18:1  Praise God, Who has sent to His servant the Book, and has allowed therein no crookedness

18:2  No, only that which is straight. In order that He may warn of a terrible punishment from Him, and that He may give hope to the believers who work righteous deeds, that they will have an excellent reward

18:3  Where they will remain forever

18:4  Further, that He may warn those who say, “God has a son.

18:5  They have no knowledge of such a thing, nor had their ancestors. It is a terrible thing that issues from their mouths as a saying which is nothing but falsehood

18:6  You would only worry yourself to death, following after them in grief if they do not believe in this message

18:7  That which is on earth we have made only as a glittering show for the world, in order that We may make evident which of them are best in conduct

18:8  Indeed that which is on earth We will make as only dust and dry earth

18:9  Do you reflect that the Companions of the Cave and of the Inscription were wonders among Our signs

18:10  Behold, the youths retreated to the cave. They said, “Our Lord, bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and manage our affair for us in the right way.

18:11  Then We drew a veil over their ears for a number of years while in the cave

18:12  Then We woke them, in order to make evident which of the two groups were best at calculating the term of years they had stayed

18:13  We relate to you their story in truth. They were youths who believed in their Guardian Evolver, and We advanced them in guidance

18:14  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 will we call upon any god other than Him. If we did, indeed we would have spoken an enormity

18:15  “Our people have taken for worship gods other than Him. Why do they not bring forward a clear authority for what they do? Who does more wrong than those who invent a lie against God

18:16  “When you turn away from them and the things they worship other than God, retreat to the cave. Your Lord will shower His mercies on you and manage your affair towards comfort and ease.

18:17  You would have seen the Sun when it rose, setting 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 middle of the cave. Such are among the signs of God. He whom God guides is rightly guided, but he whom God leaves to stray, for him will you find no protector to lead him to the right way

18:18  You would have thought them awake, as they slept, and We turned them on their right and on their left sides. Their dog stretching out his two forelegs at the entrance. If you had come up on them, you would have certainly turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with fear of them

18:19  So we raised them up, that they might question each other. A voice said, “How long have you stayed here?” They said, “We have stayed a day or part of a day.” They said, “God knows best how long you have stayed here. Now send one of you with this money of yours to the town. Let him find out which is the best food and bring some to you, that you may satisfy your hunger, and let him behave with care and courtesy, and let him not inform anyone about you

18:20  “Because if they find you, they would stone you or force you to return to their cult, then you will never succeed.

18:21  Then We made their story known, that they would understand that the promise of God is true, and that there can be no doubt about the Hour of Accountability. Behold, they dispute among themselves as to their story. They said, “Construct a building over them.” Their Lord knows best concerning them. Those who would dispute over their affair said, “Let us at least build a place of worship over them.

18:22  Some will 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, still others say they were seven, the dog being the eighth. Say, “My Lord knows best their number, it is only a few others who know.” Therefore, do not enter into controversies concerning them, except on a matter that is clear, nor consult any of them about the Sleepers

18:23  Nor say of anything, “I will be sure to do so and so tomorrow

18:24  “Without adding, ‘God willing’. And call your Lord to mind when you forget and say, ‘I hope that my Lord will guide me even closer than this to the right way.’

18:25  So they stayed in their cave three hundred years, plus nine

18:26  Say, “God knows best how long they stayed. With Him are the secrets of the heavens and the earth. How clearly He sees, how well He hears. They have no protector other than Him, nor does He share His command with anyone.

18:27  And recite what has been revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. None can change His words, and none will you find as a refuge other than Him

18:28  And keep your soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face, and do not let your eyes pass beyond them, seeking the glitter of this life, nor follow any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds

18:29  Say, “The truth is from your Lord.” Let them who want to believe, believe. And let them who want to reject it, reject it. For the wrongdoers, We have prepared a fire like the walls and roof of a tent, it will hem them in. If they ask for relief they will be granted water like melted brass which will scald their faces, how dreadful the drink, how miserable a destination

18:30  As for those who believe and work righteousness, indeed We will not cause to perish, the reward of any who does a righteous deed

18:31  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 reward, how comfortable a destination

18:32  Set forth for them the parable of two people, for one of them We provided two gardens of grapevines, and surrounded them with date palms, in between the two We placed cornfields

18:33  Each of those gardens brought out its produce, and did not fail in the least. In the middle of them We caused a river to flow

18:34  Abundant was the produce this man had. He said to his neighbor in the course of a discussion, “More wealth have I than you, and more honor, and powerful is my following.

