18:2
[He has made it] correct, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good news to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward
18:3
In which they will remain forever.
18:4
And to warn those who say, "God has taken a son." *2 Ezra 2:47, *Mark 15:39, *Acts 8:37, *Acts 9:20
18:5
They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers. The word that comes out of their mouths is [indeed] grave; they do not speak [anything] except a lie.
18:6
Then perhaps you would die out of grief [seeing] their footsteps [as they turn away], if they do not believe in this narration.
18:7
Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it so that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed.
18:8
And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground.
18:9
Or have you thought that the companions of the cave and the inscription were wonders among Our signs?
18:10
When the youths retreated to the cave and said, "Our Lord, grant us mercy from Yourself and prepare right guidance for us from our affair."
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So We struck [a cover of sleep] upon their ears within the cave for a number of years.
18:12
Then We awakened them so that We might know which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time.
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It is We who relate their news to you in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.
18:14
And We made their hearts firm when they stood up and said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will never invoke any god besides Him. We then would have certainly spoken an excessive transgression.
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These, our people, have taken gods besides Him. Why do they not bring a clear authority for [serving] them? And who is more wrong than one who invents a lie about God?"
18:16
[It was said], "And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they serve other than God, retreat to the cave. Your Lord will spread out His mercy for you and will prepare ease for you from your affair."
18:17
And [had you been present], you would see the sun inclining away from their cave on the right when it rose, and passing away from them on the left when it set, while they were [laying] within an open space thereof. That was from the signs of God. He whom God guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He leaves astray - you will never find a protecting guide for him.
18:18
And you would think them [to be] awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled with terror by them.
18:19
And similarly, We awakened them so that they might question one another. A speaker from among them said, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the purest food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.
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Indeed, if they discover you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And you would never succeed then - ever."
18:21
And similarly, We caused them to be found so that they would know that the promise of God is truth and that there is no doubt about the Hour. [That was] when they disputed amongst themselves about their affair and [then] said, "Construct a structure over them." Their Lord is most knowing about them. Those who prevailed in the matter said, "We will surely take a place of prostration [for ourselves] over them."
18:22
They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, "My Lord is most knowing of their number. No one knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire anyone from among [the speculators] about them."
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And never say of anything, "Indeed, I will do that tomorrow,"
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Except [when adding], "If God wills." *James 4:15 And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct."
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And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and exceeded by nine.
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Say, "God is most knowing of how long they remained. He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They do not have any protector besides Him, and He does not share His legislation with anyone."
18:27
And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and you will never find a refuge in [anything] other than Him.
18:28
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the [late] afternoon, seeking His Countenance. And do not let your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is [in] neglect.
18:29
And say, "The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve." Indeed, We have prepared a Fire for the wrongdoers whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces. It is wretched as a drink, and it is evil as a resting place.
18:30
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - indeed, We will not allow the reward to be lost for any who did well in deeds.
18:31
Those will have Gardens of Eden; rivers will flow beneath them. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and will wear green garments of fine silk and brocade, reclining therein on adorned couches. The reward is excellent, and the resting place is good.
18:32
And present an example of two men to them, We granted two gardens of grapevines to one of them, and We bordered them with palm trees and placed [fields of] crops between them.
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Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and nothing went wrong therein. And We caused a river to gush forth within them.
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And he had fruit, so he said to his companion while he was conversing with him, "I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in group."
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And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, "I do not think that this will perish - ever.
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And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be returned to my Lord, I will surely find a better return than this."
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His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, "Have you disbelieved in He who created you from dust *Genesis 2:7 and then from a drop [of seed] and then proportioned you [as] a man?
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But as for me, He is God, my Lord, and I do not associate anyone with my Lord.
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And when you entered your garden, why did you not say, 'What God willed [has occurred]; there is no power except in God'? Although you see me less than you in wealth and children,
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Perhaps my Lord will give me [something] better than your garden and will send a reckoning upon it from the heaven, and it will become a smooth, dusty ground,
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Or its water will become sunken [into the earth], so you would never be able to seek it."
18:42
And his fruits were encompassed [by ruin], so he began to turn his hands about [in dismay] over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises, and said, "Oh, I wish I had not associated anyone with my Lord."
18:43
And there was no group to aid him other than God, nor could he defend himself.
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There, the [only] protection is from God, the Truth. He is best in reward and best in outcome.
18:45
And present the example of the life of this world to them, [it being] like water which We send down from the heaven, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and [then] it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And God is Perfect in Ability over all things.
18:46
Wealth and children are [only] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope.
18:47
And [warn of] the Day when We will remove the mountains *Isaiah 54:10, *Judith 16:15, *Revelation 6:14 and you will see the earth a flat plain, *Baruch 5:7, *Shepherd of Hermas 3:4 and We will gather them and not leave anyone behind from them.
18:48
And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], "You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make an appointment for you."
18:49
And the record [of deeds] will be delivered, and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does wrong to no one.
18:50
And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," *Hebrews 1:6 and they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was from the jinn and defiantly disobeyed against the command of his Lord. Then will you take him and his offspring as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you? It is wretched for the wrongdoers as an exchange.
18:51
I did not make them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth or to the creation of themselves, and I would not have taken the misguiders as assistants.
