Who is more wicked than he who invents a lie about Allah or belies His verses? The harmdoers shall never prosper. 21 On the Day of Judgment when We will gather all people together, We will ask the pagans, "Where are those whom you believed to be your gods?" 22 Then their excuse would be nothing but that they would say: By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists. 23 See how they lie to themselves, and how those [the deities] they invented have deserted them. 24 Some of them listen to you. But We have cast veils over their hearts lest they understand it and in their ears heaviness; and if they see every sign they do not believe in it. When they come to you they argue, the unbelievers say: 'This is nothing but the tales of the ancient ones' 25 and they bar others from believing and themselves keep away. But they ruin no one but themselves, though they fail to realize this. 26 If you should see them when they are stood before the Fire, they will say: "Ah would that we were sent back (to the world)! We shall not deny the signs of our Lord, and be among those who believe." 27 But nay - [they will say this only because] the truth which they used to conceal [from themselves] in the past will have become obvious to them; and if they were brought back [to life,] they would return to the very thing which was forbidden to them: for behold, they are indeed liars! 28 They say, "There is nothing beyond our life in this world: we shall not be raised up again from the dead." 29 Would that you could see them standing before their Lord who would ask them, "Is not the Resurrection true?" They would reply, "Yes, Lord, there is a Resurrection." The Lord would then say, "For your disbelief, suffer the torment." 30