And recall what time thy Lord took from the children of Adam their posterity from their backs, and made them testify as to themselves saying: am I not your Lord? They said: Yea! we testify. That was lest ye should say on the Day of Resurrection: verily of this we have been unaware. 172 Or lest you say, "Our forefathers associated others with God before our time, and we are only the descendants who came after them. So are You going to destroy us for what those inventors of falsehood did?" 173 And thus clearly do We spell out these messages; and [We do it] so that they [who have sinned] might return [unto Us]. 174 Recite unto them the tale of him to whom We gave Our revelations, but he sloughed them off, so Satan overtook him and he became of those who lead astray. 175 And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought. 176 How terrible is the example of those who have rejected Our revelations and have done injustice only to themselves! 177 Whom Allah doth guide,- he is on the right path: whom He rejects from His guidance,- such are the persons who perish. 178 And assuredly We have created for Hell many of the genii and mankind; they have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hearken not; they are like unto cattle; nay, they are further astray; those! they are the negligent ones. 179 God has the most blessed Names. You should address Him in your worship by these Names and keep away from those who pervert them. They will be recompensed for their (evil) deeds. 180 Of those We created are a nation who guide by the truth, and by it act with justice. 181