18:52
And [warn of] the Day when He will say, "Call 'My partners' whom you claimed," and they will invoke them, but they will not respond to them. And We will put [a valley of] destruction between them.
18:53
And the criminals will see the Fire and will be certain that they are to fall therein. And they will not find a way of escape from it.
18:54
And We have certainly explained every [kind of] example in this Qur'an for the people; but man is [prone to] dispute in most things.
18:55
And nothing has prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them and from asking for forgiveness from their Lord except that the [accustomed] precedent of the former [peoples must] befall them or that the punishment should come [directly] before them.
18:56
And We do not send the messengers except as bringers of good news and warners. And those who disbelieve dispute by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate the truth thereby and have taken My verses, and that which they are warned, in ridicule.
18:57
And who is more wrong than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord but turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth? Indeed, We have placed coverings over their hearts, unless they should understand it, and deafness in their ears. And if you invite them to guidance - they will never be guided, then - ever.
18:58
And your Lord is the Forgiving, full of mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened the punishment for them. *2 Ezra 7:66 Rather, there is an appointment for them from which they will never find an escape.
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And those cities - We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made an appointed time for their destruction.
18:60
And when Moses said to his servant, "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period."
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But when they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the sea, slipping away.
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So when they had passed beyond it, [Moses] said to his servant, "Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly met [much] fatigue in our journey."
18:63
He said, "Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan - that I should remember it. And it amazingly took its way into the sea."
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[Moses] said, "That is what we were seeking." So they returned, retracing their footprints.
18:65
And they found a servant from among Our servants to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him a [certain] knowledge from Us.
18:66
Moses said to him, "May I follow you on [the condition] that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgement?"
18:67
He said, "Indeed, you will never be able to have patience with me.
18:68
And how can you have patience for what you do not encompass in awareness?"
18:69
[Moses] said, "You will find me patient if God wills, and I will not disobey you in [any] order."
18:70
He said, "Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I make a reminder to you about it."
18:71
So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, he tore it open. [Moses] said, "Have you torn it open to drown its people? You have certainly done a grave thing."
18:72
He said, "Did I not say that you would never be able to have patience with me?"
18:73
[Moses] said, "Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not cover me with hardship in my matter."
18:74
So they set out, until when they met a boy, he killed him. [Moses] said, "Have you killed a pure soul for [a reason] other than [that a soul has killed] a soul? You have certainly done a terrible thing."
18:75
He said, "Did I not tell you that you would never be able to have patience with me?"
18:76
[Moses] said, "If I should ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me as a companion. You have obtained an excuse from me."
18:77
So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found a wall therein about to collapse, so he restored it. [Moses] said, "If you willed, you could have taken a payment for it."
18:78
He said, "This is parting between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that which you could not have patience for.
18:79
As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause a defect in it [since] there was a king after them who seized every [good] ship by force.
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And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief.
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So we intended that their Lord should substitute one better than him for them in purity and nearer to mercy.
18:82
And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was a treasure beneath it for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they should reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did not do it of my own command. That is the interpretation of that which you could not have patience for."
18:83
And they ask you about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I will recite a report to you about him."
18:84
Indeed We established him upon the earth, and We gave him a way to everything.
18:86
Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found a people near it. God said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish [them] or else take them [with] goodness."
18:87
He said, "As for one who wrongs, then we will soon punish him. Then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with a terrible punishment.
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But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a good reward, and we will speak to him with ease from our command."
18:90
Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made any cover against it.
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Thus, and We had certainly encompassed [all] that he had in awareness.
18:93
Until, when he reached [a place] between two barriers, he found a people beside them who could hardly understand [his] speech.
18:94
They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are [great] corrupters in the land. So may we assign an expenditure for you so that you might make a barrier between us and them?"
18:95
He said, "That in which my Lord has established me is better, but assist me with strength; I will make a barrier between you and them.
18:96
Bring me sheets of iron" - until, when he had leveled [them] between the two cliffs, he said, "Blow," until when he had made it a fire, he said, "Bring me [them], so that I may pour molten copper over it."
18:97
So Gog and Magog were unable to pass over it, nor were they able [to make] any penetration in it.
18:98
[Dhul-Qarnayn] said, "This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it level, *Shepherd of Hermas 3:4, *Ezekiel 38:20 and the promise of my Lord is true."
18:99
And We will leave them surging over each other that Day, and [then] the Trumpet will be blown, and We will assemble them in [one] assembly.
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And We will present Gehenna that Day to the disbelievers, its width -
18:101
Those whose eyes had been within a cover [removed] from My remembrance, and they were not able to hear.
18:102
Then do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants instead of Me as protectors? Indeed, We have prepared Gehenna for the disbelievers as a lodging.
18:103
Say, "May we inform you of the greatest in loss as to [their] deeds?
18:104
[They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work."
18:105
Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and in [their] meeting Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign any weight to [their deeds] on the Day of Resurrection.
18:106
That is their recompense - Gehenna - for what they denied and [because] they took My verses and My messengers in ridicule.
18:107
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging,
18:108
Wherein they abide eternally. They will not seek any transfer from it.
18:109
Say, "If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted," even if We brought the like of it as a supplement. ~*John 21:25