Those who associate [others with God] say, "If God had so willed we would not have worshipped anything besides Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything without His sanction." So did those who went before them. The duty of the messengers is only to convey the message clearly. 35 And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Serve Allah and shun false gods. Then some of them (there were) whom Allah guided, and some of them (there were) upon whom error had just hold. Do but travel in the land and see the nature of the consequence for the deniers! 36 (Muhammad), even though you have a strong desire to guide them, be sure that God will not guide those who have gone astray and no one will be able to help them. 37 And they swear by God the most solemn of oaths that God would not raise him who dieth. Yea! it is a promise on Him incumbent but most of mankind know not. 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 When We will something to happen, all that We say is, "Be!" and it is. 40