Chapter 18

18.1

surah 18 - verse 1

translator's name	verse
Arberry	Praise belongs to God who has sent down upon His servant the Book and has not assigned unto it any crookedness;
Maududi	Praise be to Allah Who has revealed to His servant the Book devoid of all crookedness;
Pickthall	Praise be to Allah Who hath revealed the Scripture unto His slave, and hath not placed therein any crookedness,
Sahih	[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance.
Yusuf Ali	Praise be to Allah, Who hath sent to His Servant the Book, and hath allowed therein no Crookedness:

18.2

surah 18 - verse 2

translator's name	verse
Arberry	right, to warn of great violence from Him, and to give good tidings unto the believers, who do righteous deeds, that theirs shall be a goodly wage
Maududi	an unerringly Straight Book, meant to warn of a stern punishment from Allah, and to proclaim, to those who believe and work righteous deeds, the tiding that theirs shall be a good reward
Pickthall	(But hath made it) straight, to give warning of stern punishment from Him, and to bring unto the believers who do good works the news that theirs will be a fair reward,
Sahih	[He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward
Yusuf Ali	(He hath made it) Straight (and Clear) in order that He may warn (the godless) of a terrible Punishment from Him, and that He may give Glad Tidings to the Believers who work righteous deeds, that they shall have a goodly Reward,

18.3

surah 18 - verse 3

translator's name	verse
Arberry	therein to abide for ever,
Maududi	wherein they shall abide for ever;
Pickthall	Wherein they will abide for ever;
Sahih	In which they will remain forever
Yusuf Ali	Wherein they shall remain for ever:

18.4

surah 18 - verse 4

translator's name	verse
Arberry	and to warn those who say, 'God has taken to Himself a son';
Maududi	and also to warn those who say: "Allah has taken to Himself a son,"
Pickthall	And to warn those who say: Allah hath chosen a son,
Sahih	And to warn those who say, "Allah has taken a son."
Yusuf Ali	Further, that He may warn those (also) who say, "Allah hath begotten a son":

18.5

surah 18 - verse 5

translator's name	verse
Arberry	they have no knowledge of it, they nor their fathers; a monstrous word it is, issuing out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie.
Maududi	a thing about which they have no knowledge, neither they nor their ancestors. Dreadful is the word that comes out of their mouths. What they utter is merely a lie.
Pickthall	(A thing) whereof they have no knowledge, nor (had) their fathers, Dreadful is the word that cometh out of their mouths. They speak naught but a lie.
Sahih	They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak not except a lie.
Yusuf Ali	No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying what they say is nothing but falsehood!

18.6

surah 18 - verse 6

translator's name	verse
Arberry	Yet perchance, if they believe not in this tiding, thou wilt consume thyself, following after them, of grief.
Maududi	(O Muhammad), if they do not believe in this Message, you will perhaps torment yourself to death with grief, sorrowing over them.
Pickthall	Yet it may be, if they believe not in this statement, that thou (Muhammad) wilt torment thy soul with grief over their footsteps.
Sahih	Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.
Yusuf Ali	Thou wouldst only, perchance, fret thyself to death, following after them, in grief, if they believe not in this Message.

18.7

surah 18 - verse 7

translator's name	verse
Arberry	We have appointed all that is on the earth for an adornment for it, and that We may try which of them is fairest in works;
Maududi	Surely We have made all that is on the earth an embellishment for it in order to test people as to who of them is better in conduct.
Pickthall	Lo! We have placed all that is on the earth as an ornament thereof that We may try them: which of them is best in conduct.
Sahih	Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed.
Yusuf Ali	That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them - as to which of them are best in conduct.

18.8

surah 18 - verse 8

translator's name	verse
Arberry	and We shall surely make all that is on it barren dust.
Maududi	In the ultimate, We shall reduce all that is on the earth to a barren plain.
Pickthall	And lo! We shall make all that is thereon a barren mound.
Sahih	And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground.
Yusuf Ali	Verily what is on earth we shall make but as dust and dry soil (without growth or herbage).

18.9

surah 18 - verse 9

translator's name	verse
Arberry	Or dost thou think the Men of the Cave and Er-Rakeem were among Our signs a wonder?
Maududi	Do you think that the people of the Cave and the Inscription were one of Our wondrous signs?
Pickthall	Or deemest thou that the People of the Cave and the Inscription are a wonder among Our portents?
Sahih	Or have you thought that the companions of the cave and the inscription were, among Our signs, a wonder?
Yusuf Ali	Or dost thou reflect that the Companions of the Cave and of the Inscription were wonders among Our Sign?

