And when the news of the destruction of these nations and the annihilation of those mentioned from among them was accompanied by a fear that cannot be described, nor can it be explained by anyone other than Him, glorified and exalted is He, Allah, the Most High, said, indicating it as a warning against similar occurrences: "Indeed, in that" meaning: the great matter of the continuous salvation for every Messenger and those who obey him, and the continuous punishment for those who disobey him in every era and in every region, such that no one from either group, whether distant or near, is excluded. "A sign" meaning: a clear and great indication of the truthfulness of the Messengers and that they are deserving of the believers' trust in all that they have said of good tidings and warnings that Allah, the Most High, destroys those who disobey Him and saves those who are loyal to Him, for He is the chosen doer, with no one to prevent Him. Especially you, and you are the greatest among them in rank and the most honored in status, especially since you have come to your people with that which there is no doubt about, if they did not have prior knowledge of you. So how could it be, while they are aware that you were before the Prophethood the most truthful among them in speech, the most trustworthy among them, the most intelligent among them, the clearest among them in nobility, the highest among them in ambition, and the farthest from any impurity, even if it is little? Then He expressed astonishment at their hesitation in faith despite what they knew of the truthfulness of their Prophet and the purity of his morals, and the abundance of his compassion for them, and they did not fear what they had confirmed regarding the destruction of these nations. So He said: "And what was the majority of them" meaning: the majority of your people, as was the case with those before them, despite witnessing these signs and the infliction of punishments, until it was as if they had advised one another to do so. "Believers" meaning: deeply rooted in faith, rather they do not believe except while they are polytheists.