When your Lord brought forth offspring from the loins of the Children of Adam and made them bear witness about themselves, He said, "Am I not your Lord?" They replied, "We bear witness that You are." This He did, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, "We had no knowledge of that." 172 Or say: 'Our forefathers before us who associated others with Allah in His divinity; we were merely their offspring who followed them. And would You destroy us for that which the unrighteous did?' 173 We explain Our signs in detail thus, so that perhaps they may return to Us. 174 And recite to them the narrative of him to whom We give Our communications, but he withdraws himself from them, so the Shaitan overtakes him, so he is of those who go astray. 175 Now had We so willed We could indeed have exalted him through those signs, but he clung to earthly life and followed his carnal desires. Thus his parable is that of the dog who lolls out his tongue whether you attack him or leave him alone. Such is the parable of those who reject Our signs as false. Narrate to them these parables that they may reflect. 176 How evil is the case of those who deny Our signs. They only wrong themselves: 177 He whom Allah guides, he alone is rightly guided; and he whom Allah lets go astray - it is they who are the loser.' 178 And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless. 179 All the names of God are beautiful, so call Him by them; and leave those alone who act profanely towards His names: They will be retributed for their deeds. 180 Now, among those whom We have created there are people who guide [others] in the way of the truth and act justly in its light. 181