And assuredly We sent apostles before thee and We made for them wives and progeny, and it is not for an apostle to produce a verse except by the command of Allah; for every time there is a Book. 38 Allah blots out, and He establishes what He will. With Him is the Essence of the Book. 39 Whether We allow you to see (the punishment) We have promised them, or end your life before (its execution), it is certainly for you to convey the message; the reckoning is for Us to do. 40 Do they not see how We come to the land and reduce its extremities? Allah judges; none repel His judgement. Swift is His reckoning. 41 And those before them did indeed make plans, but all planning is Allah's; He knows what every soul earns, and the unbelievers shall come to know for whom is the (better) issue of the abode. 42 And those who have disbelieved say, "You are not a messenger." Say, [O Muhammad], "Sufficient is Allah as Witness between me and you, and [the witness of] whoever has knowledge of the Scripture." 43