18.10

surah 18 - verse 10

translator's name	verse
Arberry	When the youths took refuge in the Cave saying, 'Our lord, give us mercy from Thee, and furnish us with rectitude in our affair.'
Maududi	When those youths sought refuge in the Cave and said: "Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and provide for us rectitude in our affairs."
Pickthall	When the young men fled for refuge to the Cave and said: Our Lord! Give us mercy from Thy presence, and shape for us right conduct in our plight.
Sahih	[Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, "Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance."
Yusuf Ali	Behold, the youths betook themselves to the Cave: they said, "Our Lord! bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way!"

18.11

surah 18 - verse 11

translator's name	verse
Arberry	Then We smote their ears many years in the Cave.
Maududi	We lulled them to sleep in that cave for a number of years
Pickthall	Then We sealed up their hearing in the Cave for a number of years.
Sahih	So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years.
Yusuf Ali	Then We draw (a veil) over their ears, for a number of years, in the Cave, (so that they heard not):

18.12

surah 18 - verse 12

translator's name	verse
Arberry	Afterwards. We raised them up again, that We might know which of the two parties would better calculate the while they had tarried.
Maududi	and then roused them so that We might see which of the two parties could best tell the length of their stay.
Pickthall	And afterward We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties would best calculate the time that they had tarried.
Sahih	Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time.
Yusuf Ali	Then We roused them, in order to test which of the two parties was best at calculating the term of years they had tarried!

18.13

surah 18 - verse 13

translator's name	verse
Arberry	We will relate to thee their tidings truly. They were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.
Maududi	We narrate to you their true story. They were a party of young men who had faith in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance
Pickthall	We narrate unto thee their story with truth. Lo! they were young men who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.
Sahih	It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.
Yusuf Ali	We relate to thee their story in truth: they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We advanced them in guidance:

18.14

surah 18 - verse 14

translator's name	verse
Arberry	And We strengthened their hearts, when they stood up and said, 'Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth; we will not call upon any god, apart from Him, or then we had spoken outrage.
Maududi	and strengthened their hearts when they stood up and proclaimed: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We shall call upon no other god beside Him; (for if we did so), we shall be uttering a blasphemy."
Pickthall	And We made firm their hearts when they stood forth and said: Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We cry unto no Allah beside Him, for then should we utter an enormity.
Sahih	And We made firm their hearts when they stood up and said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never will we invoke besides Him any deity. We would have certainly spoken, then, an excessive transgression.
Yusuf Ali	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 shall we call upon any god other than Him: if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity!

18.15

surah 18 - verse 15

translator's name	verse
Arberry	These our people have taken to them other gods, apart from Him. Ah, if only they would bring some clear authority regarding them! But who does greater evil than he who forges against God a lie?
Maududi	(Then they conferred among themselves and said): "These men, our own people, have taken others as gods beside Him: why do they not bring any clear evidence that they indeed are gods? Who can be more unjust than he who foists a lie on Allah?
Pickthall	These, our people, have chosen (other) gods beside Him though they bring no clear warrant (vouchsafed) to them. And who doth greater wrong than he who inventeth a lie concerning Allah?
Sahih	These, our people, have taken besides Him deities. Why do they not bring for [worship of] them a clear authority? And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie?"
Yusuf Ali	"These our people have taken for worship gods other than Him: why do they not bring forward an authority clear (and convincing) for what they do? Who doth more wrong than such as invent a falsehood against Allah?

18.16

surah 18 - verse 16

translator's name	verse
Arberry	So, when you have gone apart from them and that they serve, excepting God, take refuge in the Cave, and your Lord will unfold to you of His mercy, and will furnish -- you with a gentle issue of your affair.'
Maududi	And now that you have dissociated yourselves from them and from whatever they worship beside Allah, go and seek refuge in the Cave. Your Lord will extend His mercy to you and will provide for you the means for the disposal of your affairs."
Pickthall	And when ye withdraw from them and that which they worship except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave; your Lord will spread for you of His mercy and will prepare for you a pillow in your plight.
Sahih	[The youths said to one another], "And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allah, retreat to the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility."
Yusuf Ali	"When ye turn away from them and the things they worship other than Allah, betake yourselves to the Cave: Your Lord will shower His mercies on you and disposes of your affair towards comfort and ease."

