And when it was as if it was said: So they took the words at face value and did not benefit from the clear warning and the evident threat. They continued in the evil they were upon until our command came at the appointed time for it. He means by saying, and the conjunction is with the letter 'wa' (p-367) because there was no prior warning with a specific time - as in the stories of Salih and Lut, peace be upon them - that would cause the coming and follow it: ﴿And when our command came﴾ meaning: the connection of our will with the punishment ﴿We saved﴾ by what we have of greatness ﴿Shu'ayb﴾ meaning: a great salvation ﴿and those who believed﴾ being ﴿with him﴾ among them and from what we punished them with. And our saving them was ﴿by a mercy from us﴾. And when He mentioned the salvation of the believers, He followed it with the destruction of the disbelievers and said: ﴿And the ones who wronged were seized﴾ meaning: those who committed injustice and did not repent ﴿by the cry﴾ and it was as if it was less than the cry of Thamud because they were weaker than them. Therefore, He highlighted the sign of femininity in this one over that one.

And when He mentioned the cry, He mentioned what resulted from it and said: ﴿So they became﴾ meaning: at the time when a person expects joy and all good ﴿in their dwellings, fallen﴾ meaning: collapsed and remaining in their place.