When your Lord brought forth offspring from the loins of the Children of Adam and made them bear witness about themselves, He said, "Am I not your Lord?" They replied, "We bear witness that You are." This He did, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, "We had no knowledge of that." 172 Or you should say: Only our fathers associated others (with Allah) before, and we were an offspring after them: Wilt Thou then destroy us for what the vain doers did? 173 That is how We explain Our signs distinctly so that they may come back (to the right path). 174 Recite to them the news of he to whom We gave Our verses and who turned away from them; how satan overtook him so he was led astray. 175 Now had We so willed We could indeed have exalted him through those signs, but he clung to earthly life and followed his carnal desires. Thus his parable is that of the dog who lolls out his tongue whether you attack him or leave him alone. Such is the parable of those who reject Our signs as false. Narrate to them these parables that they may reflect. 176 Evil is the case of those who deny Our signs and wrong themselves. 177 Whomsoever Allah guideth, he is the rightly guided: and whomsoever He sendeth astray - those! they are the losers. 178 And most certainly have We destined for hell many of the invisible beings and men who have hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear. They are like cattle - nay, they are even less conscious of the right way: it is they, they who are the [truly] heedless! 179 God has the Most Excellent Names. Call on Him by His Names and keep away from those who distort them. They shall be requited for what they do. 180 And of those whom We have created there is a party who guide men through the truth and act justly according to it. 181