O People of the Scripture, there has verily come to you Our Messenger, Muhammad (s), making clear to you, the laws of religion, after an interval between the messengers, for there was no messenger between him and Jesus, an interval of 569 years; lest you should say, if you are punished: ‘There has not come to us any bearer of good tidings (min bashīr, the min is extra) nor any warner’. Indeed, there has come to you a bearer of good tidings and a warner, and so you shall have no excuse. God has power over all things, including punishing you for not following him [the Messenger].