How many a town (community), that were wrong-doers, have We destroyed, and raised up after them another people! 11 And when they tasted Our punishment, they immediately started fleeing from it. 12 "Do not flee; go back to your halls of pleasure and your habitations, so that you may be interrogated." 13 They said: "Ah! woe to us! We were indeed wrong-doers!" 14 And that cry of theirs did not cease until We caused them to become [like] a field mown down, still and silent as ashes. 15 Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between! 16 Had We wanted to play games, We could have certainly done so with things at hand. 17 Nay, We hurl the Truth at falsehood so that the Truth crushes falsehood, and lo! it vanishes. Woe to you for what you utter! 18 for, unto Him belong all [beings] that are in the heavens and on earth; and those that are with Him are never too proud to worship Him and never grow weary [thereof]: 19 glorifying Him by night and in the daytime and never failing. 20 Have they taken earthly gods who are such that they raise up the dead to life? 21 Had there been gods apart from God, both (the heavens and the earth) would have been despoiled. Much too glorious is God, the Lord of the mighty throne, for things they assert! 22 He cannot be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned. 23 and yet, they choose to worship [imaginary] deities instead of Him! Say [O Prophet]: "Produce an evidence for what you are claiming: this is a reminder [unceasingly voiced] by those who are with me, just as it was a reminder [voiced] by those who came before me." But nay, most of them do not know the truth, and so they stubbornly turn away [from it] 24 And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me." 25 And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son. Be He Glorified! Nay, but (those whom they call sons) are honoured slaves; 26 who do not surpass Him in speech, and do as He commands. 27 He knows what is before them, and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased. And they stand in awe for fear of Him. 28 ۞ If any of them says, 'I am a god apart from Him', such a one We recompense with Gehenna; even so We recompense the evildoers. 29