Has not the story reached them of those before them? – The people of Nuh,'Ad, Thamud, the people of Ibrahim, the dwellers of Madyan and the overturned cities; to them came their Messengers with clear proofs. So it was not Allah Who wronged them, but they used to wrong themselves (70)
Advising the Hypocrites to learn a Lesson from Those before Them
Allah advises the hypocrites who reject the Messengers,
أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ
(Has not the story reached them of those before them?), have you (hypocrites) not learned the end of the nations before you who rejected the Messengers,
قَوْمِ نُوحٍ
(The people of Nuh), and the flood that drowned the entire population of the earth, except those who believed in Allah's servant and Messenger Nuh, peace be upon him,
وَعَادٍ
(and 'Ad), who perished with the barren wind when they rejected Hud, peace be upon him,
وَثَمُودَ
(and Thamud), who were overtaken by the Sayhah (awful cry) when they denied Salih, peace be upon him, and killed the camel,
وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
(and the people of Ibrahim), over whom He gave Ibrahim victory and the aid of clear miracles. Allah destroyed their king Nimrod, son of Canaan, son of Koch from Canaan, may Allah curse him,
وَأَصْحَابِ مَدْيَنَ
(and the dwellers of Madyan), the people of Shu'ayb, peace be upon him, who were destroyed by the earthquake and the torment of the day of the Shade,
وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَاتِ
(and the overturned cities), the people of Lut who used to live in Madyan. Allah said in another Ayah,
وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَىٰ
(And He destroyed the overturned cities)[53:53], meaning the people of the overturned cities in reference to Sadum [Sodom], their major city. Allah destroyed them all because they rejected Allah's Prophet Lut, peace be upon him, and because they committed the sin that none before them had committed (homosexuality).
أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
(to them came their Messengers with clear proofs.), and unequivocal evidence,
فَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ
(So it was not Allah Who wronged them), when He destroyed them, for He established the proofs against them by sending the Messengers and dissipating the doubts,
وَلَٰكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
(but they used to wrong themselves), on account of their denying the Messengers and defying the Truth; this is why they earned the end, torment and punishment, that they did.