73 Preface وَإِن كادوا لَيَفتِنونَكَ عَنِ الَّذي أَوحَينا إِلَيكَ لِتَفتَرِيَ عَلَينا غَيرَهُ ۖ وَإِذًا لَاتَّخَذوكَ خَليلًاYusuf AliAnd their purpose was to tempt thee away from that which We had revealed unto thee, to substitute in our name something quite different;1 (in that case), behold! they would certainly have made thee (their) friend! It happens with men of God, and it happened with the Prophet, that they are tempted by the world with many things which appeal to the world generally, if they would make some small concession in their favour. The “small concession” may hold the key of the position, and neutralise the whole teaching sent by God. If the Prophet had accepted wealth and position among the Quraish and “only respected” their idols! The Quraish would have taken him into their inner circle! A dishonest liar like Musaylama would have jumped at the opportunity and been hailed as a friend and associate and made much of. But Prophets of God are made of sterner stuff. They are given special strength to resist all plausible deception. (R).