When the decree of God is issued, satan will say, "God's promise to you was true, but I, too, made a promise to you and disregarded it. I had no authority over you. I just called you and you answered. Do not blame me but blame yourselves. I cannot help you and you cannot help me. I did not agree with your belief that I was equal to God." The unjust will face a painful punishment. 22 And those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah and His Messengers and whatever they brought) and did righteous deeds, will be made to enter Gardens under which rivers flow, - to dwell therein forever (i.e. in Paradise), with the permission of their Lord. Their greeting therein will be: Salam (peace!). 23 Hast thou not seen how God has struck a similitude? A good word is as a good tree -- its roots are firm, and its branches are in heaven; 24 yielding its fruit every season by the permission of Allah? Allah gives parables to mankind so that they might remember. 25 And the parable of an evil Word is that of an evil tree: It is torn up by the root from the surface of the earth: it has no stability. 26 God confirms those who believe with the firm word, in the present life and in the world to come; and God leads astray the evildoers; and God does what He will. 27