When your Lord brings forth from their loins the offspring of the children of Adam, He makes them witnesses over themselves, (and asks): "Am I not your Lord?" 'Indeed,' they reply. 'We bear witness,' -- lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "We were not aware of this;" 172 Or [lest] you say, "It was only that our fathers associated [others in worship] with Allah before, and we were but descendants after them. Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?" 173 That is how We explain Our signs distinctly so that they may come back (to the right path). 174 Recite to them the tale of the man to whom We gave Our signs, but who then cast them to one side and Satan overtook him. And he became one of those who went astray, 175 And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought. 176 Evil is the example of people who are bent on giving the lie to Our messages: for it is against their own selves that they are sinning! 177 Whoever Allah guides - he is the [rightly] guided; and whoever He sends astray - it is those who are the losers. 178 We created many of the jinn and mankind for hell. They have hearts they do not understand with; they have eyes they do not see with; and they have ears they do not hear with. Such people are like cattle -- no, they are even more misguided. Such are the heedless. 179 Allah has the most excellent names. So call on Him by His names and shun those who distort them. They shall soon be requited for their deeds. 180 Among Our creatures are a group who guide and judge with the Truth. 181