قوله عز وجل : ( ولقد أهلكنا القرون من قبلكم لما ظلموا ) أشركوا ، ( وجاءتهم رسلهم بالبينات وما كانوا ليؤمنوا كذلك ) أي : كما أهلكناهم بكفرهم ، ( نجزي ) نعاقب ونهلك ، ( القوم المجرمين ) الكافرين بتكذيبهم محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم ، يخوف كفار مكة بعذاب الأمم الخالية المكذبة .
And indeed I destroyed communities before you, because they rejected the messengers of Allah and fell to sin. Though their messengers came to them with clear proofs showing the truth of what they brought from their Lord, they were not keen to believe and so Allah abandoned them. Just as Allah repaid those previous, disobedient communities, He repays those who are like them in every time and place.