Man prayeth for evil as he prayeth for good; for man was ever hasty. 11 We have appointed the night and the day as two signs; then We have blotted out the sign of the night, and made the sign of the day to see, and that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the number of the years, and the reckoning; and everything We have distinguished very distinctly. 12 And every man -- We have fastened to him his bird of omen upon his neck; and We shall bring forth for him, on the Day of Resurrection, a book he shall find spread wide open. 13 Read thine book; sufficeth today thy soul against thee as a reckoner. 14 One who follows guidance does so for himself and one who goes astray does so against his soul. No one will suffer for the sins of others. We have never punished anyone without sending them Our Messenger first. 15 And when We will to destroy a township We send the commands to its prosperous people, thereupon they do not obey them, and so the Word is proved upon it – We therefore destroy and ruin it. 16 And how many a generation have We [thus] destroyed after [the time of] Noah! For, none has the like of thy Sustainer's awareness and insight into His creatures' sins. 17 "Whosoever desires what hastes away, We hasten to give him (in this life) as much as We please to whosoever We will; but afterwards there is Hell for him in which he will burn, disgraced and ostracised. 18 And whosoever desires the world to come and strives after it as he should, being a believer -- those, their striving shall be thanked. 19 All [of them] - these as well as those - do We freely endow with some of thy Sustainer's gifts, since thy Sustainer's giving is never confined [to one kind of man]. 20 Behold, how We prefer some of them over others! And surely the world to come is greater in ranks, greater in preferment. 21 Set not up with Allah any other god (O man) lest thou sit down reproved, forsaken. 22