In the name of Allah, the Most Kind, the Most Caring.

1. All praise belongs to Allah, Who sent down the Book to His servant — and He didn't put anything crooked in it.

2. It's clear and straight, to warn of a strong punishment from Him, and to give good news to the believers who do good things, that they'll have a wonderful reward.

3. They'll stay there forever.

4. And to warn those who say, "Allah has a child."

5. They don't know anything about this, and neither did their parents. What a terrible thing they say — it comes right out of their mouths! They're only telling lies.

6. You might feel so sad that you'll hurt yourself, because they don't believe in this message.

7. We made everything on the earth beautiful, to test people and see who does the best actions.

8. And one day, We'll make everything on it dry and empty.

9. Did you think the story of the people of the cave and the writing was one of Our most amazing signs?

10. When the young people went to the cave, they said, "Our Lord, please give us Your kindness, and help us find the right way."

11. So We made them sleep deeply in the cave for many years.

12. Then We woke them up, to see which of the two groups could count better how long they stayed there.

13. We will tell you their true story. They were young people who believed in their Lord, and We gave them even more guidance.

14. We made their hearts strong and brave. They stood up and said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will never pray to any other god besides Him. If we did, we would be saying something very wrong."

15. "These people of ours have chosen other gods besides Him. Why don't they bring clear proof for these gods? Who could be more unfair than someone who makes up lies about Allah?"

16. "Now that you've left them and the things they worship besides Allah, go and hide in the cave. Your Lord will spread His kindness over you and make things easy for you."

17. You could see the sun, when it rose, moving away from their cave to the right, and when it set, passing by them on the left, while they were in a spacious part of the cave. This was one of Allah's amazing signs. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided, and whoever He leaves lost, you'll never find anyone to help or guide them.

18. You would think they were awake, but they were actually sleeping. We turned them from side to side, right and left. Their dog lay at the cave's entrance, stretching out its paws. If you had seen them, you would have run away from them and been filled with fear.

19. Then We woke them up, so they could ask each other questions. One of them asked, "How long have you been here?" They answered, "We've been here for a day, or maybe part of a day." They said, "Your Lord knows best how long you've stayed. Send one of you with this silver coin to the city. Let him find the cleanest, best food, and bring some back for you. He should be careful and not let anyone know about you."

20. "If the people find out about you, they'll throw stones at you or force you to follow their religion again. Then you'll never be happy or successful."

21. That's how We let people discover them, so everyone would know that Allah's promise is true and that the Day of Judgment will surely come. The people argued about what to do with them. Some said, "Build a building over them. Their Lord knows best about them." But those who won the argument said, "We will build a place of worship over them."

22. Some people will say, "There were three, and their dog was the fourth." Others will say, "There were five, and their dog was the sixth," just guessing without knowing. And others will say, "There were seven, and their dog was the eighth." Say, "My Lord knows best how many there were. Only a few people know the truth." So don't argue about them, except in a simple way, and don't ask anyone else about them.

23. And never say about anything, "I will do that tomorrow,".

24. Without adding, "if Allah wills." If you forget, remember your Lord and say, "Maybe my Lord will guide me closer to the right way."

25. They stayed in their cave for three hundred years, and nine more.

26. Say, "Allah knows best how long they stayed. He knows all the hidden things in the heavens and the earth. How clearly He sees and hears! They have no protector besides Him, and He doesn't share His decisions with anyone."

27. Read what your Lord has revealed to you from His Book. No one can change His words, and you'll never find refuge except with Him.

28. Stay patient with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening, wanting to please Him. Don't look away from them, wanting the fancy things of this life. And don't listen to someone whose heart forgets about remembering Us, who follows his own wishes, and whose actions go too far.

29. Say, "The truth comes from your Lord. Whoever wishes, let them believe. Whoever wishes, let them disbelieve." We've prepared a fire for those who do wrong. Its walls will surround them. If they beg for help, they'll be given water like melted metal that burns their faces. What a terrible drink, and what an awful place to rest!

30. But those who believe and do good things — We never waste the reward of anyone who does good.

31. They'll have beautiful gardens in Paradise, with rivers flowing beneath them. They'll wear bracelets of gold and green clothes made of fine silk and fancy fabric, relaxing on comfortable couches. What a wonderful reward, and what a lovely place to rest!

32. Tell them the story of two men. We gave one of them two gardens full of grapevines, surrounded by palm trees, with crops growing between them.

