113 Preface ما كانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذينَ آمَنوا أَن يَستَغفِروا لِلمُشرِكينَ وَلَو كانوا أُولي قُربىٰ مِن بَعدِ ما تَبَيَّنَ لَهُم أَنَّهُم أَصحابُ الجَحيمِYusuf AliIt is not fitting, for the Prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for forgiveness for Pagans, even though they be of kin, after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.1This is usually understood to refer to the prayer for the dead, (1) if they died unrepentant after Islam was preached to them, (2) if they actively resisted or opposed the Faith to the last, and (3) if the person praying knows that on account of deliberate contumacy the deceased may be said to have had the doors of mercy dosed to him. How is he to know? The knowledge must come from special commands as declared by the Holy Prophet in his lifetime regarding individuals. Where no light is available from this source we must follow the best judgment we can.