Surah Al Ahqaf Tafseer

وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا مَا حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ الْقُرَى

And indeed We have destroyed towns round about you,

This is addressed to the people of Makkah.

Allah destroyed the nations who disbelieved in the Messengers who lived around Makkah, such as

`Ad who were at Al-Ahqaf in Hadramawt near Yemen,

Thamud whose dwellings were between Makkah and Ash-Sham (Greater Syria),

Saba' who were in Yemen,

the people of Madyan who were on the route and passage to Ghazzah (Western Palestine), and

the people of Lut who dwelt by the lake (the Dead Sea) which they used to pass by (on the way to Jordan) as well.

Allah then says,

وَصَرَّفْنَا الاْيَاتِ

and We have shown (them) the signs in various ways,

meaning, `We explained and clarified them.'

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