But who is worse than he who when told of the signs of his Lord turneth him away and forgetteth what in time past his hands have wrought? Truly we have thrown veils over their hearts lest they should understand this Koran, and into their ears a heaviness:
And if thou bid them to "the guidance" yet will they not even then be guided ever.
The gracious one, full of compassion, is thy Lord! if he would have chastised them for their demerits he would have hastened their chastisement. But they have a time fixed for the accomplishment of our menaces: and beside God they shall find no refuge.
And those cities did we destroy when they became impious; and of their coming destruction we gave them warning.
Remember when Moses said to his servant, "I will not stop till I reach the confluence of the two seas,15 or for years will I journey on."
But when they reached their confluence, they forgot their fish, and it took its way in the sea at will.
And when they had passed on, said Moses to his servant, "Bring us our morning meal; for now have we incurred weariness from this journey."
He said, "What thinkest thou? When we repaired to the rock for rest I forgot the fish; and none but Satan made me forget it, so as not to mention it; and it hath taken its way in the sea in a wondrous sort."
He said, "It is this we were in quest of."16 And they both went back retracing their footsteps.
Then found they one of our servants to whom we had vouchsafed our mercy, and whom we had instructed with our knowledge.