33 Preface وَلَولا أَن يَكونَ النّاسُ أُمَّةً واحِدَةً لَجَعَلنا لِمَن يَكفُرُ بِالرَّحمٰنِ لِبُيوتِهِم سُقُفًا مِن فِضَّةٍ وَمَعارِجَ عَلَيها يَظهَرونَYusuf AliAnd were it not that1 (all) men might become of one (evil) way of life, We would provide, for everyone that blasphemes against (God) Most Gracious, silver roofs for their houses and (silver) stair-ways on which to go up,So little value is attached in the spiritual world to silver or gold, or worldly ranks or adornments, that they would freely be at the disposal of everyone who denied or blasphemed God, were it not that in that case there would be too great temptation placed in the way of men, for they might all scramble to sell their spiritual life for wealth! They might have silver roofs and stairways, silver doors and thrones, and all kinds of adornments of gold. But God does not allow too great a temptation to be placed in the path of men. He distributes these things differently, some to unjust men, and some to just men, in various degrees, so that the possession of these is no test either of an unjust or a just life. His wisdom searches out motives far more subtle and delicate than any we are even aware of.