Here the verb, ``destroy'', may not be physical destroying of the buildings of temples and mosques; but through various tricks and mischievous acts, they try to render such places of worship ineffective. And here too is where the Godly has to stand firmly against their corruption. [ 248 ] وَإِنْ يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوح وَعَادٌ وَثَمُودُ(( 42 )) 42- AND IF THEY BELIE YOU, SO DID THE PEOPLE OF NOAH, طD AND SAMUD BELIE (THEIR APOSTLES) BEFORE YOU.
وَقَوْمُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَقَوْمُ لُوط(( 43 )) 43- AND ALSO THE PEOPLE OF ABRAHAM AND LOT (BELIED THEIR PROPHET) وَأَصْحَابُ مَدْيَنَ وَكُذِّبَ مُوسَى فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ(( 44 )) 44- AND THE COMPANIONS OF THE MEDIAN TOO. AND MOSES WAS ALSO BELIED. THEN I RESPITED THE UNBELIEVERS. AFTER THAT I SEIZED THEM, THEN HOW WAS (MY PUNISHMENT FOR) DENIAL?
فَكَأَيِّنْ مِّنْ قَرْيَة أَهْلَكْنَاهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْر مُّعَطَّلَة وَقَصْر مَّشِيد(( 45 )) 45- SO, HOW MANY A TOWN THAT WE DESTROYED IT WHILE BEING OPPRESSOR. THEN IT FELL DOWN UPON ITS ROOF, AND ABANDONED WELL AND LOFTY PALACES. THE COMMENTARY ABANDONED WELLS AND PALACES VERSE NO.42ِ45 These verses begin with comforting and consoling our prophet by saying to him:ِ ``Do not worry about their denial.
If these Arabs reject you, almost all our prophets that came before you, were belied by their own people.'' [ 249 ] In other word, the verses imply that if our prophet had been belied and accused of deception by the pagan Arabs this was not so new a matter. Almost all the Messengers of God were belied, and accused of imposture and lie by their own people! So did the people of Noah belie him. The people of A"D accused their apostle, ``HUD'' of lie!
The people of Samud too, belied their prophet SALEH, and the people of Medians rejected Shuaib their prophet. Eve the Israelites caused a lot of troubles for Moses in order to stop him in his mission. Then reference is made to some kinds of God's punishment that seized the unbelievers:ِ ``How many a town that We destroyed it, while its towns-folk were sinful.
It fell down upon its roof, and their water-well and high palaces were abandoned.'' Here, the fall of buildings upon their roofs means that they were turned upside down. In other word, the roof fell down first, and the whole structure including the walls came down after that, falling upon the ruins of the roof.