Your Lord knows best about all those in the heavens and the earth, and We have certainly granted excellence to some prophets over some others, and We gave Dawūd the Zabūr (the Psalms).

Say, “Call those whom you assume (to be gods), besides Him, while they have no power to remove distress from you, nor to change it.”

Those whom they invoke, do themselves seek the means of access to their Lord as to which of them becomes the closest, and they hope for His Mercy and fear His punishment. The punishment of your Lord is really something to be feared.

There is no town but We are to destroy it before the Doomsday, or punish it with severe punishment. That is what stands written in the Book.

Nothing made us refrain from sending the signs (demanded by the pagans,) except that the earlier people had rejected them. (For example,) We gave Thamūd the she-camel, as an eye-opener, then they did wrong to her, and We do not send signs but as a warning.

(Remember) when We said to you that your Lord encompasses all humans. And We did not make the vision We showed to you, but a test for the people - and the tree cursed in the Qur’ān as well. And We warn them, yet it adds nothing to them but enormous rebellion.

(Remember) when We said to the angels, “Prostrate yourself before ’Ādam.” So, they all prostrated, except Iblīs (Satan). He said, “Shall I prostrate before the one You have created from mud?”

He (Iblīs) added, “Tell me, this one whom You have honored more than me, if You give me respite till the Doomsday, I will subdue his progeny, except a few of them.”

He (Allah) said, “Go then, for whoever of them follows you, the Hell shall be the recompense of you all, a full recompense.