28 Preface الَّذينَ تَتَوَفّاهُمُ المَلائِكَةُ ظالِمي أَنفُسِهِم ۖ فَأَلقَوُا السَّلَمَ ما كُنّا نَعمَلُ مِن سوءٍ ۚ بَلىٰ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَليمٌ بِما كُنتُم تَعمَلونَYusuf Ali“(Namely) those whose lives the angels take in a state of wrong-doing to their own souls.”1 Then would they offer submission (with the pretence), “We did2 no evil (knowingly).” (The angels will reply), “Nay, but verily God knoweth all that ye did;That is, those who died in a state of kufr, or rebellion against God, which was really wrongdoing against their own souls.The excuse is a mere pretence. At first they were too dazed to reply. When they reply, they cannot deny the facts, but resort to the sinner’s excuse of saying that they sinned through ignorance, and that their motives were not wrong. Such a plea raises a question of hidden thoughts which are difficult to appraise before a human tribunal. But here they are before their Divine Author, Who knows every secret of their souls, and before Whom no false plea can be of any value. So they are concerned.