The Cave · Surah 18

Or some morning the water thereof will be lost in the earth so that thou canst not make search for it

And his fruit was beset (with destruction). Then began he to wring his hands for all that he had spent upon it, when (now) it was all ruined on its trellises, and to say: Would that I had ascribed no partner to my Lord

And he had no troop of men to help him as against Allah, nor could he save himself

In this case is protection only from Allah, the True, He is Best for reward, and best for consequence

And coin for them the similitude of the life of the world as water which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingleth with it and then becometh dry twigs that the winds scatter. Allah is able to do all things

Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of the world. But the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better in respect of hope

And (bethink you of) the Day when we remove the hills and ye see the earth emerging, and We gather them together so as to leave not one of them behind

And they are set before thy Lord in ranks (and it is said unto them): Now verily have ye come unto Us as We created you at the first. But ye thought that We had set no tryst for you

And the Book is placed, and thou seest the guilty fearful of that which is therein, and they say: What kind of a Book is this that leaveth not a small thing nor a great thing but hath counted it! And they find all that they did confronting them, and thy Lord wrongeth no-one

And (remember) when We said unto the angels: Fall prostrate before Adam, and they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He was of the jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord's command. Will ye choose him and his seed for your protecting friends instead of Me, when they are an enemy unto you? Calamitous is the exchange for evil-doers

I made them not to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor their own creation; nor choose I misleaders for (My) helpers

And (be mindful of) the Day when He will say: Call those partners of Mine whom ye pretended. Then they will cry unto them, but they will not hear their prayer, and We shall set a gulf of doom between them

And the guilty behold the Fire and know that they are about to fall therein, and they find no way of escape thence

And verily We have displayed for mankind in this Qur'an all manner of similitudes, but man is more than anything contentious

And naught hindereth mankind from believing when the guidance cometh unto them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord unless (it be that they wish) that the judgment of the men of old should come upon them or (that) they should be confronted with the Doom

We send not the messengers save as bearers of good news and warners. Those who disbelieve contend with falsehood in order to refute the Truth thereby. And they take Our revelations and that wherewith they are threatened as a jest

And who doth greater wrong than he who hath been reminded of the revelations of his Lord, yet turneth away from them and forgetteth what his hands send forward (to the Judgment)? Lo! on their hearts We have placed coverings so that they understand not, and in their ears a deafness. And though thou call them to the guidance, in that case they can never be led aright

Thy Lord is the Forgiver, Full of Mercy. If He took them to task (now) for what they earn, He would hasten on the doom for them; but theirs is an appointed term from which they will find no escape

And (all) those townships! We destroyed them when they did wrong, and We appointed a fixed time for their destruction

And when Moses said unto his servant: I will not give up until I reach the point where the two rivers meet, though I march on for ages

And when they reached the point where the two met, they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the waters, being free

And when they had gone further, he said unto his servant: Bring us our breakfast. Verily we have found fatigue in this our journey

He said: Didst thou see, when we took refuge on the rock, and I forgot the fish - and none but Satan caused me to forget to mention it - it took its way into the waters by a marvel

He said: This is that which we have been seeking. So they retraced their steps again

Then found they one of Our slaves, unto whom We had given mercy from Us, and had taught him knowledge from Our presence

Moses said unto him: May I follow thee, to the end that thou mayst teach me right conduct of that which thou hast been taught

He said: Lo! thou canst not bear with me

How canst thou bear with that whereof thou canst not compass any knowledge

He said: Allah willing, thou shalt find me patient and I shall not in aught gainsay thee

He said: Well, if thou go with me, ask me not concerning aught till I myself make mention of it unto thee

So they twain set out till, when they were in the ship, he made a hole therein. (Moses) said: Hast thou made a hole therein to drown the folk thereof? Thou verily hast done a dreadful thing

He said: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me

(Moses) said: Be not wroth with me that I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my fault

So they twain journeyed on till, when they met a lad, he slew him. (Moses) said: What! Hast thou slain an innocent soul who hath slain no man? Verily thou hast done a horrid thing

He said: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me

(Moses) said: If I ask thee after this concerning aught, keep not company with me. Thou hast received an excuse from me

So they twain journeyed on till, when they came unto the folk of a certain township, they asked its folk for food, but they refused to make them guests. And they found therein a wall upon the point of falling into ruin, and he repaired it. (Moses) said: If thou hadst wished, thou couldst have taken payment for it

He said: This is the parting between thee and me! I will announce unto thee the interpretation of that thou couldst not bear with patience

As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working on the river, and I wished to mar it, for there was a king behind them who is taking every ship by force

And as for the lad, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief