Al-Kahf

al-ḥamdu lillahi alladhī anzala ʿalā ʿabdihi l-kitāba walam yajʿal lahu ʿiwajā

Praise be to God, who sent down the Scripture to His servant and made it unerringly straight,

qayyiman liyundhira basan shadīdan min ladun'hu wayubashira l-mu'minīna alladhīna yaʿmalūna l-ṣāliḥāti anna lahum ajran ḥasanan

warning of severe punishment from Him, and [giving] glad news to the believers who do good deeds––an excellent reward

mākithīna fīhi abadan

that they will always enjoy.

wayundhira alladhīna qālū ittakhadha l-lahu waladan

It warns those people who assert, ‘God has offspring.’

mā lahum bihi min ʿil'min walā liābāihim kaburat kalimatan takhruju min afwāhihim in yaqūlūna illā kadhiban

They have no knowledge about this, nor did their forefathers––it is a monstrous assertion that comes out of their mouths: what they say is nothing but lies.

falaʿallaka bākhiʿun nafsaka ʿalā āthārihim in lam yu'minū bihādhā l-ḥadīthi asafan

But [Prophet] are you going to worry yourself to death over them if they do not believe in this message?

innā jaʿalnā mā ʿalā l-arḍi zīnatan lahā linabluwahum ayyuhum aḥsanu ʿamalan

We have adorned the earth with attractive things so that We may test people to find out which of them do best,

wa-innā lajāʿilūna mā ʿalayhā ṣaʿīdan juruzan

but We shall reduce all this to barren dust.

am ḥasib'ta anna aṣḥāba l-kahfi wal-raqīmi kānū min āyātinā ʿajaban

[Prophet], do you find the Companions in the Cave and al-Raqim so wondrous, among all Our other signs?

idh awā l-fit'yatu ilā l-kahfi faqālū rabbanā ātinā min ladunka raḥmatan wahayyi lanā min amrinā rashadan

When the young men sought refuge in the cave and said, ‘Our Lord, grant us Your mercy, and find us a good way out of our ordeal,’

faḍarabnā ʿalā ādhānihim fī l-kahfi sinīna ʿadadan

We sealed their ears [with sleep] in the cave for years.

thumma baʿathnāhum linaʿlama ayyu l-ḥiz'bayni aḥṣā limā labithū amadan

Then We woke them so that We could make clear which of the two parties was better able to work out how long they had been there.

naḥnu naquṣṣu ʿalayka naba-ahum bil-ḥaqi innahum fit'yatun āmanū birabbihim wazid'nāhum hudan

[Prophet], We shall tell you their story as it really was. They were young men who believed in their Lord, and We gave them more and more guidance.

warabaṭnā ʿalā qulūbihim idh qāmū faqālū rabbunā rabbu l-samāwāti wal-arḍi lan nadʿuwā min dūnihi ilāhan laqad qul'nā idhan shaṭaṭan

We gave strength to their hearts when they stood up and said, ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth. We shall never call upon any god other than Him, for that would be an outrageous thing to do.

hāulāi qawmunā ittakhadhū min dūnihi ālihatan lawlā yatūna ʿalayhim bisul'ṭānin bayyinin faman aẓlamu mimmani if'tarā ʿalā l-lahi kadhiban

These people of ours have taken gods other than Him. Why do they not produce clear evidence about them? Who could be more unjust than someone who makes up lies about God?

wa-idhi iʿ'tazaltumūhum wamā yaʿbudūna illā l-laha fawū ilā l-kahfi yanshur lakum rabbukum min raḥmatihi wayuhayyi lakum min amrikum mir'faqan

Now that you have left such people, and what they worshipped instead of God, take refuge in the cave. God will shower His mercy on you and make you an easy way out of your ordeal.’

watarā l-shamsa idhā ṭalaʿat tazāwaru ʿan kahfihim dhāta l-yamīni wa-idhā gharabat taqriḍuhum dhāta l-shimāli wahum fī fajwatin min'hu dhālika min āyāti l-lahi man yahdi l-lahu fahuwa l-muh'tadi waman yuḍ'lil falan tajida lahu waliyyan mur'shidan

