Surah Ar Rum Tafseer

أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الاَْرْضِ

Do they not travel in the land,

means, `do they not understand and think and see and hear about the people of the past,'

Allah says:

فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً

..

and see what was the end of those before them! They were superior to them in strength,

meaning, `the nations of the past who came before you were stronger than you to whom Muhammad has been sent; they had more wealth and more sons. You have not been given one-tenth of what they were given. They stayed longer in this world than you will stay. They were more civilized than you and were more prosperous in the land than you.' Yet despite all that, when their Messengers came to them with clear signs, while they were enjoying their life of luxury, Allah punished them for their sins and they had no one who could protect them from Allah. Their wealth and sons could not protect them from the wrath of Allah in the slightest, and Allah was not at all unjust towards them when He sent His punishment upon them. It is as Allah says:

وَأَثَارُوا الاْأَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا

وَجَاءتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ

they tilled the soil and populated it in greater numbers than these have done:there came to them their apostles with Clear (Signs):it was not Allah Who wronged them,

وَلَكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

but they used to wrong themselves.

They brought destruction upon themselves, when they rejected and mocked the signs of Allah. All of this only happened because of their previous sins and their rejection (of the Messengers).

Allah says:

ثُمَّ كَانَ عَاقِبَةَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاوُوا السُّوأَى أَن كَذَّبُوا بِأيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِوُون