O mankind! worship your Lord, Who hath created you and those before you, so that ye may ward off (evil). 21 [He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him]. 22 And if you doubt any part of what We have bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our servant [Muhammad,] then produce a surah of similar merit, and call upon any other than God to bear witness for you if what you say is true! 23 But if you fail, as you are sure to fail, then guard yourselves against the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the unbelievers. 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 ashamed to strike a similitude even of a gnat, or aught above it. As for the believers, they know it is the truth from their Lord; but as for unbelievers, they say, 'What did God desire by this for a similitude?' Thereby He leads many astray, and thereby He guides many; and thereby He leads none astray save the ungodly 26 who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature,] and cut asunder what God has bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on earth: these it is that shall be the losers. 27 How is it that you adopt the attitude of disbelief towards Allah when the fact is that you were lifeless and He gave you life, and He will take away life from you and will again restore you to life: then you shall ultimately return to Him. 28 He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth, and He directed Himself to the heaven, so He made them complete seven heavens, and He knows all things. 29