You could have seen the [light of the] sun as it rose, moving away to the right of their cave, and when it set, moving away to the left of them, while they lay in the wide space inside the cave. (This is one of God’s signs: those people God guides are rightly guided, but you will find no protector to lead to the right path those He leaves to stray.)

wataḥsabuhum ayqāẓan wahum ruqūdun wanuqallibuhum dhāta l-yamīni wadhāta l-shimāli wakalbuhum bāsiṭun dhirāʿayhi bil-waṣīdi lawi iṭṭalaʿta ʿalayhim lawallayta min'hum firāran walamuli'ta min'hum ruʿ'ban

You would have thought they were awake, though they lay asleep. We turned them over, to the right and the left, with their dog stretching out its forelegs at the entrance. If you had seen them, you would have turned and run away, filled with fear of them.

wakadhālika baʿathnāhum liyatasāalū baynahum qāla qāilun min'hum kam labith'tum qālū labith'nā yawman aw baʿḍa yawmin qālū rabbukum aʿlamu bimā labith'tum fa-ib'ʿathū aḥadakum biwariqikum hādhihi ilā l-madīnati falyanẓur ayyuhā azkā ṭaʿāman falyatikum biriz'qin min'hu walyatalaṭṭaf walā yush'ʿiranna bikum aḥadan

In time We woke them, and they began to question one another. One of them asked, ‘How long have you been here?’ and [some] answered, ‘A day or part of a day,’ but then [others] said, ‘Your Lord knows best how long you have been here. One of you go to the city with your silver coins, find out where the best food is there, and bring some back. But be careful not to let anyone know about you:

innahum in yaẓharū ʿalaykum yarjumūkum aw yuʿīdūkum fī millatihim walan tuf'liḥū idhan abadan

if they found you out, they would stone you or force you to return to their religion, where you would never come to any good.’

wakadhālika aʿtharnā ʿalayhim liyaʿlamū anna waʿda l-lahi ḥaqqun wa-anna l-sāʿata lā rayba fīhā idh yatanāzaʿūna baynahum amrahum faqālū ib'nū ʿalayhim bun'yānan rabbuhum aʿlamu bihim qāla alladhīna ghalabū ʿalā amrihim lanattakhidhanna ʿalayhim masjidan

In this way We brought them to people’s attention so that they might know that God’s promise [of resurrection] is true and that there is no doubt about the Last Hour, [though] people argue among themselves. [Some] said, ‘Construct a building over them: their Lord knows best about them.’ Those who prevailed said, ‘We shall build a place of worship over them.’

sayaqūlūna thalāthatun rābiʿuhum kalbuhum wayaqūlūna khamsatun sādisuhum kalbuhum rajman bil-ghaybi wayaqūlūna sabʿatun wathāminuhum kalbuhum qul rabbī aʿlamu biʿiddatihim mā yaʿlamuhum illā qalīlun falā tumāri fīhim illā mirāan ẓāhiran walā tastafti fīhim min'hum aḥadan

[Some] say, ‘The sleepers were three, and their dog made four,’ others say, ‘They were five, and the dog made six’- guessing in the dark- and some say, ‘They were seven, and their dog made eight.’ Say [Prophet], ‘My Lord knows best how many they were.’ 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;

walā taqūlanna lishāy'in innī fāʿilun dhālika ghadan

do not say of anything, ‘I will do that tomorrow,’

illā an yashāa l-lahu wa-udh'kur rabbaka idhā nasīta waqul ʿasā an yahdiyani rabbī li-aqraba min hādhā rashadan

without adding, ‘God willing,’ and, whenever you forget, remember your Lord and say, ‘May my Lord guide me closer to what is right.’

walabithū fī kahfihim thalātha mi-atin sinīna wa-iz'dādū tis'ʿan

[Some say], ‘The sleepers stayed in their cave for three hundred years,’ some added nine more.