18.17

surah 18 - verse 17

translator's name	verse
Arberry	And thou mightest have seen the sun, when it rose, inclining from their Cave towards the right, and, when it set, passing them by on the left, while they were in a broad fissure of the Cave. That was one of God's signs; whomsoever God guides, he is rightly guided, and whomsoever He leads astray, thou wilt not find for him a protector to direct.
Maududi	Had you seen them in the Cave it would have appeared to you that when the sun rose, it moved away from their Cave to the right; and when it set, it turned away from them to the left, while they remained in a spacious hollow in the Cave. This is one of the Signs of Allah. Whomsoever Allah guides, he alone is led aright; and whomsoever Allah lets go astray, you will find for him no guardian to direct him.
Pickthall	And thou mightest have seen the sun when it rose move away from their cave to the right, and when it set go past them on the left, and they were in the cleft thereof. That was (one) of the portents of Allah. He whom Allah guideth, he indeed is led aright, and he whom He sendeth astray, for him thou wilt not find a guiding friend.
Sahih	And [had you been present], you would see the sun when it rose, inclining away from their cave on the right, and when it set, passing away from them on the left, while they were [laying] within an open space thereof. That was from the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He leaves astray - never will you find for him a protecting guide.
Yusuf Ali	Thou wouldst have seen the sun, when it rose, declining 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 midst of the Cave. Such are among the Signs of Allah: He whom Allah, guides is rightly guided; but he whom Allah leaves to stray,- for him wilt thou find no protector to lead him to the Right Way.

18.18

surah 18 - verse 18

translator's name	verse
Arberry	Thou wouldst have thought them awake, as they lay sleeping, while We turned them now to the right, now to the left,' and their dog 'stretching its paws on the threshold. Hadst thou observed them surely thou wouldst have turned thy back on them in flight, and been filled with terror of them.
Maududi	On seeing them you would fancy them to be awake though they were asleep; and We caused them to turn their sides to their right and to their left, and their dog sat stretching out its forelegs on the threshold of the Cave. Had you looked upon them you would have certainly fled away from them, their sight filling you with terror.
Pickthall	And thou wouldst have deemed them waking though they were asleep, and We caused them to turn over to the right and the left, and their dog stretching out his paws on the threshold. If thou hadst observed them closely thou hadst assuredly turned away from them in flight, and hadst been filled with awe of them.
Sahih	And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror.
Yusuf Ali	Thou wouldst have deemed them awake, whilst they were asleep, and We turned them on their right and on their left sides: their dog stretching forth his two fore-legs on the threshold: if thou hadst come up on to them, thou wouldst have certainly turned back from them in flight, and wouldst certainly have been filled with terror of them.

18.19

surah 18 - verse 19

translator's name	verse
Arberry	And even so We raised them up again that they might question one another. One of them said, 'How long have you tarried?' They said, 'We have tarried a day, or part of a day.' They said, 'Your Lord knows very well how long you have tarried. Now send one of you forth with this silver to the city, and let him look for which of them has purest food, and bring you provision thereof; let him be courteous, and apprise no man of you.
Maududi	Likewise, We roused them in a miraculous way that they might question one another. One of them asked: "How long did you remain (in this state)?" The others said: "We remained so for a day or part of a day." Then they said: "Your Lord knows better how long we remained in this state. Now send one of you to the city with this coin of yours and let him see who has the best food, and let him buy some provisions from there. Let him be cautious and not inform anyone of our whereabouts.
Pickthall	And in like manner We awakened them that they might question one another. A speaker from among them said: How long have ye tarried? They said: We have tarried a day or some part of a day, (Others) said: Your Lord best knoweth what ye have tarried. Now send one of you with this your silver coin unto the city, and let him see what food is purest there and bring you a supply thereof. Let him be courteous and let no man know of you.
Sahih	And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.
Yusuf Ali	Such (being their state), we raised them up (from sleep), that they might question each other. Said one of them, "How long have ye stayed (here)?" They said, "We have stayed (perhaps) a day, or part of a day." (At length) they (all) said, "Allah (alone) knows best how long ye have stayed here.... Now send ye then one of you with this money of yours to the town: let him find out which is the best food (to be had) and bring some to you, that (ye may) satisfy your hunger therewith: And let him behave with care and courtesy, and let him not inform any one about you.

18.20

surah 18 - verse 20

translator's name	verse
Arberry	If they should get knowledge of you they will stone you, or restore you to their creed, then you will not prosper ever.
Maududi	For if they should come upon us, they will stone us to death or force us to revert to their faith whereafter we shall never prosper."
Pickthall	For they, if they should come to know of you, will stone you or turn you back to their religion; then ye will never prosper.
Sahih	Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And never would you succeed, then - ever."
Yusuf Ali	"For if they should come upon you, they would stone you or force you to return to their cult, and in that case ye would never attain prosperity."