And the people were nothing but one nation, upright, agreeing upon one religion without differing among themselves. This was during the time of Adam until Cain killed Abel. It is said: after the flood, when Allah did not leave any of the disbelievers a dwelling. And if it were not for a word that had preceded from your Lord, which is the postponement of the judgment between them until the Day of Resurrection, it would have been decided between them quickly regarding what they differed in, and the truthful would have been distinguished from the false. And His word of postponement was due to a wisdom that necessitated that this abode be a place of obligation, and that other be a place of reward and punishment. They said: 'If only a sign had been sent down to him from his Lord.' They wanted a sign from the signs they proposed, and they did not regard what had been sent down to him from the great signs that had not been sent down to any of the prophets like it. And it is enough that the Qur'an alone is a lasting sign throughout time, unique among the signs, and subtle in its pathways among the miracles. They made its descent like no descent at all, as if no sign had ever been sent down to him, until they said: 'If only one sign had been sent down to him from his Lord.' This was due to their extreme stubbornness and their persistence in rebellion and their immersion in error. So say: 'Indeed, the unseen is for Allah,' meaning He is the One who possesses the knowledge of the unseen, which no one knows except Him. This means that the reason for withholding the proposed signs is a matter that is hidden, known only to Him. So wait for the descent of what you have proposed. Indeed, I am with you among those who are waiting for what Allah will do with you for your stubbornness and denial of the signs.