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.
Verse 18 of Surah Al-Kahf (18:18), a Meccan surah, is in juz 15, on page 295 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
Listen to verse 18 of Surah Al-Kahf
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Tafsir of verse 18
Al-Mukhtasar
You - O one who looks at them - will think they are awake, because their eyes are open, though in actual fact they are asleep. I turn them over in their sleep, sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left, so that the earth does not consume their bodies. Their dog that accompanied them stretches out its forelegs at the entrance of the cave. If you had come across them and seen them, you would have turned and run away being afraid of them, and your soul would have been filled with fear of them.
You would have thought they were awake, although they were asleep. We turned them over on their right and left sides, when their dog stretched its forelegs at the entrance. If you had seen them, you would have fled away from them, filled with horror12.
Notes
[12] Should anyone were to see them, he would see a group of awake men with a dog standing guarding them, and would surely be filled with horror, which was a factor in preserving them, so no one would dare to draw close to them.
And you would have thought them awake, whereas they were asleep. And We turned them on their right and on their left sides, and their dog stretching forth his two forelegs at the entrance [of the Cave or in the space near to the entrance of the Cave (as a guard at the gate)]. Had you looked at them, you would certainly have turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with awe of them.
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.
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.
And you might think them awake while they were asleep and We turned them about to the right and to the left, while their dog (lay) outstretching its paws at the entrance; if you looked at them you would certainly turn back from them in flight, and you would certainly be filled with awe because of them.
And you would have reckoned that they were awake (as) they were lying down, and We turned them about towards the right and towards the left, and their dog stretching out his two fore-legs (Literally: his two arms) on the threshold. If you had viewed them, indeed you would have turned away from them in flight and indeed been filled with horror of them.
Verse 18 word by word
وَتَحْسَبُهُمْwataḥsabuhumAnd you (would) think themح س ب
