Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Kahf Verse 25

Mufti Taqi Usmani

They stayed in their Cave for three hundred years and added nine.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

They had remained in their cave for three hundred years, adding nine.[[ Three hundred years in the Gregorian calendar equal three hundred and nine years in the Islamic lunar calendar. ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

They remained in their cave for three hundred years, plus nine.

A. J. Arberry

And they tarried in the Cave three hundred years, and to that they added nine more.

Abdul Haleem

[Some say], ‘The sleepers stayed in their cave for three hundred years,’ some added nine more.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And they tarried in their cave three hundred years and added nine.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more)

Abul Ala Maududi

They remained in the Cave for three hundred years; and others added nine more years.

Ahmed Ali

(It is said) they stayed in the cave three hundred years and nine.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And they stayed in their Cave for three hundred years* and nine more*. (* 300 according to the Solar calendar and 309 according to the Lunar calendar.)

Ali Quli Qarai

They remained in the Cave for three hundred years, and added nine more [to that number].

Ali Ünal

And they stayed in their Cave three hundred (solar) years, and added nine (for lunar years).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And they (- the early Christians) stayed in this Place of Refuge three hundred years and extended (their stay) another nine (years).

English Literal

And they stayed/remained in their cave three hundred years and they were increased (by) nine (years).

Faridul Haque

And they stayed in their Cave for three hundred years * and nine more *. (* 300 according to the Solar calendar and 309 according to the Lunar calendar.)

Hamid S. Aziz

Except (by adding) "If Allah please;" and remember your Lord when you have forgotten, and say, "It may be that my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to the right way."

Hilali & Khan

And they stayed in their Cave three hundred (solar) years, and add nine (for lunar years).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Unless Allah please. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest and say: Maybe my Lord will guide me to a nearer course to the right than this.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And they remained in their cave three hundred years and (some) add (another) nine.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And (it is said) they tarried in their Cave three hundred years and add nine.

Muhammad Sarwar

They, in fact, stayed in the cave for three hundred plus nine further years.

Qaribullah & Darwish

And they stayed in the Cave three hundred years and to that they added nine more.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And they stayed in their cave three hundred years, adding nine.

Wahiduddin Khan

[Some say], "They stayed in their cave three hundred years," and to that some have added another nine years.

Talal Itani

And they stayed in their cave for three hundred years, adding nine.

Tafsir jalalayn

And they tarried in the Cave three hundred (read [with tanwn] thalthami'atin) years (sinn is an explicative supplement to thalthami'atin, `three hundred'); these three hundred years in the case of the People of the Cave were solar years; but for [the number of] lunar ones, the Arabs add nine years thereto, and this is mentioned in His saying; and add nine, that is, nine years; in other words three hundred solar years, while three hundred and nine lunar ones.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Length of their Stay in the Cave

Allah says;

وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَثَ مِايَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا



And they stayed in their cave three hundred years, adding nine.

Here Allah tells His Messenger the length of time the people of the Cave spent in their cave, from the time when He caused them to sleep until the time when He resurrected them and caused the people of that era to find them. The length of time was three hundred plus nine years in lunar years, which is three hundred years in solar years. The difference between one hundred lunar years and one hundred solar years is three years, which is why after mentioning three hundred, Allah says, `adding nine.'

قُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا

لَهُ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا