(21–22) “Have they not traveled through the land and observed how those before them met their end? They were mightier than them in strength and left greater traces upon the land. Yet Allah seized them for their sins, and they had no protector against Allah. * That was because their messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they disbelieved, so Allah seized them. Indeed, He is All-Powerful, severe in punishment.”

The Exalted says, “Have they not traveled through the land”—with both their hearts and their bodies, on a journey of observation and reflection, contemplating the traces left behind—“and observed how those before them met their end?” That is, those who denied the truth. They will find it to have been the worst of ends: annihilation, devastation, humiliation, and disgrace. They were mightier than these people “in strength”—in numbers, equipment, and physical size—and left “greater traces upon the land” ⦗736⦘ in the form of buildings and plantations. The magnitude of such works indicates the strength of those who produced them and how well fortified they were by them. Yet “Allah seized them” with His punishment for their sins when they obstinately persisted in them.

“Indeed, He is All-Powerful, severe in punishment.” Their strength availed them nothing against the power of Allah. Indeed, among the mightiest of nations were the people of Ād, who said, “Who is mightier than us in strength?” Allah sent against them a wind that sapped their strength and utterly destroyed them.

He then mentioned an example of the circumstances of those who denied the messengers—Pharaoh and his troops—and said: