O mankind! worship your Lord, Who hath created you and those before you, so that ye may ward off (evil). 21 The One Who has appointed the earth a base for you, and the sky a canopy – and caused water to pour down from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you; and do not knowingly set up rivals to Allah! 22 And if ye are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a surah of the like thereof, and call your witness beside Allah if ye are truthful. 23 And if you are unable to bring forth (one chapter) – and We declare that you can never bring one – then fear the fire (of hell), the fuel of which is men and stones; kept ready for the disbelievers. 24 And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, "This is what we were provided with before." And it is given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally. 25 ۞ God does not hesitate to set forth parables of anything even a gnat. The believers know that it is the truth from their Lord, but those who deny the truth say, "What does God mean by such parables?" In fact, by such parables God misleads and guides many. However, He only misleads the evil doers 26 such as break the covenant of God after its solemn binding, and such as cut what God has commanded should be joined, and such as do corruption in the land -- they shall be the losers. 27 How is it that you adopt the attitude of disbelief towards Allah when the fact is that you were lifeless and He gave you life, and He will take away life from you and will again restore you to life: then you shall ultimately return to Him. 28 He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth, and He directed Himself to the heaven, so He made them complete seven heavens, and He knows all things. 29