Surah Saba Tafseer

وَكَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

And those before them denied;

meaning, other nations.

وَمَا بَلَغُوا مِعْشَارَ مَا اتَيْنَاهُمْ

these have not received even a tenth of what We had granted to those (of old);

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

"Of the power of this world."

This was also the view of Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd.

This is like the Ayat:

وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَـهُمْ فِيمَأ إِن مَّكَّنَّـكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعاً وَأَبْصَـراً وَأَفْيِدَةً فَمَأ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَـرُهُمْ وَلَا أَفْيِدَتُهُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُواْ يَجْحَدُونَ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ

And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not established you! And We had assigned them the hearing, seeing, and hearts; but their hearing, seeing, and their hearts availed them nothing since they used to deny the Ayat of Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to mock at! (46:26)

أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُواْ أَكْـثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً

Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them They were more in number than them and mightier in strength. (40:82)

but that did not protect them from the punishment of Allah, and Allah destroyed them because they denied His Messengers.

Allah says:

فَكَذَّبُوا رُسُلِي فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ

yet they denied My Messengers. Then how (terrible) was My denial!

meaning, `how severe was My wrath and how great was My avenging of My Messengers.