Those who disbelieved said to their Messengers: 'Return to our faith or we will banish you from our land' But Allah revealed to them: 'We shall destroy the harmdoers 13 "And verily We shall cause you to abide in the land, and succeed them. This for such as fear the Time when they shall stand before My tribunal,- such as fear the punishment denounced." 14 And they sought help (from their Lord) and every froward potentate was bought to naught; 15 beyond him Gehenna, and he is given to drink of oozing pus, 16 Which he gulpeth, but wellnigh swalloweth not. And death cometh upon him from every side, while yet he is not dead, and behind him is a torment terrible. 17 The parable of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their actions are like ashes on which the wind blows hard on a stormy day; they shall not have power over any thing out of what they have earned; this is the great error. 18 Have you not seen that Allah has created the heavens and the earth with true purpose? If He wills, He can remove you all and bring a new creation. 19 that is no difficult thing for God. 20 And all [mankind] will appear before God [on the Day of Judgment]; and then the weak will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance: "Behold, We were but your followers: can you, then, relieve us of something of God's chastisement?" [And the others] will answer: "If God would but show us the way [to salvation,] we would indeed guide you [towards it]. It is [now] all one, as far as we are concerned, whether we grieve impatiently or endure [our lot] with patience: there is no escape for us!" 21