“But if they deny you, then say: ‘Your Lord is Possessor of vast mercy, yet His punishment cannot be averted from the guilty people.’” (147)

“Those who associate others with Allah will say, ‘Had Allah willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated others with Him, nor would we have forbidden anything.’ Thus did those before them deny, until they tasted Our punishment. Say, ‘Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow nothing but conjecture, and you do nothing but guess.’” (148)

“But if they deny you, then say: ‘Your Lord is Possessor of vast mercy,’” in delaying the punishment from you, “yet His punishment cannot be averted”