18:1  All praise belongs to Allah, Who revealed the (Glorious) Book to His (Most Beloved and Intimate) Servant, and left not in it any crookedness

18:2  (He made it) straight and moderate so that he might warn (the disbelievers) of fierce torment (coming) from Allah, and give good news to the believers who do pious deeds that for them is excellent reward (Paradise)

18:3  Wherein they will live forever

18:4  And (moreover) create fear in those who say that Allah has taken a son (for Himself)

18:5  Neither have they any knowledge of it, nor had their fathers. How dreadful is (this) utterance that is coming out of their mouths! They speak nothing but (sheer) falsehood

18:6  (O Venerable Beloved!) Will you put your (dear) life at stake with the traumatic grief for them if they do not put faith in this Word (of Allah)

18:7  And indeed, We have made whatever is on earth a means of its beauty (and adornment) so that We test (the inhabitants of the earth) as to who is better in deeds

18:8  And, surely, We shall reduce it to a barren land (perishing all) that is on (the surface of the earth)

18:9  Have you thought of it (how) wondrous a sign of the signs (of Our might) were the People of the Kahf and the Raqim (i.e., the People of Cave and the Cave Tablet or the Raqim valley)

18:10  (Call to mind the time) when a few youths took refuge in the cave. They said: ‘O our Lord, bestow upon us mercy from Your presence and provide (means of) guidance in our affair.

18:11  So We patted their ears (putting them to slumber) for some countable years in that cave

18:12  Then We raised them up to see which of the two groups would most rightly calculate (the time) that they stayed (in the cave)

18:13  We (now) narrate to you their actual state of affairs. They were indeed (a few) young men who believed in their Lord, and We increased for them (the light of) guidance

18:14  And We strengthened and stabilized their hearts (through Our communication and divine affinity). When they stood (before their king), they said: ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We shall never worship any (false) god besides Him. (If we do that,) then we shall certainly say something profane

18:15  These are the people of our community who have made many gods apart from Him. Why do they not bring any clear proof (in support of their godhood)? So, who is a greater wrongdoer than he who fabricates a lie against Allah?

18:16  And (those young men mutually discussed:) ‘When you have withdrawn yourselves from them, and those (false gods) which they worship other than Allah, take shelter in (this) cave. Your Lord will open up His mercy for you and will facilitate you in your affair.

18:17  And you see that the sun, when it rises, moves to the right from their cave, and inclines obliquely from them to the left when it sets, whilst they are (lying) in the open chamber of the cave. This (change of the sun’s course) is one of the (great) signs of Allah’s (might). He whom Allah guides is the one who is rightly guided, but the one whom He holds strayed, you will not find for him any wali (friend to help) and murshid (guide to show the path)

18:18  And, (O listener,) if you (look) at them, you will deem them awake, whereas they are asleep. And We keep changing their sides to the right and to the left (after regular intervals), and their dog is sitting on (their) threshold sprawling both its forelegs. Had you glanced at them (secretly), you would have run away, turning your back on them, and your heart would have been filled with their terror

18:19  And likewise, We raised them up so that they could probe amongst themselves. (So) the vocal one amongst them said: ‘How long have you stayed (here)?’ They said: ‘We have tarried (here) for a day or (even) a part of that.’ (Winding it up, they) said: ‘Your Lord knows best how long you have stayed (here). So send someone of you to the city with this coin of yours. He should then find which food is more lawful and clean and bring you some of that. He should remain slow and polite (in going, buying and coming back), not leaving any clue about you (even) to a single person

18:20  Surely, if they overpower you (after becoming aware of you), they will stone you to death, or force you (through oppression) to return to their faith. And, (if it so happens,) then you will not prosper at all

18:21  And in this way, We unveiled their (state) to those (who succeeded them some centuries later) so that they might know that Allah’s promise is true, and (also) that there is no doubt about the coming of the Last Hour. (When these people of the cave died) and the people of the town disputed concerning their matter, they said: ‘Raise a building over their (cave as a monument). Their Lord knows best their state of (saintly) affairs.’ Those (believers) who had the upper hand in their matter said: ‘We shall certainly build a mosque (at their door so that the believers may pray therein, and acquire special bounty by obtaining spiritual nearness to the people of the cave).

