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 assuredly We have raised in every community an apostle saying: worship Allah and avoid the devil. Then of them were some whom Allah guided, and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. Wherefore travel about on the earth, and look on what wise hath been the end of the disbelievers. 36 [Even] if you should strive for their guidance, [O Muhammad], indeed, Allah does not guide those He sends astray, and they will have no helpers. 37 They swear their strongest oaths by God that God will never raise the dead to life -- nonetheless, it is a promise truly binding on Him, even though most people do not realize it -- 38 This is in order that He may make clear to them that which they differed upon, and in order that those who disbelieve might know that they were indeed lying. 39 Our word for a thing when We intend it, is only that We say to it, Be, and it is. 40