12 Preface يَدعو مِن دونِ اللَّهِ ما لا يَضُرُّهُ وَما لا يَنفَعُهُ ۚ ذٰلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلالُ البَعيدُYusuf AliThey call on such deities,1 besides God, as can neither hurt nor profit them: that is straying far indeed (from the Way)! To such minds religion does not mean high endeavour, self-sacrifice for noble ends, the recognition of God’s infinite world, but just a small concession to formalism, perhaps a present to an idol (literal or figurative), perhaps attendance at worship if it can be done without trouble! It is false gods they worship, and the more they worship, the more they stray.