178 Preface وَلا يَحسَبَنَّ الَّذينَ كَفَروا أَنَّما نُملي لَهُم خَيرٌ لِأَنفُسِهِم ۚ إِنَّما نُملي لَهُم لِيَزدادوا إِثمًا ۚ وَلَهُم عَذابٌ مُهينٌYusuf AliLet not the Unbelievers think that our respite to them is good for themselves: We grant them respite that they may grow1 in their iniquity: But they will have a shameful punishment.That the cup of their iniquity may be full. The appetite for sin grows with what it feeds on. The natural result is that the sinner sinks deeper into sin. If there is any freedom of will, this naturally follows, though God’s Grace is always ready for the repentant. If the Grace is rejected, the increase of iniquity makes the nature of iniquity plainer to those who might otherwise be attracted by its glitter. The working of God’s Law is therefore both just and merciful. See also the next verse and 9:55.