101 Preface تِلكَ القُرىٰ نَقُصُّ عَلَيكَ مِن أَنبائِها ۚ وَلَقَد جاءَتهُم رُسُلُهُم بِالبَيِّناتِ فَما كانوا لِيُؤمِنوا بِما كَذَّبوا مِن قَبلُ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يَطبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلىٰ قُلوبِ الكافِرينَYusuf AliSuch were the towns whose story We (thus) relate unto thee: There came indeed to them their messengers with clear (signs): But they would not believe what they had rejected before.1 Thus doth God seal up the hearts of those who reject faith.Those who have heard the Message and rejected it find it more difficult afterwards to retrace their steps. Evil has blocked the channels of God’s grace to them. It begins with their breaking their Covenant with God; with each step afterwards they fall deeper and deeper into the mire (Cf. 41:5).