And those who associate others with Allah say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything through other than Him." Thus did those do before them. So is there upon the messengers except [the duty of] clear notification? 35 And certainly We raised in every nation an apostle saying: Serve Allah and shun the Shaitan. So there were some of them whom Allah guided and there were others against whom error was due; therefore travel in the land, then see what was the end of the rejecters. 36 Even if you are eager to guide them, God does not surely guide those who have gone astray: They will have no one to help them. 37 And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths [that] Allah will not resurrect one who dies. But yes - [it is] a true promise [binding] upon Him, but most of the people do not know. 38 For (they fear) He might make what they differed about plain to them, and that the infidels may realise that they were liars. 39 Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it, "Be," and it is. 40