(Before this,) We sent Moses The Book, and appointed his brother Aaron with him as minister; 35 Then We told them: "Go to the people who have rejected Our signs." Then We annihilated them completely. 36 And the people of Noah - when they denied the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them for mankind a sign. And We have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful punishment. 37 to 'Ad, and Thamud, and the people of al-Rass, and as We did for the many a generation between them. 38 And for each We presented examples [as warnings], and each We destroyed with [total] destruction. 39 They have surely passed by the village which was rained upon by evil rain (of stones); what, have they never seen it? No, they look for no resurrection. 40 And when they see you, [O Muhammad], they take you not except in ridicule, [saying], "Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a messenger? 41 He had almost led us astray from our gods, had we not remained firm in our faith with regard to them. " The time is not far when they will see the torment and realize who had strayed far from the truth. 42 Hast thou ever considered [the kind of man] who makes his own desires his deity? Couldst thou, then, [O Prophet,] be held responsible for him? 43 Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are no better than cattle; in fact they are farther astray from the path. 44