quli l-lahu aʿlamu bimā labithū lahu ghaybu l-samāwāti wal-arḍi abṣir bihi wa-asmiʿ mā lahum min dūnihi min waliyyin walā yush'riku fī ḥuk'mihi aḥadan

Say [Prophet], ‘God 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.

wa-ut'lu mā ūḥiya ilayka min kitābi rabbika lā mubaddila likalimātihi walan tajida min dūnihi mul'taḥadan

[Prophet], follow what has been revealed to you of your Lord’s Scripture: there is no changing His words, nor can you find any refuge except with Him.

wa-iṣ'bir nafsaka maʿa alladhīna yadʿūna rabbahum bil-ghadati wal-ʿashiyi yurīdūna wajhahu walā taʿdu ʿaynāka ʿanhum turīdu zīnata l-ḥayati l-dun'yā walā tuṭiʿ man aghfalnā qalbahu ʿan dhik'rinā wa-ittabaʿa hawāhu wakāna amruhu furuṭan

Content yourself with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening, seeking His approval, and do not let your eyes turn away from them out of desire for the attractions of this worldly life: do not yield to those whose hearts We have made heedless of Our Quran, those who follow their own low desires, those whose ways are unbridled.

waquli l-ḥaqu min rabbikum faman shāa falyu'min waman shāa falyakfur innā aʿtadnā lilẓẓālimīna nāran aḥāṭa bihim surādiquhā wa-in yastaghīthū yughāthū bimāin kal-muh'li yashwī l-wujūha bi'sa l-sharābu wasāat mur'tafaqan

Say, ‘Now the truth has come from your Lord: let those who wish to believe in it do so, and let those who wish to reject it do so.’ We have prepared a Fire for the wrongdoers that will envelop them from all sides. If they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like molten metal, scalding their faces. What a terrible drink! What a painful resting place!

inna alladhīna āmanū waʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti innā lā nuḍīʿu ajra man aḥsana ʿamalan

As for those who believe and do good deeds- We do not let the reward of anyone who does a good deed go to waste-

ulāika lahum jannātu ʿadnin tajrī min taḥtihimu l-anhāru yuḥallawna fīhā min asāwira min dhahabin wayalbasūna thiyāban khuḍ'ran min sundusin wa-is'tabraqin muttakiīna fīhā ʿalā l-arāiki niʿ'ma l-thawābu waḥasunat mur'tafaqan

they will have Gardens of lasting bliss graced with flowing streams. There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold. There they will wear green garments of fine silk and brocade. There they will be comfortably seated on soft chairs. What a blessed reward! What a pleasant resting place!

wa-iḍ'rib lahum mathalan rajulayni jaʿalnā li-aḥadihimā jannatayni min aʿnābin waḥafafnāhumā binakhlin wajaʿalnā baynahumā zarʿan

Tell them the parable of two men: for one of them We made two gardens of grape vines, surrounded them with date palms, and put corn fields in between;

kil'tā l-janatayni ātat ukulahā walam taẓlim min'hu shayan wafajjarnā khilālahumā naharan

both gardens yielded fruit and did not fail in any way; We made a stream flow through them,

wakāna lahu thamarun faqāla liṣāḥibihi wahuwa yuḥāwiruhu anā aktharu minka mālan wa-aʿazzu nafaran

and so he had abundant fruit. One day, while talking to his friend, he said, ‘I have more wealth and a larger following than you.’

wadakhala jannatahu wahuwa ẓālimun linafsihi qāla mā aẓunnu an tabīda hādhihi abadan

He went into his garden and wronged himself by saying, ‘I do not think this will ever perish,

wamā aẓunnu l-sāʿata qāimatan wala-in rudidttu ilā rabbī la-ajidanna khayran min'hā munqalaban

or that the Last Hour will ever come- even if I were to be taken back to my Lord, I would certainly find something even better there.’

qāla lahu ṣāḥibuhu wahuwa yuḥāwiruhu akafarta bi-alladhī khalaqaka min turābin thumma min nuṭ'fatin thumma sawwāka rajulan

