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XVIII, 55-63. THE CHAPTER OF THE CAVE.
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reminded of the signs of his Lord, turns away therefrom, and forgets what his hands have done before? verily, we will place veils upon their hearts lest they should understand, and dulness in their ears!
And if thou shouldst call them to the guidance, they will not be guided then for ever.
But thy Lord is forgiving, endowed with mercy; were He to punish them for what they have earned He would have hastened for them the torment. Nay rather, they have their appointed time, and shall never find a refuge beside Him.
These cities, we destroyed them when they were unjust; and for their destruction we set an appointed time.
And when Moses said to his servant, ‘I will not cease until I reach the confluence of the two seas, or else I will go on for years.'
[60] But when they reached the confluence of the two ? they forgot their fish, and it took its way in the sea with a free course.
And when they had passed by, he said to his servant, ‘Bring us our dinners, for we have met with toil from this journey of ours.' Said he, What thinkest thou ? when we resorted to the rock, then, verily, I forgot the fish, but it was only Satan who made me forget it, lest I should remember it; and it took its way in the sea wondrously!
Said he, .This is what we were searching for 3.' So they turned back upon their footsteps, following them up.
· The word used signifies a space of eighty years and upwards.
Literally, of their intermediate space.' * See Part II, note 3, p. 23.
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