And when the trees were a source of cool air and breeze, and their companions had been punished by the opposite of that, He said: "And the companions of the thicket" for their sharing with them in the punishment by fire. And those are with stones of sulfur descending from above, and these [with fire] descending from the darkness of the clouds. And He referred to them in the singular, and the intended meaning is the thicket, indicating that it is (p-417) due to its intense intertwining like a single tree. And when "Tubba'" was a king among his people, and they opposed him despite that, and there was for his people a fire [in their land] to which they would refer for judgment, consuming the oppressor, he concluded with them and said: "And the people of Tubba'" while he was a ruler, and he called them to Allah. It should not be assumed that the denial is specific to the strong against the weak, but it occurs with whomever we will, whether strong or weak; nothing escapes our will.

And when there was nothing here that necessitated the emphasis of what has been previously stated in "Sad," he said, exposing it: "Everyone" meaning: from these factions "denied the messengers" meaning: all of them by denying their messenger; for indeed, all are equal in what necessitates belief from showing incapacity and calling to Allah. "So it was justly established" [meaning] that the consequence of their denial was that it was established against them, and it was necessary [that they faced] "the warning" [Q: 45] [meaning] that which they used to deny when they were warned about it. So we hastened for them in this world what we had decreed against them in eternity, and we destroyed them with a general destruction like the destruction of a single soul across different regions, as is well-known to those who have concern for such matters. And we followed it with what is in the Barzakh and delayed what is in the Hereafter until the resurrection, with our destruction of them despite the distance of their dwellings and the separation of their eras and their large numbers, that we have complete encompassing knowledge. So be steadfast with your brothers, the messengers, and take them as an example, and warn your people of what befell those who denied them if they persist.