O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous - 21 who has made the earth a resting-place for you and the sky a canopy, and has sent down water from the sky and thereby brought forth fruits for your sustenance: do not, then, claim that there is any power that could rival God, when you know [that He is One]. 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 But if ye cannot- and of a surety ye cannot- then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones,- which is prepared for those who reject Faith. 24 (Muhammad), tell the righteously striving believers of the happy news, that for them there are gardens wherein streams flow. Whenever they get any fruit from the gardens as food, they will say, "This is just what we had before (we came here). These fruits are produced very much like them (those we had before)." They will have purified spouses and it is they who will live forever. 25 ۞ God is not loath to advance the similitude of a gnat or a being more contemptible; and those who believe know whatever is from the Lord is true. But those who disbelieve say: "What does God mean by this parable?" He causes some to err this way, and some He guides; yet He turns away none but those who transgress, 26 who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature,] and cut asunder what God has bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on earth: these it is that shall be the losers. 27 How can you refuse to acknowledge God, seeing that you were lifeless and He gave you life, and that He will cause you to die and then will bring you again to life, whereupon unto Him you will be brought back? 28 He it is who created for you all that is on the earth, thereafter He turned to the heaven, and formed them seven heavens. And He is of everything the Knower. 29