Who is more wicked than he who invents a lie about Allah or belies His verses? The harmdoers shall never prosper. 21 On the Day of Judgment when We will gather all people together, We will ask the pagans, "Where are those whom you believed to be your gods?" 22 Then there will be no [excuse upon] examination except they will say, "By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who associated." 23 Consider, how they have lied against their own souls and have lost their gods. 24 Some of them listen to you, but We have veiled their hearts so that they cannot understand and made them deaf. They disbelieve all the evidence (of Our existence) that they may have seen. They only come to you for the sake of argument and the disbelievers say that (whatever Muhammad says) is no more than ancient legends. 25 And they forbid it, and keep afar from it, and it is only themselves they destroy, but they are not aware. 26 If you could see them when they are set before the Fire! They will say: 'Would that we could return! Then we would not belie the verses of our Lord and would be believers' 27 The truth they used to hide will become all too clear to them. But if they were sent back, they would return to what they had been forbidden. For they are indeed liars. 28 They say: 'There is only but our present life; we shall not be resurrected' 29 If you could only see when they are made to stand before their Lord! He will ask them, "Is this [second life] not the truth?" They will say, "Yes, by our Lord!" He will say, "Then, taste the punishment that comes from your having refused to acknowledge the truth!" 30