
83. They ask thee concerning Zulqarnain. Say, "I
will rehearse to you something of his story."
84. Verily We established his power on earth,
and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends.
85. One (such) way he followed,
86. Until, when he reached the setting of the
sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: near it he found a
People: We said: "O Zulqarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish
them, or to treat them with kindness."
87. He said: "Whoever doth wrong, him shall we
punish; then shall he be sent back to his Lord; and He will punish him
with a punishment unheard of (before).
88. "But whoever believes, and works
righteousness,- he shall have a goodly reward, and easy will be his task
as we order it by Our command."
89. Then followed he (another) way,
90. Until, when he came to the rising of the
sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering
protection against the sun.
91. (He left them) as they were: We completely
understood what was before him.
92. Then followed he (another) way,
93. Until, when he reached (a tract) between two
mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a
word.
94. They said: "O Zulqarnain! the Gog and Magog
(People) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute
in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?
95. He said: "(The power) in which my Lord has
established me is better (than tribute). Help me therefore with strength
(and labor): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them:
96. "Bring me blocks of iron." At length, when
a89 he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain-sides, He
said, "Blow (with your bellows)" Then, when he had made it (red) as
fire, he said: "Bring me, that I may pour over it, molten lead."
97. Thus were they made powerless to scale it or
to dig through it.
98. He said: "This is a mercy from my Lord: But
when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will make it into dust;
and the promise of my Lord is true."
99. On that day We shall leave them to surge
like waves on one another: the trumpet will be blown, and We shall
collect them all together.
100. And We shall present Hell that day for
Unbelievers to see, all spread out,-
101. (Unbelievers) whose eyes had been under a
veil from remembrance of Me, and who had been unable even to hear.
102. Do the Unbelievers think that they can take
My servants as protectors besides Me? Verily We have prepared Hell for
the Unbelievers for (their) entertainment.
103. Say: "Shall we tell you of those who lose
most in respect of their deeds?-
104. "Those whose efforts have been wasted in
this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their
works?"
105. They are those who deny the Signs of their
Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain
will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any
weight.
106. That is their reward, Hell; because they
rejected Faith, and took My Signs and My Messengers by way of jest.
107. As to those who believe and work righteous
deeds, they have, for their entertainment, the Gardens of Paradise,
108. Wherein they shall dwell (for aye): no
change will they wish for from them.
109. Say: "If the ocean were ink (wherewith to
write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted
than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it,
for its aid."
110. Say: "I am but a man like yourselves, (but)
the inspiration has come to me, that your God is One God. whoever
expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the
worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.
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