Transliteration:( Wa laqad ahlaknal quroona min qablikum lammaa zalamoo wa jaaa'at hum Rusuluhum bil baiyinaati wa maa kaanoo liyu'minoo; kazaalika najzil qawmal mujrimeen )
"Indeed, We destroyed the generations before you when they [40] wronged, and their messengers came to them with clear signs [41]. But they would not believe. Thus, We recompense the people who are criminals."
This verse implies that no matter how sinful a believer may be, they still remain within the limits of their faith. On the other hand, a disbeliever, even in the case of a minor sin, exceeds the boundaries of obedience to Allah. To accept faith is to remain within the limits of obedience to Allah, while rejecting faith is to exceed these limits, committing a major wrong by rejecting divine guidance.
The bright evidence refers to the miracles that the previous Prophets were granted, which were suited to the prevailing knowledge and practices of their times. For example, during the time of Hazrat Isa (AS), medicine was prominent, and his miracles included raising the dead, curing the blind, and healing lepers, reflecting the medical knowledge of that period. Similarly, in the time of Hazrat Musa (AS), magic was widespread, and his miracles, such as the staff turning into a snake and his brightened hand, directly challenged the powers of sorcery and magic prevalent at the time. These signs were clear demonstrations of divine power, but despite them, the people still rejected faith.
13. And indeed, We destroyed generations before you when they did wrong, while their Messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they were not such as to believe! Thus do We requite the people who are criminals. 14. Then We made you successors after them, generations after generations in the land, that We might see how you would work.
Allah tells us about what happened to past generations when they belied the Messengers and the clear signs and proofs the latter brought to them. Allah then made this nation successors after them. He sent to them a Messenger to test their obedience to Him and following His Messenger. Muslim recorded that Abu Nadrah reported from Abu Sa`id that he said: “Allah’s Messenger said:
(The world is indeed sweet and green; and verily Allah is going to install you generations after generations in it in order to see how you act. So safeguard yourselves against the world and avoid (the trial caused by) women. For the first trial of the Children of Israel was due to women..) Ibn Jarir reported from `Abdur-Rahman from Ibn Abi Layla that `Awf bin Malik said to Abu Bakr: “In a dream, I saw a rope hanging from the sky and Allah’s Messenger was being raised. The rope was suspended again and Abu Bakr was raised. Then people were given different measurements around the Minbar, and `Umar was favored with three forearm measurements.” `Umar said: “Keep your dream away from us, we have no need for it.” When `Umar succeeded, he called for `Awf and said to him, “Tell me about your dream” `Awf said: “Do you need to hear about my dream now Did you not scold me before” He then said, “Woe unto you! I hated for you to announce it to the successor of Allah’s Messenger himself.” So `Awf related his dream until he got to the three forearms, he said: “One that he was Khalifah, second he did not — for the sake of Allah — fear the blame of blamers, and third he was a martyr.” Allah said:
(Then We made you successors after them, generations after generations in the land, that We might see how you would work.)(10:14) Then he said: “Son of the mother of `Umar, you have been appointed as Khalifah, so look at what you will do! About not fearing the blame of blamers, that is Allah’s will. About becoming a martyr, how can `Umar reach that when the Muslims are in support of him”
(10:13) Surely We destroyed the nations (which had risen to heights of glory in their times) before you[16] when they indulged in wrong-doing[17] and refused to believe even when their Messengers brought clear signs to them. Thus do We recompense the people who are guilty.
16. The Arabic word qarn is commonly used for the people living during the same period. But from the way the Quran has used this word on different occasions, it is evident that by qarn is, meant the community which had been invested with power and authority and appointed wholly or partially to the position of leadership of the world. One way in which such a community is destroyed is that it is totally exterminated but there are other forms of its destruction also.
17. Here the word zulm has not been used in its commonly known limited sense, but it covers all sorts of sins that are committed, when people transgress the boundaries of Allah’s slavery. Refer to (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 35) note 49.
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