[And thus will God continue:] "O you who have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible beings and [like-minded] humans! Have there not come unto you apostles from among yourselves, who conveyed unto you My messages and warned you of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?" They will answer: "We do bear witness against ourselves!" - for the life of this world had beguiled them: and so they will bear witness against themselves that they had been denying the truth. 130 This is because your Lord would not destroy the (populations of) towns for their wrong-doing (i.e. associating others in worship along with Allah) while their people were unaware (so the Messengers were sent). 131 To all are degrees (or ranks) according to their deeds: for thy Lord is not unmindful of anything that they do. 132 Thy Lord is All-sufficient, Merciful. If He will, He can put you away, and leave after you, to succeed you, what He will, as He produced you from the seed of another people. 133 Verily that which ye are promised is sure to arrive, and ye cannot escape. 134 Say, "O my people, work according to your position; [for] indeed, I am working. And you are going to know who will have succession in the home. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed. 135 And among the crops and animals that Allah has created, they assigned (only) a portion to Him and therefore said “This is for Allah” – in their opinion – “and this is for our partners (false deities)”; so the portion for their partners does not reach Allah; and the portion for Allah reaches their partners; what an evil judgement they impose! 136 And, likewise, the beings supposed to have a share in Allah's divinity have made the slaying of their offspring seem lawful to many of those who associate others with Allah in His divinity so that they may ruin them and confound them regarding their faith. If Allah had so willed, they would not have done that. Leave them alone to persist in their fabrication. 137 And they said, “These cattle and crops are forbidden; only those whom we wish can eat them” – in their opinion – and some cattle are those which they have forbidden riding upon, and some cattle over which they do not mention the name of Allah while slaughtering – all this is fabricating lies against Allah; He will soon repay them for their fabrications. 138 They also say: 'What is in the bellies (wombs) of these cattle is reserved for our males but not for our wives' But if it is stillborn, they all partake of it. He will recompense them for their describing. He is Wise, Knowing. 139 Indeed ruined are those who slay their children out of senseless ignorance and forbid the sustenance which Allah has bestowed upon them, in order to fabricate lies against Allah; they have undoubtedly gone astray and not attained the path. 140