18:35  He went into his garden in a state harmful to his soul. He said, “I think that this will never perish

18:36  “Nor do I think that the Hour will ever come. Even if I am brought back to my Lord, I will surely find something better in exchange.

18:37  His neighbor said to him in the course of the discussion, “Do you deny Him Who created you out of dust, then out of a zygote, then fashioned you into a human being

18:38  “I think for my part that He is God, my Lord, and none will I associate with my Lord

18:39  “Why did you not, as you went into your garden say by God, ‘There is no power but with God,’ if you see me with less than you in wealth and children

18:40  “It may be that my Lord will give me something better than your garden, and that He will send on your garden thunderbolts from the sky, making it as quick sand

18:41  “Or the water of the garden will run off underground so that you will never be able to find it.

18:42  Then his fruits were ruined, and he went on grabbing and raking his hands through what he had spent on his property which had tumbled to pieces to its very foundations, and he could only say, “Oh my God, I wish I had never ascribed partners to my Lord.

18:43  Nor had he any to help him other than God, nor was he able to support himself

18:44  There, the protection comes from God, the True One. He is the Best to reward, and the Best to give success

18:45  Set forth to them the simile of the life of the present. 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 scatter. It is God who prevails over all things

18:46  Wealth and children are the adornments of the life of the present, but the things that endure are good deeds, and are best in the sight of your Lord as rewards, and best as hopes

18:47  One day We will remove the mountains, and you will see the earth flattened, and We will gather them all together, and We will not leave out any one of them

18:48  And they will be marshaled before your Lord in ranks, “Now you come to Us as We created you initially. Yes, you thought We would not fulfill the appointment made to you to meet Us.

18:49  And the book will be placed before you, and you will see the sinful full of fear because of what is in it. They will say, “Woe to us, what a book this is. It leaves out nothing small or large, and explains it.” They will find all that they did placed before them, and not one will your Lord treat with injustice

18:50  Behold, We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam,” They bowed down, except Lucifer. He was one of the jinn, and he ignored the command of his Lord. Will you then take him and his dupes as protectors rather than Me? They are enemies to you. Miserable will be the reward for the wrongdoers

18:51  I did not call them to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor their own creation, nor do I take helpers who lead the people astray

18:52  One day He will say, “Call on those whom you thought to be My partners,” And they will call on them, but they will not listen to them, and We will make for them a place of common perdition

18:53  And the sinful will see the fire and realize that they must fall therein. No way will they find to get away from it

18:54  We have explained in detail in this Quran, for the benefit of humanity, every kind of example, but the human being is in most things contentious

18:55  And what is there to keep back the people from believing, now that guidance has come to them, or from praying for forgiveness from their Lord, but they asked that the ways of those who came before be repeated, or the punishment be brought to them face to face

18:56  We only send the messengers to give hope and to give warnings, but the unbelievers dispute with vain argument in order to weaken the truth, and they treat My signs without regard, although they are warned

18:57  And who does more wrong than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord, but turns away from them, forgetting that which his hands have sent forth? Indeed We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this, and over their ears is deafness, if you call them to guidance, even then will they never accept guidance

18:58  But your Lord is most forgiving, full of mercy. If He was to call them 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

18:59  These were the populations we caused to perish when they committed injustices, but we fixed an appointed time for their destruction

18:60  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.

18:61  But when they reached the junction, they forgot their fish which took its course through the sea as in a tunnel

18:62  When they had moved on, Moses said to his companion, “Bring us our morning meal, truly we have suffered much fatigue at this stage of our journey.

18:63  He replied, “Do you remember when we climbed the rock? At that time I indeed forgot about the fish. None but Satan made me forget about it. It took its course through the sea in a mesmerizing way.

