How many a town (community), that were wrong-doers, have We destroyed, and raised up after them another people! 11 Yet, when they felt Our Punishment (coming), behold, they (tried to) flee from it. 12 "Do not flee; go back to your halls of pleasure and your habitations, so that you may be interrogated." 13 They said, "Woe to us! We were indeed wrongdoers," 14 and this they kept repeating until We caused them to become like a field mowed down, and reduced to ashes. 15 Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between! 16 Had it been Our will to find a pastime, We would have found one near at hand; if at all We were inclined to do so. 17 Nay, We hurl the Truth at falsehood so that the Truth crushes falsehood, and lo! it vanishes. Woe to you for what you utter! 18 Whosoever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him; and those who are near Him do not disdain to worship Him or weary (of His service), 19 They never fail to exalt Him either at night or in the day. 20 Or have they taken gods out of the earth who raise the dead? 21 If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, there would have been confusion in both! but glory to Allah, the Lord of the Throne: (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! 22 He cannot be questioned concerning what He does and they shall be questioned. 23 Or have they set up other Gods besides Allah? Say, “Bring your proof; this is the remembrance of those with me and those before me”; but in fact most of them do not know the Truth, so they turn away. 24 And We did not send any Noble Messenger before you, but We divinely revealed to him that, “There is no God except I (Allah), therefore worship Me alone.” 25 They say, "The All Merciful has taken a son!" Glory be to Him! They are only His honoured servants: 26 They do not speak before He has, and they act only at His command. 27 He knows what is before them and behind them, and they intercede not save for him with whom He is well-pleased, and they tremble in awe of Him. 28 ۞ And the one among them who says, “I am a God beside Allah” – We shall reward him with hell; this is how We punish the unjust. 29