40 Preface أَلَم تَعلَم أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلكُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ يُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَغفِرُ لِمَن يَشاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَيءٍ قَديرٌYusuf AliKnowest thou not1 that to God (alone) belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punisheth whom He pleaseth, and He forgiveth whom He pleaseth: and God hath power over all things.Punishment really does not belong to mortals, but to God alone. Only, in order to keep civil society together, and protect innocent people from crime, certain principles are laid down on which people can build up their criminal law. But we must always remember that God not only punishes but forgives, and forgiveness is the attribute which is more prominently placed before us. It is not our wisdom that can really define the bounds of forgiveness or punishment, but His Will or Plan, which is the true standard of righteousness and justice.