33. Both gardens gave all their fruit, and didn't miss anything. We even made a river flow between them.

34. The man had plenty of fruit. He said to his friend, "I have more money than you, and more people to help me."

35. He entered his garden, being unfair to himself, and said, "I don't think this garden will ever disappear."

36. "And I don't think the Day of Judgment will ever come. But even if I go back to my Lord, He will give me something even better than all this."

37. His friend said to him while talking, "Do you disbelieve in the One Who created you from dust, then from a tiny drop, then shaped you into a human being?"

38. "But He is Allah, my Lord, and I don't worship anyone else besides my Lord."

39. "When you entered your garden, why didn't you say, 'This is what Allah wanted. There's no power except with Allah'? Even if you see me with less money and fewer children than you."

40. "Maybe my Lord will give me something better than your garden, or send a disaster from the sky so it becomes slippery, barren ground."

41. "Or maybe its water will sink deep underground, and you'll never be able to find it again."

42. And suddenly, all his fruit was ruined. He squeezed his hands together, thinking about all the money he had spent on it. The garden was completely destroyed. He said, "I wish I hadn't worshiped anyone besides my Lord!"

43. He had no friends to help him against Allah, and he couldn't help himself.

44. There, all protection belongs to Allah, the True One. He gives the best reward, and the happiest ending.

45. Tell them an example about this life: It's like rain We send down from the sky. Plants grow and mix together because of it, but soon they dry up and break into little pieces that the wind blows away. Allah has power over everything.

46. Money and children make this life beautiful, but good deeds that last are better with your Lord for rewards and better to hope for.

47. On the Day We move the mountains, you'll see the earth exposed. We'll gather all people together, and We won't leave anyone behind.

48. They'll stand in front of your Lord in rows. "You've come back to Us, just as We created you the first time. But you thought We wouldn't set a time for you to meet Us."

49. The Book of deeds will be placed in front of them. You'll see those who did wrong feeling scared about what's inside it. They'll say, "Oh no! What's with this Book? It doesn't leave out anything, big or small — it counts everything!" They'll find everything they did right there, and your Lord won't be unfair to anyone.

50. Remember when We said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam." They all bowed down, except Iblis. He was one of the jinn, and he disobeyed his Lord's command. Would you choose him and his descendants as friends instead of Me, even though they're your enemies? That's a terrible choice for those who do wrong.

51. I didn't let them see how I created the heavens and the earth, or even when I created them. And I wouldn't take those who lead others astray as helpers.

52. On the Day Allah says, "Call those you thought were My partners," they'll call them, but no one will answer. We'll put a barrier between them.

53. Those who did wrong will see the Fire and realize they're about to fall into it. They'll find no way to escape.

54. We've explained every kind of example in this Quran for people, but people argue more than anything else.

55. Nothing keeps people from believing and asking their Lord to forgive them when guidance comes to them — except that they wait for the same fate as those before them, or for the punishment to come to them openly.

56. We send messengers only to give good news and to warn. But those who disbelieve argue with false words, trying to defeat the truth. They make fun of My verses and the warnings they were given.

57. Who could be more unfair than someone who is reminded of his Lord's verses, but turns away from them and forgets what his own hands have done? We've covered their hearts so they can't understand, and made their ears heavy. Even if you call them to the right way, they'll never find it.

58. Your Lord is forgiving and full of kindness. If He punished people right away for the wrong things they did, He would have quickly sent punishment to them. But He has set a time for them, and they'll never find any way to escape it.

59. Those towns — We destroyed them when they did wrong, and We set a time for their destruction.

60. Remember when Moses said to his helper, "I won't stop traveling until I reach the place where the two seas meet, even if it takes me many years."

61. When they reached the place where the two seas meet, they forgot about their fish, and it swam away into the sea, making its way freely.

62. After they had traveled further, Moses said to his helper, "Bring us our lunch. This journey has made us very tired."

63. His helper said, "Did you see what happened when we rested by the rock? I forgot about the fish. Only Satan made me forget to tell you. It amazingly swam away into the sea."

