The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

18: 35
The Cave 185
tomorrow,’ a 24 without adding, ‘God willing,’ and, whenever you
forget, remember your Lord and say, ‘May my Lord guide me closer
to what is right.’ 25 [Some say], ‘The sleepers stayed in their cave
for three hundred years,’ some added nine more. 26 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.
27 [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. 28 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: b 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. 29 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! 30 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 – 31 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!
32 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; 33 both gardens yielded fruit and did not fail
in any way; We made a stream flow through them, 34 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.’ 35 He went into his
garden and wronged himself by saying, ‘I do not think this will ever
a When the Prophet was challenged by the Meccans, prompted by the Jews, to
explain the story of the Sleepers, he promised to do it ‘tomorrow’, but did not receive
revelation about it for some days afterwards.
b The notables of Mecca tried to persuade the Prophet to attend to them and drive
away his humble followers. See 17: 73–4, 80: 1–10.