أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَانُوٓا۟ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةًۭ وَأَثَارُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَآ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا وَجَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
evelem yesîrû fi-l'arḍi feyenżurû keyfe kâne `âḳibetü-lleẕîne min ḳablihim. kânû eşedde minhüm ḳuvvetev veeŝârü-l'arḍa ve`amerûhâ ekŝera mimmâ `amerûhâ vecâethüm rusülühüm bilbeyyinât. femâ kâne-llâhü liyażlimehüm velâkin kânû enfüsehüm yażlimûn.
Yeryüzünde dolaşıp, kendilerinden önce geçmiş kimselerin sonlarının nasıl olduğuna bakmazlar mı? Ki onlar kendilerinden daha kuvvetli idiler, yeryüzünü kazıp alt üst ederek onlardan çok imar etmiş kimseydiler ve onlara belgelerle peygamberler gelmişti. Böylece Allah onlara zulmetmiyor, onlar kendilerine zulmediyorlardı.
Ibn Kathir Tefsiri
فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُواْ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً(9. cont - and see what was the end of those before them They were superior to them in strength, ) meaning, `the nations of the past who came before you were stronger than you to whom Muhammad ﷺ has been sent; they had more wealth and more sons. You have not been given one-tenth of what they were given. They stayed longer in this world than you will stay. They were more civilized than you and were more prosperous in the land than you.' Yet despite all that, when their Messengers came to them with clear signs, while they were enjoying their life of luxury, Allah punished them for their sins and they had no one who could protect them from Allah. Their wealth and sons could not protect them from the wrath of Allah in the slightest, and Allah was not at all unjust towards them when He sent His punishment upon them.وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ(9. cont - but they used to wrong themselves.) They brought destruction upon themselves, when they rejected and mocked the signs of Allah. All of this only happened because of their previous sins and their rejection (of the Messengers). Allah says: