17 Preface ما كانَ لِلمُشرِكينَ أَن يَعمُروا مَساجِدَ اللَّهِ شاهِدينَ عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم بِالكُفرِ ۚ أُولٰئِكَ حَبِطَت أَعمالُهُم وَفِي النّارِ هُم خالِدونَYusuf AliIt is not for such as join gods with God, to visit or maintain1 the mosques of God while they witness against their own souls to infidelity. The works of such bear no fruit: In Fire shall they dwell.'Amara as applied to mosques implies the following ideas: (1) to build or repair; (2) to maintain in fitting dignity; (3) to visit for purposes of devotion; and (4) fill with light and life and activity. For brevity I have only used the two words “visit and maintain” in the translation. Before the preaching of Islam the Pagans built, repaired, and maintained the Mosque, and celebrated Pagan ceremonies in it, including naked circumambulation round the Ka‘ba. They made an income out of it. Islam protested, and the Pagans ejected Muslims and their Leader from Mecca, and shut them out from the Ka‘ba itself. When the Muslims were strong enough to retake Mecca (A. H. 8), they purified the Mosque and reestablished the worship of the true God. The families who previously held control could not after this be allowed in a state of Paganism to control the Mosque any longer. If they became Muslims, it was a different matter. The further question arose: should they be allowed to visit it and practise their unseemly Pagan rites? Obviously this would be derogatory to the dignity and honour of the Mosque, and was forbidden. This was the particular occasion to which the verse refers. The general deduction is clear. A house of God is a place of sincere devotion, not a theatre for vulgar rites nor a source of worldly income. Only sincere Believers have a right of entry. Who the sincere Believers are, is explained in the next verse.