O MANKIND! Worship your Sustainer, who has created you and those who lived before you, so that you might remain conscious of Him 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 you doubt any part of what We have bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our servant [Muhammad,] then produce a surah of similar merit, and call upon any other than God to bear witness for you if what you say is true! 23 And if you do not -- and you will not -- then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for unbelievers. 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 Who break the covenant of Allah after the ratification thereof, and sunder that which Allah hath commanded should be joined, and act corruptly on the earth. These! they are the losers. 27 How dare you deny the existence of God Who gave you life when you initially had no life. He will cause you to die and bring you to life again. Then you will return to His Presence. 28 It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven, [His being above all creation], and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things. 29