And when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks, I will increase you, but, if you are unthankful My punishment is indeed stern.' 7 And Musa said: If you are ungrateful, you and those on earth all together, most surely Allah is Self-sufficient, Praised; 8 Hath not the tidings come to you of those before you: the people of Nuh and the 'Aad and the Thamud and those after them! None knoweth them save Allah. There came unto them their apostles with the evidences, but they put their hands to their mouths, and said: verily we disbelieve in that wherewith ye have been sent, and verily regarding that to which ye call us we are in doubt disquieting. 9 ۞ Their Messengers said: 'Is there any doubt about Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you to Him in order that He forgives you your sins and defers you till a stated term' They said: 'You are only mortals like us. You wish to bar us from that which our fathers worshipped. Give us some clear proof.' 10 Their Noble Messengers said to them, “We are indeed human beings like you, but Allah bestows favour upon whomever He wills, among His bondmen*; it is not our task to bring any proof to you except by the command of Allah; and only upon Allah must the Muslims rely.” (* Therefore Prophets and other men are not equal in status.) 11 And why should we not repose our trust in God when He has shown us our paths of duty to Him? We shall bear with fortitude the hardships you inflict upon us. The trusting place their trust in God." 12