And when your Lord proclaimed: If ye give thanks, I will give you more; but if ye are thankless, lo! My punishment is dire. 7 And Moses added: "If you should [ever] deny the truth - you and whoever else lives on earth, all of you - [know that,] verily, God is indeed self-sufficient, ever to be praised!" 8 Has not news come to you concerning those who preceded you, such as Noah's people, and the 'Ad and Thamud, as well as those who came after them? Only God knows who they were. The messengers came to them with clear signs, but they put their hands to their mouths saying, "We deny the message you have been sent with. We have grave doubts about what you are inviting us to do." 9 ۞ Their Noble Messengers said, “What! You doubt concerning Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you that He may forgive some of your sins and until the time of death give you a life free from punishment”; they said, “You are just human beings like us; you wish to prevent us from what our forefathers used to worship – therefore now bring some clear proof to us.” 10 Their apostles answered them: "True, we are nothing but mortal men like yourselves: but God bestows His favour upon whomever He wills of His servants. Withal, it is not within our power to bring you a proof [of our mission,] unless it be by God's leave - and [so] it is in God that all believers must place their trust. 11 And what reason have we that we should not rely on Allah? And He has indeed guided us in our ways; and certainly we would bear with patience your persecution of us; and on Allah should the reliant rely. 12