The pagans had said, "Had God wanted we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, nor would our fathers. We would not have forbidden anything without (a command from) Him." The same thing was said by the people who lived before them. Are the Messengers expected to do more than just preach? 35 And indeed We sent to every nation a Noble Messenger (proclaiming) that “Worship Allah and beware of the devil”; therefore Allah guided some of them, and error proved true upon some of them; therefore travel in the land and see what sort of fate befell the deniers! 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 They swear most solemnly in the name of Allah and say: "Allah shall not raise to life any who dies." (Yes, He will do so); that is a promise by which He is bound, even though most people do not know that. 38 [It is] so He will make clear to them [the truth of] that wherein they differ and so those who have disbelieved may know that they were liars. 39 And Our command for anything to occur, when We will it, is that We only say to it, “Be” – and it thereupon happens. 40