18:22  (Now) some will say: ‘(The people of the cave) were three and the fourth was their dog,’ and still some will say: ‘(They) were five and the sixth was their dog.’ These are the estimations made without seeing. And others will say: ‘(They) were seven and the eighth was their dog.’ Say: ‘My Lord is the One Who exactly knows their number and none knows their (exact number) except a few.’ So do not discuss about them with anyone except the details that have been revealed. Nor seek any information from any of them (about the People of the Cave)

18:23  And never say about anything: ‘I shall do this tomorrow.

18:24  But that: ‘If Allah so wills (i.e., saying: In sha Allah).’ And remember your Lord when you forget and say: ‘I believe my Lord will show me the path of guidance which is (even) nearer than this one.

18:25  And (the People of the Cave [Kahf]) stayed in their cave for three hundred years and they added another (nine) years (to that)

18:26  Say: ‘Allah is the One Who knows best for how long they remained (there).’ He alone knows (all) the secrets of the heavens and the earth. How well He sees and how well He hears! They have no protector besides Him, nor does He share His sovereignty with anyone

18:27  And recite that (Revelation) which has been revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. There is none who can change His Word, nor will you find any place of refuge except in Him

18:28  (O My servant!) Stay tenaciously in the companionship of those who remember their Lord morning and evening, ardently seeking His pleasure, (keen on the glimpse of His sight, and eagerly aspiring to glance at His radiant Countenance). Your (affectionate and caring) looks must not but focus them. Do you seek the charisma of the worldly life (shifting your attention away from these self-denying devotees)? And (also) do not follow him whose heart We have made neglectful of Our remembrance, and who follows but the urge of his (ill-commanding self) and his case has exceeded all bounds

18:29  And say: ‘(This) truth is from your Lord. So whoever desires may believe and whoever desires may deny.’ Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers the Fire (of Hell) whose walls will surround them. And if (due to thirst and distress) they cry, they will be helped with water like molten copper which will scald their faces. How dreadful a drink and how terrible a resting place

18:30  Indeed, those who believe and do pious deeds, We certainly do not waste the reward of the one who does pious deeds

18:31  For them there are (everlasting) Gardens with streams flowing under their (palaces). They will be adorned with bracelets of gold in these Gardens, and they will wear green attires of fine brocade and heavy silk. And there they will recline upon raised and richly adorned thrones. What an excellent reward and how beautiful a resting place

18:32  And relate to them the example of two men, one of whom We provided with two gardens of grapevines, and We hedged both from all sides with date-palms, and We grew between them (rich green) cultivated fields

18:33  Both these gardens yielded (abundant) fruits, and their (produce) did not fall short of the mark. And We (also) made one stream flow in the middle of (each of) the two

18:34  And this man had (also besides this) abundant fruits (i.e., resources). Whilst exchanging views with his companion, he said to him: ‘I am far more affluent than you and (also) more honourable with regard to family and tribal strength.

18:35  And (taking him along) he entered his garden. Doing wrong to his soul (by way of arrogance), he said: ‘I do not (even) imagine that this garden will perish

18:36  Nor do I entertain the idea that the Last Hour will take place. And if (supposedly) I am returned to my Lord, even then I shall certainly get a place to return better than these gardens.

18:37  His companion, whilst exchanging views with him, said to him: ‘Have you denied (the Lord) Who has created you (first) from clay, and then from a drop of vital fluid, and then accomplished you (physically) into a full-grown man

18:38  But (this is what) I say: Allah alone is my Lord, and I do not associate any partner with my Lord

18:39  And why did you not say when you entered your garden: It happens exactly as Allah wills. No one owns any power but with the help of Allah (Ma sha Allah, la quwwata illa bi-llah)? If (today) you find me inferior to you in wealth and riches (then what!

