And this is a Book We have sent down, blest, follow it then and fear God, haply ye may be shewn mercy. 155 Lest you (pagan Arabs) should say: "The Book was only sent down to two sects before us (the Jews and the Christians), and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied." 156 Nor may you claim that: 'Had the Book been revealed to us, we would have been better guided than they.' Surely clear evidence has come to you from your Lord, which is both a guidance and a mercy. Who, then, is more unjust than he who gave the lie to the signs of Allah and turned away from them? And We shall soon requite those who turn away from Our signs with a severe chastisement for having turned away. 157 Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them, or thy Lord (Himself), or certain of the signs of thy Lord! the day that certain of the signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith. Say: "Wait ye: we too are waiting." 158 You have nothing to do with those who have made divisions in their religion and become sects. Their affair is with Allah and He will inform them of what they have done. 159 Whoever shall come [before God] with a good deed will gain ten times the like thereof; but whoever shall come with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof; and none shall be wronged. 160 (Muhammad), tell them, "My Lord has guided me to the right path, a well established religion and the upright tradition of Abraham who was not a pagan". 161 Tell them: "My service and sacrifice, my life and my death, are all of them for God, the creator and Lord of all the worlds. 162 He has no partner, with that I am commanded, and I am the first of the submitters (Muslims)' 163 Say: 'Shall I seek after a Lord other than God, who is the Lord of all things?' Every soul earns only to its own account, no soul laden bears the load of another. Then to your Lord shall you return, and He will tell you of that whereon you were at variance. 164 It is He who has made you successors [of others] on the earth and has exalted some of you over the others in degrees of rank, so that He may test you by that which He has given you. Your Lord is swift in punishment; yet surely He is forgiving, and merciful. 165