100 Preface أَوَلَم يَهدِ لِلَّذينَ يَرِثونَ الأَرضَ مِن بَعدِ أَهلِها أَن لَو نَشاءُ أَصَبناهُم بِذُنوبِهِم ۚ وَنَطبَعُ عَلىٰ قُلوبِهِم فَهُم لا يَسمَعونَYusuf AliTo those who inherit the earth in succession to its (previous) possessors, is it not a guiding, (lesson) that, if We so willed, We could punish them (too) for their sins, and seal up their hearts so that they could not hear?1The stories which have been related should give a warning to present and future generations which have inherited the land, the power, or the experience of the past. They should know that if they fall into the same sins they will meet with the same fate: when through their contumacy their hearts are hardened, they do not listen to the advice that falls on their ears (Cf. 2:7 and 40:35).