18:40  It is not far from possible that my Lord may give me a garden better than yours, and send from heaven some torment upon this (garden) turning it into a barren, slippery piece of land

18:41  Or its water may sink so deep into the earth that it gets beyond your means to fetch.

18:42  And (because of his arrogance) all his fruits were besieged (with destruction), and in the morning he was but wringing his hands with grief bewailing all that wealth, which he had invested (in raising this garden). And the garden had fallen down on its trellises, and he (the embodiment of despair and despondence) said: ‘Would that I had not attributed peers to Allah (and had not employed self-conceit)!

18:43  And there was (also) no party for him to come to his help against Allah, nor was he himself able to avenge (this destruction)

18:44  (Here it becomes evident) that all authority belongs to Allah alone (Who is) the truth. He is the best to reward and the best to end

18:45  And explain to them the example of the worldly life (as well): it is like water that We pour from the sky. With this the vegetation of the earth grows thick, but then it becomes dry stubble which the winds blow about, and Allah has perfect control over everything

18:46  Wealth and children are (mere) adornment of the worldly life, but the things that (actually) endure (are) the good deeds (which) are best in the sight of your Lord as for reward and (also) most valuable as regards hope

18:47  And that will be the Day (of Resurrection) when We shall move the mountains (in the atmosphere, broken to dust particles,) and you will see the earth as a clear plain (void of plantation, stones, animals and vegetation). And We shall gather together the whole of mankind, and shall not leave out any of them

18:48  And (all) mankind will be presented to your Lord standing in rows. (It will be said to them:) ‘Indeed, you have come to Us (Today the way) We created you for the first time. In fact, you thought that We would never appoint for you the Hour of Promise.

18:49  And the record of deeds will be placed (before everyone). So, you will see the evildoers terrified at the (sins, wrongs and offences) registered (in the record). And they will say: ‘Oh, woe to us! What is the matter with this record that it has left out neither any insignificant (wrong) nor any big (blunder)? It has rather taken into account (each and every act).’ And they will find (before them) whatever they used to do, and your Lord will not do injustice to anyone

18:50  And (recall) when We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam (in veneration).’ So they all prostrated themselves except Iblis. He (Iblis) was of the jinn, and he walked out of the obedience to his Lord. Are you taking him and his offspring for friends leaving Me, whereas, in truth, they are your enemies? How evil a substitute the evildoers (have opted in My place)

18:51  I called them neither (for assistance or witness) on the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor (at the time of) their own creation. Nor was it My Glory to take the inciters of misguidance as (My) supporters

18:52  And (remember) the Day (when) Allah will say: ‘Call those that you deemed to be My peers.’ So they will call them, but they will not give them any answer, and We shall place between them (a valley of Hell), the site of destruction

18:53  And the evildoers will see the Fire of Hell, and realize that certainly they are about to fall into it. And they will not be able to find any means to escape from it

18:54  And We have indeed put forth in the Qur’an repeatedly for mankind every kind of example (alternating the styles), but man is far ahead in contention than anything else

18:55  And nothing prevented the people from embracing faith and imploring forgiveness from their Lord, whilst guidance had reached them, except (waiting for) the pattern of the ancients’ (destruction) occurring to them, or that the torment should come in front of them

18:56  And We do not send Messengers but as Bearers of glad tidings (to the people) and as Warners. And the disbelievers dispute with (these Messengers) taking leverage of false arguments so as to eliminate the truth with (falsehood). And they scoff at My Revelations, and the (torment) of which they are warned

18:57  And who is a greater wrongdoer than one who was reminded of the signs of Allah, but he turned away from them and forgot those (evil deeds) which his hands had sent forward? Verily, We have cast veils over their hearts so that they may (not) understand this truth, and have plugged their ears with heaviness (so that they may not hear this truth). And if you invite them towards guidance, never ever will they take guidance

18:58  And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Full of Mercy. If He had to take them to task for their doings, He would certainly send the torment upon them quickly. And in truth, the Hour of Promise is (appointed) for them. (When that time comes,) they will not find any place of shelter except with Him

18:59  And these are the towns whose inhabitants We destroyed when they perpetrated oppression and injustice. And We had fixed a time for their destruction

18:60  And (also call to mind the incident) when Musa (Moses) said to his (young companion and) disciple (Yusha‘ b. Nun [Joshua, the son of Nun]): ‘I will not step (back) until I arrive at the junction of the two seas, or I travel on infinitely.

