O ye people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that ye may have the chance to learn righteousness; 21 The One Who has appointed the earth a base for you, and the sky a canopy – and caused water to pour down from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you; and do not knowingly set up rivals to Allah! 22 And if you doubt any part of what We have bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our servant [Muhammad,] then produce a surah of similar merit, and call upon any other than God to bear witness for you if what you say is true! 23 But if you cannot do it, and you can never do it, then guard yourselves against the Fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for those who deny the truth. 24 Give the good news to those who believe and do good works, that they will have Gardens through which rivers flow: whenever they are given fruit to eat they will say, "This is what we were provided with before," because they were given similar things. And there will be pure spouses for them, and they will abide there forever. 25 ۞ God does not hesitate to set forth parables of anything even a gnat. The believers know that it is the truth from their Lord, but those who deny the truth say, "What does God mean by such parables?" In fact, by such parables God misleads and guides many. However, He only misleads the evil doers 26 who break their established covenant with Him and the relations He has commanded to be kept and who spread evil in the land. These are the ones who lose a great deal. 27 How is it that you adopt the attitude of disbelief towards Allah when the fact is that you were lifeless and He gave you life, and He will take away life from you and will again restore you to life: then you shall ultimately return to Him. 28 It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge. 29