[And thus will God continue:] "O you who have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible beings and [like-minded] humans! Have there not come unto you apostles from among yourselves, who conveyed unto you My messages and warned you of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?" They will answer: "We do bear witness against ourselves!" - for the life of this world had beguiled them: and so they will bear witness against themselves that they had been denying the truth. 130 Your Lord did not want to destroy the towns, unjustly, without informing their inhabitants (of His guidance). 131 For all there will be degrees (or ranks) according to what they did. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do. 132 And O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), your Lord is the Perfect (Not needing anything), the Merciful; O people! If He wills, He can remove you and bring others in your stead – the way He created you from the descendants of others. 133 That which you are promised shall surely come to pass and you cannot prevent it. 134 Say (O Muhammad): O my people! Work according to your power. Lo! I too am working. Thus ye will come to know for which of us will be the happy sequel. Lo! the wrong-doers will not be successful. 135 They set aside a share of the left-overs of their farming produce and cattle saying, "This is for God and that is for the idols." God does not receive the share of the idols but the share of God is given totally to the idols. How terrible is their decision! 136 To many of the pagans, the murder of their children was made to seem attractive by the idols. This led them (the pagans) to confusion in their religion and to face their own destruction. Had God wanted, they would not have murdered their children. Keep away from them and their evil gains. 137 They also say: "These cattle and these crops are consecrated. None may eat of them other than those we permit," -- so they assert. "And the use of these cattle is forbidden for carrying burden." They do not pronounce the name of God on certain animals, inventing lies against Him. He will punish them for what they fabricate. 138 And they say: whatsoever is in the bellies of such cattle is for our males alone and is forbidden unto our wives, and if it be born dead, then they all are partakers thereof. Anon He shall requite them for their attribution; verily He is Wise, Knowing. 139 Losers are they who slay their children in folly, without knowledge, and have forbidden what God has provided them, forging against God; they have gone astray, and are not right-guided. 140