His companion retorted, ‘Have you no faith in Him who created you from dust, from a small drop of fluid, then shaped you into a man?

lākinnā huwa l-lahu rabbī walā ush'riku birabbī aḥadan

But, for me, He is God, my Lord, and I will never set up any partner with Him.

walawlā idh dakhalta jannataka qul'ta mā shāa l-lahu lā quwwata illā bil-lahi in tarani anā aqalla minka mālan wawaladan

If only, when you entered your garden, you had said, “This is God’s will. There is no power not [given] by God.” Although you see I have less wealth and offspring than you,

faʿasā rabbī an yu'tiyani khayran min jannatika wayur'sila ʿalayhā ḥus'bānan mina l-samāi fatuṣ'biḥa ṣaʿīdan zalaqan

my Lord may well give me something better than your garden, and send thunderbolts on your garden from the sky, so that it becomes a heap of barren dust;

aw yuṣ'biḥa māuhā ghawran falan tastaṭīʿa lahu ṭalaban

or its water may sink so deep into the ground that you will never be able to reach it again.’

wa-uḥīṭa bithamarihi fa-aṣbaḥa yuqallibu kaffayhi ʿalā mā anfaqa fīhā wahiya khāwiyatun ʿalā ʿurūshihā wayaqūlu yālaytanī lam ush'rik birabbī aḥadan

And so it was: his fruit was completely destroyed, and there he was, wringing his hands over what he had invested in it, as it drooped on its trellises, and saying, ‘I wish I had not set up any partner to my Lord.’

walam takun lahu fi-atun yanṣurūnahu min dūni l-lahi wamā kāna muntaṣiran

He had no forces to help him other than God- he could not even help himself.

hunālika l-walāyatu lillahi l-ḥaqi huwa khayrun thawāban wakhayrun ʿuq'ban

In that situation, the only protection is that of God, the True God: He gives the best rewards and the best outcome.

wa-iḍ'rib lahum mathala l-ḥayati l-dun'yā kamāin anzalnāhu mina l-samāi fa-ikh'talaṭa bihi nabātu l-arḍi fa-aṣbaḥa hashīman tadhrūhu l-riyāḥu wakāna l-lahu ʿalā kulli shayin muq'tadiran

Tell them, too, what the life of this world is like: We send water down from the skies and the earth’s vegetation absorbs it, but soon the plants turn to dry stubble scattered about by the wind: God has power over everything.

al-mālu wal-banūna zīnatu l-ḥayati l-dun'yā wal-bāqiyātu l-ṣāliḥātu khayrun ʿinda rabbika thawāban wakhayrun amalan

Wealth and children are the attractions of this worldly life, but lasting good works have a better reward with your Lord and give better grounds for hope.

wayawma nusayyiru l-jibāla watarā l-arḍa bārizatan waḥasharnāhum falam nughādir min'hum aḥadan

One day We shall make the mountains move, and you will see the earth as an open plain. We shall gather all people together, leaving no one.

waʿuriḍū ʿalā rabbika ṣaffan laqad ji'tumūnā kamā khalaqnākum awwala marratin bal zaʿamtum allan najʿala lakum mawʿidan

They will be lined up before your Lord: ‘Now you have come to Us as We first created you, although you claimed We had not made any such appointment for you.’

wawuḍiʿa l-kitābu fatarā l-muj'rimīna mush'fiqīna mimmā fīhi wayaqūlūna yāwaylatanā māli hādhā l-kitābi lā yughādiru ṣaghīratan walā kabīratan illā aḥṣāhā wawajadū mā ʿamilū ḥāḍiran walā yaẓlimu rabbuka aḥadan

The record of their deeds will be laid open and you will see the guilty, dismayed at what they contain, saying, ‘Woe to us! What a record this is! It does not leave any deed, small or large, unaccounted for!’ They will find everything they ever did laid in front of them: your Lord will not be unjust to anyone.

