The idolaters say: 'Had Allah willed, neither we nor our fathers would have worshipped anything other than Him, nor would we have forbidden anything without Him', as such did those before them. Yet what should Messengers do but give a clear deliverance? 35 And indeed We sent to every nation a Noble Messenger (proclaiming) that “Worship Allah and beware of the devil”; therefore Allah guided some of them, and error proved true upon some of them; therefore travel in the land and see what sort of fate befell the deniers! 36 Even if you are eager to guide them, God does not surely guide those who have gone astray: They will have no one to help them. 37 They solemnly swear by Allah that Allah will never raise the dead to life. No, surely the promise of Allah is binding upon Him, though most people do not know. 38 [He will resurrect them] to the end that He might make clear unto them all whereon they [now] hold divergent views, and that they who are bent on denying the truth [of resurrection] might come to know that they were liars. 39 Whenever We will anything to be, We but say unto it Our word "Be" - and it is. 40