31 Preface وَلِلَّهِ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَما فِي الأَرضِ لِيَجزِيَ الَّذينَ أَساءوا بِما عَمِلوا وَيَجزِيَ الَّذينَ أَحسَنوا بِالحُسنَىYusuf AliYea, to God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: so that He rewards those who do1 evil, according to their deeds, and He rewards those who do good, with what is best.All deeds have their consequences, good or ill. But this is not an iron law, as the Determinists in philosophy, or the preachers of bare Karma, would have us believe. God does not sit apart. He governs the world. And Mercy as well as Justice are His attributes. In His Justice every deed or word or thought of evil has its consequence for the doer or speaker or thinker. But there is always in this life room for repentance and amendment. As soon as this is forthcoming, God’s Mercy comes into action. It can blot out our evil, and the “reward” which it gives is nearly always greater than our merits.