135 Preface فَلَمّا كَشَفنا عَنهُمُ الرِّجزَ إِلىٰ أَجَلٍ هُم بالِغوهُ إِذا هُم يَنكُثونَYusuf AliBut every time We removed the penalty from them according to a fixed term which they had to fulfil,-1 Behold! they broke their word!The intercession of Moses was limited to prayer. Each plague or penalty had its appointed term in God’s decree. That term was duly fulfilled before the plague ceased. God’s law is firm: it does not vacillate like the human will. The intercession only meant two things: (1) that God’s name was invoked and His presence duly brought home to the mind and heart of the sinner who promised repentance, and (2) that the sinner was given a further chance if the prayer was accepted. This again is a universal truth.