Allah knows all what is inside the womb of every female, and every increase and decrease of the wombs; and all things are with Him by a set measure. 8 The All Knowing of all things hidden and visible, the Great, the Supreme. 9 Alike of you is he who conceals his -- saying, and he who proclaims it, he who hides himself in the night, and he who sallies by day; 10 For his sake there are angels following one another, before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's commandment; surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition; and when Allah intends evil to a people, there is no averting it, and besides Him they have no protector. 11 It is God who flashes lightning to frighten you and to give you hope. It is He who forms the heavy clouds. 12 Both the thunder and the angels glorify Him and out of His fear always praise Him. He sends down thunder-bolts to strike whomever He wants, while they are busy arguing about the existence of God. His punishment is stern. 13 To Him is due the true prayer; and those whom they pray to besides Allah give them no answer, but (they are) like one who stretches forth his two hands towards water that it may reach his mouth, but it will not reach it; and the prayer of the unbelievers is only in error. 14 Whosoever is in the heavens and on earth bows to God in submission with a will or perforce, as do their shadows in the morning and evening. ۩ 15 Say: Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?-- Say: Allah. Say: Do you take then besides Him guardians who do not control any profit or harm for themselves? Say: Are the blind and the seeing alike? Or can the darkness and the light be equal? Or have they set up with Allah associates who have created creation like His, so that what is created became confused to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme. 16 He sends down water from the sky that fills riverbeds to overflowing, each according to its measure. The torrent carries along swelling foam, akin to what rises from smelted ore from which man makes ornaments and tools. God thus depicts truth and falsehood. The scum is cast away, but whatever is of use to man remains behind. God thus speaks in parables. 17 There will be the best of rewards for those who respond to their Lord: while those who do not respond to Him -- if they possessed all that is on earth and twice as much, they would surely offer it as ransom [on the Day of Judgement]; -- will have the worst reckoning and their goal is Hell: and how evil a resting-place! 18