wa-idh qul'nā lil'malāikati us'judū liādama fasajadū illā ib'līsa kāna mina l-jini fafasaqa ʿan amri rabbihi afatattakhidhūnahu wadhurriyyatahu awliyāa min dūnī wahum lakum ʿaduwwun bi'sa lilẓẓālimīna badalan

We said to the angels, ‘Bow down before Adam,’ and they all bowed down, but not Iblis: he was one of the jinn and he disobeyed his Lord’s command. Are you [people] going to take him and his offspring as your masters instead of Me, even though they are your enemies? What a bad bargain for the evildoers!

mā ashhadttuhum khalqa l-samāwāti wal-arḍi walā khalqa anfusihim wamā kuntu muttakhidha l-muḍilīna ʿaḍudan

I did not make them witnesses to the creation of the heavens and earth, nor to their own creation; I do not take as My supporters those who lead others astray.

wayawma yaqūlu nādū shurakāiya alladhīna zaʿamtum fadaʿawhum falam yastajībū lahum wajaʿalnā baynahum mawbiqan

On the Day God will say, ‘Call on those you claimed were My partners,’ they will call them but they will not answer; We shall set a deadly gulf between them.

waraā l-muj'rimūna l-nāra faẓannū annahum muwāqiʿūhā walam yajidū ʿanhā maṣrifan

The evildoers will see the Fire and they will realize that they are about to fall into it: they will find no escape from it.

walaqad ṣarrafnā fī hādhā l-qur'āni lilnnāsi min kulli mathalin wakāna l-insānu akthara shayin jadalan

In this Quran We have presented every kind of description for people but man is more contentious than any other creature.

wamā manaʿa l-nāsa an yu'minū idh jāahumu l-hudā wayastaghfirū rabbahum illā an tatiyahum sunnatu l-awalīna aw yatiyahumu l-ʿadhābu qubulan

Now that guidance has come to them, what stops these people believing and asking forgiveness from their Lord before the fate of earlier peoples annihilates them or their torment confronts them?

wamā nur'silu l-mur'salīna illā mubashirīna wamundhirīna wayujādilu alladhīna kafarū bil-bāṭili liyud'ḥiḍū bihi l-ḥaqa wa-ittakhadhū āyātī wamā undhirū huzuwan

We only send messengers to bring good news and to deliver warning, yet the disbelievers seek to refute the truth with false arguments and make fun of My messages and warnings.

waman aẓlamu mimman dhukkira biāyāti rabbihi fa-aʿraḍa ʿanhā wanasiya mā qaddamat yadāhu innā jaʿalnā ʿalā qulūbihim akinnatan an yafqahūhu wafī ādhānihim waqran wa-in tadʿuhum ilā l-hudā falan yahtadū idhan abadan

Who could be more wrong than the person who is reminded of his Lord’s messages and turns his back on them, ignoring what his hands are storing up for him [in the Hereafter]? We have put covers over their hearts, so they cannot understand the Quran, and We put heaviness in their ears: although you call them to guidance [Prophet] they will never accept it.

warabbuka l-ghafūru dhū l-raḥmati law yuākhidhuhum bimā kasabū laʿajjala lahumu l-ʿadhāba bal lahum mawʿidun lan yajidū min dūnihi mawilan

Your Lord is the Most Forgiving, and full of mercy: if He took them to task for the wrongs they have done, He would hasten their punishment on. They have an appointed time from which they will have no escape,

watil'ka l-qurā ahlaknāhum lammā ẓalamū wajaʿalnā limahlikihim mawʿidan

[just like] the former communities We destroyed for doing wrong: We set an appointed time for their destruction.

wa-idh qāla mūsā lifatāhu lā abraḥu ḥattā ablugha majmaʿa l-baḥrayni aw amḍiya ḥuquban

Moses said to his servant, ‘I will not rest until I reach the place where the two seas meet, even if it takes me years!’

falammā balaghā majmaʿa baynihimā nasiyā ḥūtahumā fa-ittakhadha sabīlahu fī l-baḥri saraban

but when they reached the place where the two seas meet, they had forgotten all about their fish, which made its way into the sea and swam away.

