8 Preface عَسىٰ رَبُّكُم أَن يَرحَمَكُم ۚ وَإِن عُدتُم عُدنا ۘ وَجَعَلنا جَهَنَّمَ لِلكافِرينَ حَصيرًاYusuf AliIt may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercy1 unto you; but if ye revert (to your sins), We shall revert (to Our punishments): And we have made Hell a prison for those who reject Faith.2Now we come to the time of our Holy Prophet. In spite of all the past, the Jews could still have obtained God’s forgiveness if they had not obstinately rejected the greatest of the Prophets also. If they were to continue in their sins, God’s punishment would also continue to visit them.There is such a thing as disgrace in this life, but the final disgrace is in the Hereafter, and that will be irretrievable. Notice that the allegorical reference to Jewish history, when brought into relation with the true meaning of Mi'raj, refers to the constant struggle of the individual soul against evil. It has its setbacks and its punishments. But if it is true to itself and is true to the Faith in God, God will give it strength and make it successful in its fight against evil. For God’s Mercy is unbounded and comes to suffering humanity again and again. (R).