Suppose that ye treat me as a liar! nations before you have treated God's messenger as a liar; but open preaching is his only duty. See they not how God bringeth forth creation? and then causeth it to return again? This truly is easy for God. SAY,3 Go through the earth, and see how he hath brought forth created beings. Hereafter, with a second birth will God cause them to be born again; for God is Almighty. Whom He pleaseth will He chastise, and on whom He pleaseth will He have mercy, and to Him shall ye be taken back. And ye shall not invalidate his power either in the Earth or in the Heaven:4 and, save God, ye shall have neither patron nor helper. As for those who believe not in the signs of God, or that they shall ever meet him, these of my mercy shall despair, and these doth a grievous chastisement await." And the only answer of his people was to say, "Slay him or burn him." But from the fire did God save him! Verily, herein are signs to those who believe. And Abraham said, "Of a truth ye have taken idols along with God as your bond of union5 in this life present; But on the day of resurrection some of you shall deny the others, and some of you shall curse the others; and your abode shall be the fire, and ye shall have none to help." But Lot believed on him,6 and said, "I betake me to my Lord, for He truly is the Mighty, the Wise." And we bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob,7 and placed the gift of prophecy and the Scripture among his posterity; And we gave him his reward in this world, and in the next he shall be among the just. We sent also Lot: when he said to his people, "Proceed ye to a filthiness in which no people in the world hath ever gone before you? Proceed ye even to men? attack ye them on the highway? and proceed ye to the crime in your assemblies?" But the only answer of his people was to say, "Bring God's chastisement upon us, if thou art a man of truth." He cried: My Lord! help me against this polluted people. And when our messengers came to Abraham with the tidings of a son, they said, "Of a truth we will destroy the in-dwellers in this city, for its in-dwellers are evil doers." He said, "Lot is therein." They said, "We know full well who therein is. Him and his family will we save, except his wife; she will be of those who linger. And when our messengers came to Lot, he was troubled for them, and his arm was too weak8 to protect them; and they said, "Fear not, and distress not thyself, for thee and thy family will we save, except thy wife; she will be of those who linger.9 We will surely bring down upon the dwellers in this city vengeance from Heaven for the excesses they have committed." And in what we have left of it is a clear sign to men of understanding. And to Madian we sent their brother Shoaib. And he said, "Oh! my people! worship God, and expect the latter day, and enact not in the land deeds of harmful excess."