18:64  Moses said, “That was what we were seeking.” So they retraced their steps

18:65  Then they found one of Our servants on whom We had bestowed mercy from Ourselves, and whom We had taught

18:66  Moses said to him, “May I follow you, so that you may teach me something of the truth which you have been taught?

18:67  The other said, “Indeed you will not be able to have patience with me.

18:68  “And how can you have patience with things about which your understanding is not complete?

18:69  Moses said, “You will find me, if God so wills, patient, nor will I ignore your instructions.

18:70  The other said, “But if you follow me, ask me no questions about anything until I speak to you concerning it.

18:71  So the two proceeded, until they were on the boat, he scuttled it. Said Moses, “Have you scuttled it in order to drown those on it? Truly a strange thing have you done.

18:72  He answered, “Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?

18:73  Moses said, “Do not blame me for forgetting, nor be hard on me, thus making me feel worse.

18:74  Then they proceeded until they met a young man, he slew him. Moses said, “Have you slain an innocent soul who had killed no one? A truly disturbing thing have you done.” 74 (End of Part 15

18:75  He answered, “Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?

18:76  Moses said, “If ever I ask you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company, for you would have received enough excuses from me.

18:77  Then they proceeded, until they came to the inhabitants of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused them hospitality. They found there a wall at the point of falling down, so he set it up straight. Moses said, “If you had wished, surely you could have received some compensation for it.

18:78  He answered, “This is the parting between you and me. Now I will tell you the reasons for that which you were unable to have patience

18:79  “As for the boat, it belonged to people in dire want. They plied on the water, so I wished to render it unserviceable, for there was after them a king who had every boat seized by force

18:80  “As for the youth, his parents were people of faith, and we feared that he would grieve them by rebellion and ingratitude

18:81  “So we desired that their Lord would give them in exchange, one better in refinement and closer in affection

18:82  “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 your Lord desired that they should attain the age of maturity and retrieve their treasure, a mercy from your Lord. I did not do this of my own volition, but those are the reasons for that which you were unable to have patience.

18:83  They ask you concerning Dhul-Qarnayn say, “I will rehearse to you something of his story.

18:84  Indeed We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and means to all ends

18:85  He went in one direction

18:86  Until he reached the setting of the Sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water. Near it he found a people, and We said, “O Dhul-Qarnayn, either punish them or treat them with kindness.

18:87  He said, “Whoever does wrong, we will punish him, then will he be sent back to his Lord, and He will punish him with a punishment unheard-of

18:88  “But whoever believes and works righteousness, he will have an excellent reward, and easy will be his task as We order it by our command.

18:89  Then he went in another direction

18:90  Until 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

18:91  He left them as they were. We completely understood what was before him

18:92  Then he went in another direction

18:93  Until he reached a valley between two mountains, he found between them a people who hardly understood a word

18:94  They said, “O Dhul-Qarnayn, the Gog and Magog do wrong on earth. Shall we then pay you in order that you might erect a barrier between them and us

18:95  He said, “That which my Lord has given me is better. Just help me with strength. I will erect a strong barrier between you and them

18:96  “Bring me blocks of iron.” Then, when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountainsides he said, “Blow!” Then, when he had made it as fire he said, “Bring me molten lead to pour over it.

18:97  From this they were made powerless to scale it, or to break through it

18:98  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.

18:99  On that day We will leave them to surge like waves on one another. The trumpet will be blown, and We will gather them all together

18:100  And We will present hell that day for unbelievers to see

18:101  Those whose eyes had been under a veil from remembrance of Me, and who even had been unable to hear

18:102  Do the unbelievers think that they can take My servants as protectors besides Me? Indeed We have prepared hell for the unbelievers as a destination

18:103  Say, “Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect to their deeds

18:104  “Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?

18:105  They are those who deny the signs of their Lord, and the fact of their having to meet Him. Vain will be their works, nor will We on the Day of Accountability, give them any consideration

18:106  Hell is their reward, because they rejected faith, and took My signs and My messengers, and ridiculed them

18:107  As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, they have for their destination the gardens of paradise

18:108  Wherein they will dwell forever. No changes will they want

18:109  Say, “If the ocean were ink with which to write 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 to supplement it.

18:110  Say, “I am but a human being like yourselves. 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