۞ Had God been as hasty to punish people as they were hasty to achieve good, their life would have already ended. We will leave those who have no hope of receiving Our mercy, in the life hereafter, to continue blindly in their transgression. 11 And when some hardship reaches man he prays to Us, while reclining and sitting and standing; and when We remove his hardship, he goes away as if he had never prayed to Us because of any hardship; this is how the deeds of the transgressors are made seeming good to them. 12 We destroyed generations before you when they did evil. (When) their Messengers came to them with clear verses they would not believe; so We recompense the sinning nation. 13 Then We made you follow after them, generations after generations in the land, that We might see how you would work! 14 And when Our signs are recited to them, clear signs, those who look not to encounter Us say, 'Bring a Koran other than this, or alter it.' Say: 'It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I follow nothing, except what is revealed to me. Truly I fear, if I should rebel against my Lord, the chastisement of a dreadful day.' 15 Say: "If Allah had so willed, I should not have rehearsed it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. A whole life-time before this have I tarried amongst you: will ye not then understand?" 16 And who does greater evil than he who forges against God a lie, or cries lies to His signs? Surely the sinners do not prosper. 17 They worship, other than Allah, that which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say: 'These are our intercessors with Allah' Say: 'Will you tell Allah of something He does not know about either in the heavens or earth? Exaltations to Him! Exalted be He above what they associate' 18 Once all men were but a single community; then they disagreed (and formulated different beliefs and rites). Had it not been that your Lord had already so ordained, a decisive judgement would have been made regarding their disagreements. 19 They say: 'Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord' Say: 'The Unseen belongs to Allah alone. Wait if you will I am one of those who wait' 20