64. Moses said, "That's exactly the place we were looking for!" So they went back, carefully following their footsteps.

65. There they found one of Our servants. We had given him mercy from Us, and We had taught him knowledge from Us.

66. Moses asked him, "May I follow you, so you can teach me some of the guidance you have been taught?"

67. He replied, "You won't be able to be patient with me.

68. How can you be patient about things you have no knowledge about?"

69. Moses said, "If Allah wills, you'll find me patient, and I won't disobey anything you tell me."

70. He said, "If you follow me, don't ask me about anything until I explain it to you myself."

71. So they set off together. When they got onto a boat, the man made a hole in it. Moses said, "Did you make a hole to drown the people on the boat? You've done something terrible!"

72. He replied, "Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't be able to be patient with me?"

73. Moses said, "Please don't blame me for forgetting, and don't make things too hard for me."

74. Then they continued until they met a young boy, and the man took his life. Moses said, "Did you take the life of an innocent person who didn't hurt anyone? You've done something awful!"

75. He replied, "Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't be able to be patient with me?"

76. Moses said, "If I ask you about anything else after this, don't let me stay with you anymore. You've given me enough chances."

77. So they traveled on until they reached a village. They asked the people there for food, but the villagers refused to welcome them. Then they found a wall that was about to fall down, and the man fixed it. Moses said, "If you wanted, you could have asked them to pay you for fixing it."

78. He replied, "This is where you and I must part ways. Now I'll explain to you the meaning of the things you couldn't be patient about.

79. The boat belonged to poor people who worked on the sea. I wanted to damage it because there was a king coming behind them who was taking every boat by force.

80. As for the young boy, his parents were believers, and we were worried he would make them suffer by doing bad things and not believing.

81. So we wanted their Lord to give them another child instead — one who would be purer, and show them more mercy.

82. And the wall belonged to two orphan boys in the town. Under it was a treasure that belonged to them. Their father had been a good man, so your Lord wanted them to grow up and find their treasure as a kindness from your Lord. I didn't do any of this on my own. That's the meaning of the things you couldn't be patient about."

83. They ask you about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I'll tell you a story about him."

84. We gave him power on earth, and We gave him access to all kinds of means.

85. So he followed one of these ways.

86. He traveled until he reached the place where the sun sets. He saw it setting in a muddy pool, and he found some people living nearby. We said, "Dhul-Qarnayn, you can either punish them or treat them kindly."

87. He said, "Whoever does wrong, we'll punish him. Then he'll return to his Lord, and He'll punish him even more."

88. "But whoever believes and does good things will have the best reward, and We will make things easy for him."

89. Then he followed another way.

90. He traveled until he reached the place where the sun rises. He found it rising on people who had no cover from the sun.

91. That's how it was. We knew all about what he was doing.

92. Then he followed another way.

93. He traveled until he reached a place between two barriers. He found people there who could hardly understand any words.

94. They said, "Dhul-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog are causing trouble on earth. Can we pay you to build a barrier between us and them?"

95. He said, "What my Lord has given me is better than what you offer. Help me with your strength, and I'll build a barrier between you and them."

96. "Bring me big pieces of iron." When he had filled the space between the two mountain sides, he said, "Blow on the fire!" When the iron became red-hot, he said, "Now bring me melted copper to pour over it."

97. Gog and Magog couldn't climb over it, and they couldn't dig through it.

98. Dhul-Qarnayn said, "This is a mercy from my Lord. But when my Lord's promise comes, He'll break it down. My Lord's promise always comes true."

99. On that day, We'll let them rush around, surging over one another like waves. The trumpet will be blown, and We'll gather everyone together.

100. On that day, We'll clearly show Hellfire to those who didn't believe.

101. They were the ones whose eyes were covered from remembering Me, and they couldn't hear at all.

102. Do those who disbelieve think they can take My servants as protectors instead of Me? We've prepared Hell as a place specially made for disbelievers.

103. Say, "Should I tell you who will lose the most because of what they've done?

104. They're the ones whose efforts were wasted in this life, even though they thought they were doing good work."

105. They're the ones who disbelieved in their Lord's verses and in meeting Him. So all their deeds are wasted, and on the Day of Judgment, We won't give them any importance.

106. Their reward will be Hell, because they disbelieved and made fun of My verses and My messengers.

107. But those who believe and do good deeds will have the gardens of Paradise as their home.

108. They'll stay there forever, and they'll never want to leave.

109. Say, "If the ocean were ink for writing the words of my Lord, the ocean would run out before my Lord's words ever ran out — even if We brought another ocean just like it."

110. Say, "I'm only a human being like you. Allah has revealed to me that your God is only one God. So whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do good things, and never worship anyone along with his Lord."