Those who deny the truth said to their messengers, "We shall banish you from our land unless you return to our ways." But their Lord inspired the messengers, saying, "We shall destroy the evil-doers, 13 “And indeed We will establish you in the land after them; this is for him who fears to stand before Me and fears the commands of punishment declared by Me.” 14 They sought Our judgement. And (thanks to that judgement) every obstinate tyrant opposed to the Truth was brought to naught. 15 beyond him Gehenna, and he is given to drink of oozing pus, 16 gulping it [unceasingly,] little by little, and yet hardly able to swallow it. And death will beset him from every quarter - but he shall not die: for [yet more] severe suffering lies ahead of him. 17 The state of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that their deeds are like ashes which the strong wind blew away on a stormy day; they got nothing from all that they earned; this is the extreme error. 18 ART THOU NOT aware that God has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth? He can, if He so wills, do away with you and bring forth a new mankind [in your stead]: 19 And for Allah that is not hard or difficult (i.e. very easy for Allah). 20 Then all of them will appear exposed before Allah, and the weak ones will say to the haughty ones: "We merely followed you. Will you, then, protect us from Allah's chastisement?" They will say: "Had Allah shown us the Way to our salvation, we would surely have also guided you. Now it is all the same whether we cry or suffer patiently, we have no escape." 21