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Surah 18. Al-Kahf, Ayah 24

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إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًا
Ill a an yash a a All a hu wa o th kur rabbaka i tha naseeta waqul AAas a an yahdiyani rabbee liaqraba min h atha rashad a n
without [adding], "if God so wills."33 And if thou shouldst forget [thyself at the time, and become aware of it later], call thy Sustainer to mind and say: "I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right!"
  - Mohammad Asad

According to almost all of the commentators, this parenthetic passage (verses {23-24}) is primarily addressed to the Prophet, who, on being asked by some of the pagan Quraysh as to what "really" happened to the Men of the Cave, is said to have replied, "I shall give you my answer tomorrow" - whereupon revelation was temporarily withheld from him in token of God's disapproval; in the second instance, this exhortation expresses a general principle addressed to all believers.

without adding: "If Allah wills!" And if you forget to say this, then call your Rabb to mind and say: "I hope that my Rabb shall guide me and bring me ever closer than this to the Right Way."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
without adding, 'if Allah so wills!' But if you forget, then remember your Lord, and say, 'I trust my Lord will guide me to what is more right than this.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Except if Allah will. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest, and say: It may be that my Lord guideth me unto a nearer way of truth than this.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Without adding "So please Allah!" And call thy Lord to mind when thou forgettest and say "I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even) than this to the right road." 2363 2364
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Verses 23 and 24 are parenthetical. We must never rely upon our own resources so much as to forget Allah. If by any chance we do forget, we must come back to Him and keep Him in remembrance, as did the Companions of the Cave.

In geometry the perfect circle is an ideal. Any given circle that we draw is not so perfect that we cannot draw one closer to the ideal. So in our life, there is always the hope of drawing closer and closer to Allah.

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