For, how many a community that persisted in evildoing have We dashed into fragments, and raised another people in its stead! 11 Yet, when they felt Our Punishment (coming), behold, they (tried to) flee from it. 12 Flee not, and return unto that wherein ye luxuriated and your habitations, haply ye will be questioned. 13 They said: O woe to us! surely we were unjust. 14 And this ceased not to be their cry till We made them cut off, extinct. 15 And We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, unnecessarily. 16 [for,] had We willed to indulge in a pastime, We would indeed have produced it from within Ourselves - if such had been Our will at all! 17 We bring forward the Truth to crush and destroy falsehood; it is doomed to be banished. Woe to you for your way of thinking about God! 18 Whosoever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him; and those who are near Him do not disdain to worship Him or weary (of His service), 19 They never fail to exalt Him either at night or in the day. 20 Or have they taken gods from the earth who raise (the dead). 21 had there been in heaven or on earth any deities other than God, both [those realms would surely have fallen into ruin! But limitless in His glory is God, enthroned in His awesome almightiness far] above anything that men may devise by way of definition! 22 He cannot be questioned concerning what He does and they shall be questioned. 23 Or have they taken for worship (other) gods besides him? Say, "Bring your convincing proof: this is the Message of those with me and the Message of those before me." But most of them know not the Truth, and so turn away. 24 And We sent not before thee an apostle but We revealed unto him that there is no god but I, so worship Me. 25 They say 'The Merciful has taken a son' Exaltations to Him! No, they are only His honored worshipers, 26 who do not surpass Him in speech, and do as He commands. 27 He knows all that is in front of them and all that is behind them. (These servants of God) will not intercede with Him for anyone without His permission and they tremble in awe (before His greatness). 28 ۞ The recompense of those of them who say that they are the Lord instead of God will be hell; thus, do We recompense the unjust ones. 29