7 Preface خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلىٰ قُلوبِهِم وَعَلىٰ سَمعِهِم ۖ وَعَلىٰ أَبصارِهِم غِشاوَةٌ ۖ وَلَهُم عَذابٌ عَظيمٌYusuf AliGod hath set a seal1 on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur)2.All actions are referred to God. Therefore when we get the penalty of our deliberate sin, and our senses become impervious to good, the penalty is referred to the justice of God (Cf. n. 1460, n. 2146, and n. 3577).The penalty here is the opposite of the prosperity referred to in 2:5. As we go down the path of sin, our penalty gathers momentum, just as goodness brings its own capacity for greater goodness.