Ash-Shu'araa (The Poets)

158. “So the punishment overtook them; verily in this there is sign, but most of them do not believe.”

159. “And verily your Lord, He is certainly the Mighty, the Merciful.”

Sacrilege and blasphemy is so important that for killing an animal sometimes a group of people may be destroyed by Divine punishment.

(Then they hamstrung her... So the punishment overtook them)

The wrath and punishment of Allah is because of our own deed, else He is Merciful.

So, in this holy verse, the Qur’an implies that since their rebellion exceeded the limits and they actually showed that they would not accept the truth, the will of Allah, or the Divine providence, was to purify the face of the earth from the dirt of their existence and He annihilated them.

The verse says:

“So the punishment overtook them...”

As Surah Al-’A‘raf, No. 7, verse 78, and Surah Hud, No. 11, verse 67 briefly indicate, a severe earthquake did shake their land, and, when they woke up and were sitting on their knees, the event did not give them any respite, a fatal lightning, which was accompanied with earthquake, ruined the walls over them, and at the same time, they died in an astonishing horror.

At the end of the explanation of the event, the holy Qur’an repeats the same thing that was stated at the end of the explanation of the events of the people of Hud, the people of Noah, and the people of Abraham.

It says:

“...verily in this there is sign, but most of them do not believe.”

This verse implies that with the effort and endeavour of this great prophet, Salih, and the sufferings that he tolerated while he had a clear logic, those black hearted ungodly people obstinately showed their opposition with that awakening miracle and, consequently, they encountered an evil destiny which is an instructive lesson for others.

Yes, none can defeat the Power of Allah, as this great might is not a hinder for His mercy to be showered over His friends and even over His enemies.

The verse says:

“And verily your Lord, He is certainly the Mighty, the Merciful.”

Thus, not only His mercy and favours are the signs of admonition, but also His wrath and punishment works as a sign:

“...verily in this there is a sign...”

means: ‘root and the base of something’. It is sometimes used in the sense of ‘to kill’

and sometimes in the sense of ‘to hamstrung’ an animal’, too.