Anyone whose heart God has opened up to Islam possesses a light from his Lord. But woe betide those whose hearts have been hardened against the rememberance of God! Such people are in obvious error. 22 Allah has revealed the best teaching, a self-consistent Book which repeats its contents in manifold forms whereat shiver the skins of those that hold their Lord in awe, and then their skins and their hearts soften for Allah's remembrance. That is Allah's Guidance wherewith He guides whosoever He pleases. And he whom Allah does not guide to the Right Path has none to guide him. 23 Could, then, one who shall have nothing but is [bare] face to protect him from the awful suffering [that will befall him] on Resurrection Day [be likened to the God-conscious]? [On that Day,] the evildoers will be told: "Taste [now] what you have earned [in life]!" 24 Those before them also denied the truth, and the punishment fell on them from where they did not expect. 25 Allah let them taste degradation in this present life, but the punishment of the Everlasting Life shall be greater if they but knew. 26 And assuredly We have propounded for mankind in this Qur'an all kinds of similitudes, that haply they may be admonished. 27 A Lecture in Arabic, containing no crookedness, that haply they may ward off (evil). 28 Allah propounds a parable: there is a man whose ownership is shared by several quarrelsome masters, each pulling him to himself; and there is another who is exclusively owned by one man. Can the two be alike? All praise and thanks be to Allah. But most of them are unaware. 29 Yet, verily, thou art bound to die, [O Muhammad,] and verily, they, too, are bound to die: 30 Then indeed you, on the Day of Resurrection, before your Lord, will dispute. 31