And this is a Book We have sent down, blest, follow it then and fear God, haply ye may be shewn mercy. 155 and not say, "The Book was only sent down to the two groups before us and we were indeed unaware of their teachings," 156 or lest you say, 'If the Book had been sent down upon us, we had surely been more rightly guided than they.' Yet indeed a clear sign has come to you from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy; and who does greater evil than he who cries lies to God's signs, and turns away from them? We shall surely recompense those who turn away from Our signs with an evil chastisement for their turning away. 157 What! Do they wait either for the angels to appear before them or for your Lord to come unto them or for some clear signs of your Lord to appear before them? When some clear signs of your Lord will appear, believing will be of no avail to anyone who did not believe before, or who earned no good deeds through his faith. Say: 'Wait on; we too are waiting.' 158 You have nothing to do with those who have made divisions in their religion and become sects. Their affair is with Allah and He will inform them of what they have done. 159 Whoever shall come [before God] with a good deed will gain ten times the like thereof; but whoever shall come with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof; and none shall be wronged. 160 Say: Surely, (as for) me, my Lord has guided me to the right path; (to) a most right religion, the faith of Ibrahim the upright one, and he was not of the polytheists. 161 Say, "My prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are all for God, the Lord of the worlds; 162 No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims." 163 Say: 'Should I seek a lord other than Allah, who is the Lord of all things? Every soul earns only to its account no soul shall bear another's burden. Then to your Lord you shall be returned, and He will inform you about that in which you differed' 164 And He it is Who hath made you successors in the earth, and hath raised some of you over others in degrees, that he might prove you by that which He hath vouchsafed unto you. Verily thy Lord is swift in chastising, and verily He is Forgiving, Merciful. 165