Page 62 - Communication and Argument in the Qur'an

60 COMMUNICATION AND ARGUMENT IN THE QUR’AN

that their civilization is not permanent and enduring, for
everything exists by Allah’s will and will disappear in a
moment, like an image in a dream, if He so wills. They must
know that all life is a manifestation of Allah, as the “Life
Giver,” that He created in a weak and transient nature.
The story of former societies destroyed by Allah may be
told in order to erase these mistaken beliefs. Many mighty
peoples and magnificent civilizations have been totally
destroyed because they did not obey Allah’s commands:

Have they not seen how many generations We
destroyed before them whom We had established on
Earth far more firmly than We have established you?
We sent down heaven upon them in abundant rain and
made rivers flow under them. But We destroyed them
for their wrong actions and raised up further genera-
tions after them. (Surat al-An‘am: 6)
Allah destroyed societies that rejected the religion and
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mistreated His prophets and messengers: “They denied
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h him, and the punishment of the Day of Shadow came
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d destroyed a city without giving it prior warning as a remind- -
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e er. We were never unjust.” (Surat ash-Shu‘ara’: 208-209).
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”
When hearers learn about these destroyed civilizations
and see their ruins, and when they are told that Allah could
destroy their society any time He willed, the supports they
trusted upon other than Allah will be largely undermined.
They get the sense that their powerful civilizations and
technologies are, in fact, nothing, that people are servants