falammā jāwazā qāla lifatāhu ātinā ghadāanā laqad laqīnā min safarinā hādhā naṣaban

They journeyed on, and then Moses said to his servant, ‘Give us our lunch! This journey of ours is very tiring,’

qāla ara-ayta idh awaynā ilā l-ṣakhrati fa-innī nasītu l-ḥūta wamā ansānīhu illā l-shayṭānu an adhkurahu wa-ittakhadha sabīlahu fī l-baḥri ʿajaban

and [the servant] said, ‘Remember when we were resting by the rock? I forgot the fish- Satan made me forget to pay attention to it- and it [must have] made its way into the sea.’ ‘How strange!’

qāla dhālika mā kunnā nabghi fa-ir'taddā ʿalā āthārihimā qaṣaṣan

Moses said, ‘Then that was the place we were looking for.’ So the two turned back, retraced their footsteps,

fawajadā ʿabdan min ʿibādinā ātaynāhu raḥmatan min ʿindinā waʿallamnāhu min ladunnā ʿil'man

and found one of Our servants- a man to whom We had granted Our mercy and whom We had given knowledge of Our own.

qāla lahu mūsā hal attabiʿuka ʿalā an tuʿallimani mimmā ʿullim'ta rush'dan

Moses said to him, ‘May I follow you so that you can teach me some of the right guidance you have been taught?’

qāla innaka lan tastaṭīʿa maʿiya ṣabran

The man said, ‘You will not be able to bear with me patiently.

wakayfa taṣbiru ʿalā mā lam tuḥiṭ bihi khub'ran

How could you be patient in matters beyond your knowledge?’

qāla satajidunī in shāa l-lahu ṣābiran walā aʿṣī laka amran

Moses said, ‘God willing, you will find me patient. I will not disobey you in any way.’

qāla fa-ini ittabaʿtanī falā tasalnī ʿan shayin ḥattā uḥ'ditha laka min'hu dhik'ran

The man said, ‘If you follow me then, do not query anything I do before I mention it to you myself.’

fa-inṭalaqā ḥattā idhā rakibā fī l-safīnati kharaqahā qāla akharaqtahā litugh'riqa ahlahā laqad ji'ta shayan im'ran

They travelled on. Later, when they got into a boat, and the man made a hole in it, Moses said, ‘How could you make a hole in it? Do you want to drown its passengers? What a strange thing to do!’

qāla alam aqul innaka lan tastaṭīʿa maʿiya ṣabran

He replied, ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to bear with me patiently?’

qāla lā tuākhidh'nī bimā nasītu walā tur'hiq'nī min amrī ʿus'ran

Moses said, ‘Forgive me for forgetting. Do not make it too hard for me to follow you.’

fa-inṭalaqā ḥattā idhā laqiyā ghulāman faqatalahu qāla aqatalta nafsan zakiyyatan bighayri nafsin laqad ji'ta shayan nuk'ran

And so they travelled on. Then, when they met a young boy and the man killed him, Moses said, ‘How could you kill an innocent person? He has not killed anyone! What a terrible thing to do!’

qāla alam aqul laka innaka lan tastaṭīʿa maʿiya ṣabran

He replied, ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to bear with me patiently?’

qāla in sa-altuka ʿan shayin baʿdahā falā tuṣāḥib'nī qad balaghta min ladunnī ʿudh'ran

Moses said, ‘From now on, if I query anything you do, banish me from your company- you have put up with enough from me.’

fa-inṭalaqā ḥattā idhā atayā ahla qaryatin is'taṭʿamā ahlahā fa-abaw an yuḍayyifūhumā fawajadā fīhā jidāran yurīdu an yanqaḍḍa fa-aqāmahu qāla law shi'ta lattakhadhta ʿalayhi ajran

And so they travelled on. Then, when they came to a town and asked the inhabitants for food but were refused hospitality, they saw a wall there that was on the point of falling down and the man repaired it. Moses said, ‘But if you had wished you could have taken payment for doing that.’