18:61  So when both of them reached the junction of the two seas, they forgot their fish (there). So, that (fried fish came back to life, and) made its way into the sea like a tunnel and slipped off

18:62  Then, when both of them had gone ahead, Musa (Moses) asked his disciple: ‘Bring us our meal. Surely, we have faced great hardship during this journey of ours.

18:63  (The disciple) said: ‘Did you see when we reposed beside the rock? I forgot the fish (there), and none but Satan made me forget to mention it to you. And that fish (after coming back to life) made its way into the sea in a strange way (and it disappeared).

18:64  Musa (Moses) said: ‘That is the place we were looking for.’ So both returned to (the same place), tracing the (same path), following their footsteps

18:65  Then both found (there) one of Our (elite) servants (Khidr) upon whom We had bestowed from Our Presence (special) mercy and had taught him infused knowledge (i.e., the inspired knowledge of secrets and gnostics)

18:66  Musa (Moses) said to him: ‘Can I stay with you under this (condition) that you will teach me (as well) some of that knowledge, which has been conferred on you for guidance?

18:67  He (Khidr) said: ‘No doubt, you will not be able to have patience being in my company

18:68  And how can you observe patience in (the matter of) which you will not have acquired (thorough) knowledge?

18:69  Musa (Moses) said: ‘You will certainly find me patient, if Allah so pleases, and I will not violate any of your instructions.

18:70  (Khidr) said: ‘So if you are in my company, then do not question me about anything until I myself mention that to you.

18:71  So both of them set out till, when they embarked on a boat, (Khidr) bored a hole in it. Musa (Moses) said: ‘Have you bored (a hole in) it to drown the people aboard? Surely, you have done something strange.

18:72  (Khidr) said: ‘Did I not tell you that you would not be able to restrain yourself in my company?

18:73  Musa (Moses) said: ‘Call me not to account for my omission, and put me not in any more difficulty in (this) affair of mine.

18:74  Then both of them proceeded till they met a boy. (Khidr) killed him. Musa (Moses) said: ‘Have you killed a harmless soul without any (retribution due) for anyone killed? Indeed, you have done a horrible thing!

18:75  (Khidr) said: ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to keep patience in my company?

18:76  Musa (Moses) said: ‘If I ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me with you. Indeed, in my opinion, you have reached the limit to excuse.

18:77  Then both set off, until they reached the people of a town; both asked its residents for food but they refused to entertain them. Then they found there a wall, which was about to fall. (Khidr) erected it. Musa (Moses) said: ‘If you desired, you could take wages for this (construction work).

18:78  (Khidr) said: ‘This is the parting (time) between me and you. Now I shall impart to you the truth of the matters about which you have not been able to keep patience

18:79  As for the boat, that belonged to some poor people who used to toil for wages on the river. So I decided to make it defective (because) a (cruel) king was (standing) ahead of them, snatching every (undamaged) boat by force (from the owners without any compensation)

18:80  And as for the boy, his parents were blessed with faith. So we feared that (if he lived on, he would become a disbeliever, and on attaining to maturity) he would afflict both of them with disobedience and disbelief

18:81  So we intended that their Lord might bless them with (such) a substitute as would be better than this (boy) in purity and nearer (to his parents as well) in clemency and kindness

18:82  And as for the wall, that belonged to two orphan boys (residing) in the town. And a treasure was (buried) beneath it for both of them. And their father was (a) pious (man). So your Lord willed that both of them should reach their age of maturity, and dig out their treasure (themselves) by mercy from your Lord. And I did not do (whatever I did) of my own accord. This is the truth (of the matters) about which you could not hold yourself.

18:83  And, (O Most Esteemed Beloved,) they ask you about Dhu al-Qarnayn. Say: ‘I recite to you an account of him now.

