God knows what any female bears [in her womb,] and by how much the wombs may fall short [in gestation,] and by how much they may increase [the average period]: for with Him everything is [created] in accordance with its scope and purpose. 8 [He is] Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Grand, the Exalted. 9 It is the same [to Him] concerning you whether one conceals [his] speech or one publicizes it and whether one is hidden by night or conspicuous [among others] by day. 10 There are guardians over everyone, both before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command. Verily Allah does not change a people's condition unless they change their inner selves. And when Allah decides to make a people suffer punishment, no one can avert it. Nor can any be of help to such a people against Allah. 11 It is He who shows you the lightning, for fear and hope, and produces the heavy clouds; 12 Both the thunder and the angels glorify Him and out of His fear always praise Him. He sends down thunder-bolts to strike whomever He wants, while they are busy arguing about the existence of God. His punishment is stern. 13 For Him (alone) is prayer in Truth: any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it reaches them not: for the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile) wandering (in the mind). 14 And unto Allah falleth prostrate whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening hours. ۩ 15 Say: 'Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth' Say: 'Allah' Say: 'Why then have you chosen guardians other than Him, even though they have neither the power to benefit nor harm themselves' Say: 'Are the blind and the seeing equal? Are darkness and light equal? Or, have they ascribed to Allah associates who create as He creates so that all creation is alike to them?" Say: 'Allah is the Creator of everything. He is the One, the Conqueror' 16 He sends down out of heaven water, and the wadis flow each in its measure, and the torrent carries a swelling scum; and out of that over which they kindle fire, being desirous of ornament or ware, out of that rises a scum the like of it. So God strikes both the true and the false. As for the scum, it vanishes as jetsam, and what profits men abides in the earth. Even so God strikes His similitudes. 17 For those who obeyed the command of Allah is goodness and if those who did not obey Him owned all that is in the earth and in addition a similar one like it, they would give it to redeem their souls; it is they who will have a wretched account, and their destination is hell; and what a wretched resting place! 18