Page 149 - Perished Nations

Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those
before them? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the soil
and populated it in greater numbers than these have done: there came
to them their messengers with Clear (Signs). (Which they rejected, to
their own destruction): It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they
wronged their own souls. (Surat ar-Rum: 9)

ll the peoples we have reviewed until now, have had some quali-
ties in common such as: transgressing against Allah, associating
A partners with Him, behaving arrogantly in the land, wrongfully de-
vouring other’s property, tending to sexual perversion, and insolence.
Another common feature they had was their oppression and iniquity to-
wards the Muslims in their vicinity. They tried in every way to intimidate
the Muslims.
The purpose of the warnings of the Qur’an is surely not just to impart
history. The Qur’an states that the stories of the prophets are told only to
set an "example". Those nations who were earlier destroyed, should lead
those who come after them to the right way:
Is it not a warning to such men (to call to mind) how many generations be-
fore them We destroyed, in whose haunts they (now) move? Verily, in this
are Signs for men endued with understanding. (Surah Ta-Ha: 128)
If we consider all of these to be "examples", then we can see that many
parts of the world today and many present-day societies are no better, in
terms of degeneration and transgression, than the peoples who have pe-
rished and which are described in these stories.

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