qāla hādhā firāqu baynī wabaynika sa-unabbi-uka bitawīli mā lam tastaṭiʿ ʿalayhi ṣabran

He said, ‘This is where you and I part company. I will tell you the meaning of the things you could not bear with patiently:

ammā l-safīnatu fakānat limasākīna yaʿmalūna fī l-baḥri fa-aradttu an aʿībahā wakāna warāahum malikun yakhudhu kulla safīnatin ghaṣban

the boat belonged to some needy people who made their living from the sea and I damaged it because I knew that coming after them was a king who was seizing every [serviceable] boat by force.

wa-ammā l-ghulāmu fakāna abawāhu mu'minayni fakhashīnā an yur'hiqahumā ṭugh'yānan wakuf'ran

The young boy had parents who were people of faith, and so, fearing he would trouble them through wickedness and disbelief,

fa-aradnā an yub'dilahumā rabbuhumā khayran min'hu zakatan wa-aqraba ruḥ'man

we wished that their Lord should give them another child- purer and more compassionate- in his place.

wa-ammā l-jidāru fakāna lighulāmayni yatīmayni fī l-madīnati wakāna taḥtahu kanzun lahumā wakāna abūhumā ṣāliḥan fa-arāda rabbuka an yablughā ashuddahumā wayastakhrijā kanzahumā raḥmatan min rabbika wamā faʿaltuhu ʿan amrī dhālika tawīlu mā lam tasṭiʿ ʿalayhi ṣabran

The wall belonged to two young orphans in the town and there was buried treasure beneath it belonging to them. Their father had been a righteous man, so your Lord intended them to reach maturity and then dig up their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do [these things] of my own accord: these are the explanations for those things you could not bear with patience.’

wayasalūnaka ʿan dhī l-qarnayni qul sa-atlū ʿalaykum min'hu dhik'ran

[Prophet], they ask you about Dhu ’l-Qarnayn. Say, ‘I will tell you something about him.’

innā makkannā lahu fī l-arḍi waātaynāhu min kulli shayin sababan

We established his power in the land, and gave him the means to achieve everything.

fa-atbaʿa sababan

He travelled on a certain road;

ḥattā idhā balagha maghriba l-shamsi wajadahā taghrubu fī ʿaynin ḥami-atin wawajada ʿindahā qawman qul'nā yādhā l-qarnayni immā an tuʿadhiba wa-immā an tattakhidha fīhim ḥus'nan

then, when he came to the setting of the sun, he found it [seemed to be] setting into a muddy spring. Nearby he found some people and We said, ‘Dhu ’l-Qarnayn, you may choose [which of them] to punish or show kindness to.’

qāla ammā man ẓalama fasawfa nuʿadhibuhu thumma yuraddu ilā rabbihi fayuʿadhibuhu ʿadhāban nuk'ran

He answered, ‘We shall punish those who have done evil, and when they are returned to their Lord He will punish them [even more] severely,

wa-ammā man āmana waʿamila ṣāliḥan falahu jazāan l-ḥus'nā wasanaqūlu lahu min amrinā yus'ran

while those who believed and did good deeds will have the best of rewards: we shall command them to do what is easy for them.’

thumma atbaʿa sababan

He travelled on;

ḥattā idhā balagha maṭliʿa l-shamsi wajadahā taṭluʿu ʿalā qawmin lam najʿal lahum min dūnihā sit'ran

then, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no shelter from it.

kadhālika waqad aḥaṭnā bimā ladayhi khub'ran

And so it was: We knew all about him.

thumma atbaʿa sababan

He travelled on;

ḥattā idhā balagha bayna l-sadayni wajada min dūnihimā qawman lā yakādūna yafqahūna qawlan

then, when he reached a place between two mountain barriers, he found beside them a people who could barely understand him.

qālū yādhā l-qarnayni inna yajūja wamajūja muf'sidūna fī l-arḍi fahal najʿalu laka kharjan ʿalā an tajʿala baynanā wabaynahum saddan

They said, ‘Dhu ’l-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog are ruining this land. Will you build a barrier between them and us if we pay you a tribute?’

