—and likewise their nations—by learning the accounts of the earlier prophets and the peoples who followed them. One can still behold the traces left by both groups, as the Exalted says:

“Have they not traveled through the land so that they might have hearts with which to reason, or ears with which to hear? It is not the eyes that grow blind, but rather the hearts within the breasts.” ⦗al-Ḥajj 46⦘

He, exalted is He, also says:

“Have they not journeyed through the earth and observed how those before them ended? The abode of the Hereafter is better for those who are mindful of Allah—will you not then use reason? When the messengers despaired and thought they had been denied, Our help came to them. We save whom We will, and Our might cannot be repelled from the guilty. In their stories there is surely a lesson for people of insight. This is no invented tale; it is a confirmation of what came before it, a detailed exposition of all things, and guidance and mercy for people who believe.” ⦗Yūsuf 109–111⦘

And when He mentioned Pharaoh’s household, the Exalted said:

“We caused a curse to follow them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be among the despised.” ⦗al-Qaṣaṣ 42⦘

Likewise, the Exalted said concerning ʿĀd—