And how many villages have We destroyed due to a severe wrath and a great anger? For indeed, destruction is the most severe breaking, which is the breaking that shows the compatibility of the parts, unlike separation. And by 'village' He means its people, and that is why He described it with injustice. And He said 'another people' because the meaning is: We destroyed a people and created another people. And Ibn Abbas said: it refers to 'Hadhramaut' and 'Suhul', which are two villages in Yemen, to which garments are attributed. In the hadith, 'The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was shrouded in two Suhali garments.' And it was narrated 'Hadhrani garments.' It was reported by al-Daraqutni in the 'Illal' from the hadith of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, with the wording 'three garments: two Hadhrani and one of fine cloth.' He said: Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Saghani uniquely narrated this from Ibn al-Hawwab from al-Thawri from Asim ibn Abdullah from Salim from his father with this. 'Benefit': 'Hadhramaut' with an open ha and a closed mim is a village in Sana'a, near the village of Abdul Razzaq. Allah sent a prophet to them, and they killed him. So Allah unleashed upon them Nebuchadnezzar, just as He unleashed him upon the people of Jerusalem, and He completely uprooted them. It was narrated that when the swords took hold of them and a caller from the heavens cried out, 'O avengers of the prophets,' they regretted and acknowledged their error, and that was when regret did not benefit them. The apparent meaning of the verse indicates abundance. And perhaps Ibn Abbas mentioned 'Hadhramaut' because it is one of the villages that Allah intended with this verse. When they realized the severity of Our punishment and Our might, they knew it through feeling and witnessing, and they did not doubt it. They fled from their homes. And 'fleeing' means to strike the animal with the foot. Hence, His saying, 'Strike with your foot,' indicates that they may ride their mounts, fleeing and retreating from their village when the onset of punishment reached them. It is possible that they resembled the speed of their fleeing on foot to those riding swiftly on their mounts, so they were told, 'Do not flee,' and the saying is omitted. If you ask: Who is the speaker? I say it could be some angels or some of the believers, or it could be said to them by successors even if it was not said. Or it could be said by the Lord of Glory, and His angels hear it to benefit them in their religion. Or He inspires them so that they speak to themselves. 'And return to what you have indulged in' of the luxurious life and comfortable state. 'Indulgence' means to be ungrateful for the blessing, and it is luxury. 'Perhaps you will be questioned' is a mockery of them and a reproach, meaning: return to your pleasures and your homes, perhaps you will be questioned tomorrow about what happened to you and what befell your wealth and homes, so you will respond to the questioner with knowledge and witnessing. Or return and sit as you were in your gatherings. And arrange yourselves in your ranks until your servants and your attendants and those you possess the authority over ask you, 'What do you command?' and 'What do you instruct?' and 'How do we come and leave?' as is customary for those who are favored and served. Or the people will ask you in your assemblies for assistance in the calamities of events, and they will consult you in important matters and emergencies, seeking your plans and lighting their way with your opinions. Or those who come to you and the greedy will ask for the rain of your hands, and they will seek the blessings of your generosity and favors: either because they were generous, spending their wealth for the sake of people and seeking praise, or they were stingy, so they were told that in mockery and reproach. 'That' refers to 'Woe to us,' for it is a claim, as if it were said: 'So that claim remained their claim,' and 'claim' means 'invocation.' Allah said, 'And their last invocation is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.' If you ask: Why is it called a claim? I say:

Because the one who wails is as if he is calling for woe, so He, the Exalted, says: O woe, this is your time. And 'that' is raised or made accusative as a subject or predicate, and likewise their calling. Al-haseed: the harvested crop, meaning: We made them like the harvested crop, comparing them to it in their eradication and destruction. As you say: We made them ashes, meaning like ashes. And the accusative pronoun is the one that was the subject, and the two accusatives after it were both predicates for it. So when it was entered upon, it made all of them accusative in the sense of being objects. If you say, how does 'made' take three objects? I say: The ruling of the other two is the same as that of the one, because the meaning of your saying 'I made it sweet and sour' is that I made it combining both tastes. And likewise, the meaning of that is: We made them combining in resemblance to the harvested crop and the stillness.