41 Preface ظَهَرَ الفَسادُ فِي البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ بِما كَسَبَت أَيدِي النّاسِ لِيُذيقَهُم بَعضَ الَّذي عَمِلوا لَعَلَّهُم يَرجِعونَYusuf AliMischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the meed) that the hands of men have earned1 that (God) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they2 may turn back (from Evil).God’s Creation was pure and good in itself. All the mischief or corruption was introduced by Evil, viz., arrogance, selfishness, etc. See n. 3541 to 30:30 above. As soon as the mischief has come in, God’s mercy and goodness step in to stop it. The consequences of Evil must be evil, and this should be shown in such partial punishment as “the hands of men have earned,” so that it may be a warning for the future and an invitation to enter the door of repentance (see also n. 5360).The ultimate object of God’s justice and punishment is to reclaim man from Evil, and to restore him to the pristine purity and innocence in which he was created. The Evil introduced by his possession of a limited free will should be eliminated by the education and purification of man’s own will. For, with his will and motives purified, he is capable of much greater heights than a creature not endowed with any free will (Cf. 2:6 and 32:13).