And the Exalted One said:

“To the people of Noah—when they rejected the messengers, We drowned them, made them a sign for humankind, and have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful punishment.” ⦗Al-Furqan 37⦘ (37)

“Likewise ʿAd and Thamud, the people of ar-Rass, and many other generations in between.” ⦗Al-Furqan 38⦘ (38)

“For each of them We set forth examples, and each of them We destroyed utterly.” ⦗Al-Furqan 39⦘

Thus He—glorified be He—declares that He set forth illustrative examples for every one of those peoples to whom He had sent messengers and whom He then destroyed, and that He did not punish them until He had established the proof against them.

And He, exalted be He, said:

“We sent none before you except men to whom We revealed; so ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know,” ⦗An-Nahl 43⦘ (43)

“with clear proofs and the Scriptures. And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may clarify to the people what has been revealed to them, and so that they may reflect.” ⦗An-Nahl 44⦘

He therefore makes it plain that He sent only men to whom revelation was given; He did not send angels or women. He sent them with clear proofs and with the zubur—the plural of zabūr, meaning the revealed books—for among them were those upon whom