O mankind! Worship your Lord, Who has created you and those before you, in the hope of attaining piety. 21 who has made the earth a resting-place for you and the sky a canopy, and has sent down water from the sky and thereby brought forth fruits for your sustenance: do not, then, claim that there is any power that could rival God, when you know [that He is One]. 22 And if ye are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a surah of the like thereof, and call your witness beside Allah if ye are truthful. 23 If you do not produce such a chapter and you never will then guard yourselves against the fire whose fuel will be people and stones and is prepared for those who hide the Truth. 24 Bear glad tidings to those who believe and do good works. They shall live in Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are given fruit as provision they will say: 'This is what we were given before,' for they shall be given in resemblance. Therein they shall have pure spouses, and shall live there for ever. 25 ۞ God is not loath to advance the similitude of a gnat or a being more contemptible; and those who believe know whatever is from the Lord is true. But those who disbelieve say: "What does God mean by this parable?" He causes some to err this way, and some He guides; yet He turns away none but those who transgress, 26 Who break the covenant of Allah after the ratification thereof, and sunder that which Allah hath commanded should be joined, and act corruptly on the earth. These! they are the losers. 27 How can you refuse to acknowledge God, seeing that you were lifeless and He gave you life, and that He will cause you to die and then will bring you again to life, whereupon unto Him you will be brought back? 28 It is He Who created for you all that is in the earth; then He inclined towards the heaven, therefore fashioning it as proper seven heavens; and He knows everything. 29