18:84  (In ancient times) We did grant him power in the land and blessed (his rule) with all the means and resources

18:85  Then he took another way

18:86  Until he reached the boundary of (a locality towards) the west where he perceived the setting of the sun as if going down into a spring of (muddy black) hot water, and he found a people (living) there. We said: ‘O Dhu al-Qarnayn, (it is up to you) whether you punish them or treat them nicely.

18:87  Dhu al-Qarnayn said: ‘Whoever perpetrates injustice (by way of disbelief and mischief-mongering), we will certainly punish him. He will then be brought back to his Lord. And then He will award him most grievous punishment

18:88  And whoever believes and does pious acts will have better reward, and We shall (also) say for him in Our commands what is lenient.

18:89  Then (after consolidating his conquests in the west) he set forth on (another) course

18:90  Until he reached the boundary (of a locality in the direction) of the sunrise. There he perceived (the rising of) the sun (as if) it were rising on the people (living in that piece of land) for whom We had provided no cover (for protection) against the sun (i.e., they lived in the caves, without clothes and houses)

18:91  It occurred the same way. And We have encompassed with Our knowledge whatever he had

18:92  (Having accomplished his conquests in the east,) he then followed (still another) route

18:93  Until he reached (a place) between two mountains. He found a people dwelling behind these mountains. They were unable to understand (anyone’s) speech

18:94  They said: ‘O Dhu al-Qarnayn! Gog and Magog have spread disorder in the land. Should we fix some money (as a tribute) for you on this (condition) that you raise a high wall between us and them?

18:95  (Dhu al-Qarnayn) said: ‘The power my Lord has given me in this connection is better. Assist me with your vigour (diligence and labour), and I shall erect a fortified wall between you and them

18:96  Bring me large blocks of iron.’ So, when he levelled (that iron wall) between the two (mountain) tops, he said: ‘(Now) blow (it after putting it on fire).’ So, when he turned that (iron) into a fire (by successive blowing), he said: ‘(Now) bring me molten copper to pour on it.

18:97  Then they (Gog and Magog) did not have the ability to scale it, nor could they acquire the capability to bore through it

18:98  (Dhu al-Qarnayn) said: ‘This is mercy from my Lord. But when my Lord’s promise (of the Last Hour) comes (near), He will (demolish this wall and) level it with the ground (i.e., it will be reduced to dust particles). And the promise of my Lord is bound to come true.

18:99  And at that time, We shall release (all the creation or Gog and Magog). They will run into each other (like surging waves). And the trumpet will be blown. Then We shall gather them all (in the Last Day Assembly)

18:100  And on that Day, We shall present Hell before the disbelievers fully exposed

18:101  Those whose eyes were veiled (by negligence) against My remembrance and they could not even listen (to My remembrance)

18:102  Do the disbelievers think that, instead of Me, they will take My servants as helpers? Surely, We have prepared Hell as hospitality for the disbelievers

18:103  Say: ‘Shall We alert you to those who are great losers in respect of deeds

18:104  It is those whose entire struggle is wasted in worldly life, but they presume they are doing good works.

18:105  It is they who have denied the signs of their Lord and meeting Him (after death). So all their deeds are ruined, and We shall not give any weight or (even) any worth to them on the Day of Rising

18:106  This very Hell is their reward because they kept disbelieving and mocking My signs and My Messengers

18:107  Surely, those who believe and do good deeds persistently shall have the Gardens of Paradise as their hospitality

18:108  They will always live there. They will never seek any change (of abode) from there

18:109  Say: ‘If the ocean turns into ink for the Words of my Lord, that ocean will exhaust before the Words of my Lord come to an end, even if We bring another similar (ocean or ink) to refill.

18:110  Say: ‘I look like you only (by virtue of my visible creation) as a man. (Otherwise just think what congruity you have with me.) It is I to whom the Revelation is transmitted that your God is the One and only God. (And just see to it whether you have any such divine potential that the Word of Allah may come down to you.) So, whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do good deeds, and must not associate any partner in the worship of his Lord.