O assembly of jinn and men! did there not come to you apostles from among you, relating to you My communications and warning you of the meeting of this day of yours? They shall say: We bear witness against ourselves; and this world's life deceived them, and they shall bear witness against their own souls that they were unbelievers. 130 Your Lord did not want to destroy the towns, unjustly, without informing their inhabitants (of His guidance). 131 For all there will be degrees (or ranks) according to what they did. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do. 132 Your Lord is Self-sufficient and Merciful. Had He wanted, He could have destroyed you and replaced you by other people, just as He had created you from the offspring of others. 133 Surely what you have been promised shall come to pass; and you do not have the power to frustrate (Allah). 134 Say (O Muhammad!): 'O people! Work in your place; and I too am at work. Soon you will know in whose favour the ultimate decision will be. Surely the wrong-doers will not prosper.' 135 They allocate a share from God's own created fields and cattle to God, and they say: "This is God's" -- or so they think -- "and that, of the compeers of God," so that what belongs to the compeers does not reach God, but that which is God's may reach the compeers (set up by them). How bad is the judgement that they make! 136 And, likewise, the beings supposed to have a share in Allah's divinity have made the slaying of their offspring seem lawful to many of those who associate others with Allah in His divinity so that they may ruin them and confound them regarding their faith. If Allah had so willed, they would not have done that. Leave them alone to persist in their fabrication. 137 And they said, “These cattle and crops are forbidden; only those whom we wish can eat them” – in their opinion – and some cattle are those which they have forbidden riding upon, and some cattle over which they do not mention the name of Allah while slaughtering – all this is fabricating lies against Allah; He will soon repay them for their fabrications. 138 And they say: whatsoever is in the bellies of such cattle is for our males alone and is forbidden unto our wives, and if it be born dead, then they all are partakers thereof. Anon He shall requite them for their attribution; verily He is Wise, Knowing. 139 They will surely perish who kill their offspring in ignorance foolhardily, and forbid the food that God has given them by fabricating lies against God. Misguided are they surely, and will never come to guidance. 140