qāla mā makkannī fīhi rabbī khayrun fa-aʿīnūnī biquwwatin ajʿal baynakum wabaynahum radman

He answered, ‘The power my Lord has given me is better than any tribute, but if you lend me your strength, I will put up a fortification between you and them:

ātūnī zubara l-ḥadīdi ḥattā idhā sāwā bayna l-ṣadafayni qāla unfukhū ḥattā idhā jaʿalahu nāran qāla ātūnī uf'righ ʿalayhi qiṭ'ran

bring me lumps of iron!’ and then, when he had filled the gap between the two mountainsides [he said], ‘Work your bellows!’ and then, when he had made it glow like fire, he said, ‘Bring me molten metal to pour over it!’

famā is'ṭāʿū an yaẓharūhu wamā is'taṭāʿū lahu naqban

Their enemies could not scale the barrier, nor could they pierce it,

qāla hādhā raḥmatun min rabbī fa-idhā jāa waʿdu rabbī jaʿalahu dakkāa wakāna waʿdu rabbī ḥaqqan

and he said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. But when my Lord’s promise is fulfilled, He will raze this barrier to the ground: my Lord’s promise always comes true.’

wataraknā baʿḍahum yawma-idhin yamūju fī baʿḍin wanufikha fī l-ṣūri fajamaʿnāhum jamʿan

On that Day, We shall let them surge against each other like waves and then the Trumpet will be blown and We shall gather them all together.

waʿaraḍnā jahannama yawma-idhin lil'kāfirīna ʿarḍan

We shall show Hell to the disbelievers,

alladhīna kānat aʿyunuhum fī ghiṭāin ʿan dhik'rī wakānū lā yastaṭīʿūna samʿan

those whose eyes were blind to My signs, those who were unable to hear.

afaḥasiba alladhīna kafarū an yattakhidhū ʿibādī min dūnī awliyāa innā aʿtadnā jahannama lil'kāfirīna nuzulan

Did they think that they could take My servants as masters instead of Me? We have prepared Hell as the disbelievers’ resting place.

qul hal nunabbi-ukum bil-akhsarīna aʿmālan

Say [Prophet], ‘Shall we tell you who has the most to lose by their actions,

alladhīna ḍalla saʿyuhum fī l-ḥayati l-dun'yā wahum yaḥsabūna annahum yuḥ'sinūna ṣun'ʿan

whose efforts in this world are misguided, even when they think they are doing good work?

ulāika alladhīna kafarū biāyāti rabbihim waliqāihi faḥabiṭat aʿmāluhum falā nuqīmu lahum yawma l-qiyāmati waznan

It is those who disbelieve in their Lord’s messages and deny that they will meet Him.’ Their deeds come to nothing: on the Day of Resurrection We shall give them no weight.

dhālika jazāuhum jahannamu bimā kafarū wa-ittakhadhū āyātī warusulī huzuwan

Their recompense for having disbelieved and made fun of My messages and My messengers will be Hell.

inna alladhīna āmanū waʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti kānat lahum jannātu l-fir'dawsi nuzulan

But those who believe and do good deeds will be given the Gardens of Paradise.

khālidīna fīhā lā yabghūna ʿanhā ḥiwalan

There they will remain, never wishing to leave.

qul law kāna l-baḥru midādan likalimāti rabbī lanafida l-baḥru qabla an tanfada kalimātu rabbī walaw ji'nā bimith'lihi madadan

Say [Prophet], ‘If the whole ocean were ink for writing the words of my Lord, it would run dry before those words were exhausted’- even if We were to add another ocean to it.

qul innamā anā basharun mith'lukum yūḥā ilayya annamā ilāhukum ilāhun wāḥidun faman kāna yarjū liqāa rabbihi falyaʿmal ʿamalan ṣāliḥan walā yush'rik biʿibādati rabbihi aḥadan

Say, ‘I am only a human being, like you, to whom it has been revealed that your God is One. Anyone who fears to meet his Lord should do good deeds and give no one a share in the worship due to his Lord.