ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَاهُمُ الْوَعْدَ فَأَنْجَيْنَاهُمْ وَمَنْ نَشَاءُ وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿۹﴾ لَقَدْ أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿۱۰﴾ وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةً وَأَنْشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا آخَرِينَ ﴿۱۱﴾ فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا إِذَا هُمْ مِنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ ﴿۱۲﴾ لَا تَرْكُضُوا وَارْجِعُوا إِلَى مَا أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَاكِنِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْأَلُونَ ﴿۱۳﴾

﴾9﴿ Summa sadaqnaa humul wa'da fa-anjainaahum wa man nashaaa'u wa ahlaknal musrifeen
﴾10﴿ Laqad anzalnaaa ilaikum Kitaaban feehi zikrukum afalaa ta'qiloon
﴾11﴿ Wa kam qasamnaa min qaryatin kaanat zaalimatanw wa ansha' naa ba'dahaa qawman aakhareen
﴾12﴿ Falammaaa ahassoo ba'sanaaa izaa hum minhaa yarkudoon
﴾13﴿ Laa tarkudoo warji'ooo ilaa maaa utriftum feehi wa masaakinikum la'allakum tus'aloon

﴾9﴿ Then We fulfilled the promise to them, so We saved them and those We willed, and We destroyed the transgressors
﴾10﴿ Indeed, We have sent down to you a Book in which there is a reminder for you. Will you not then reason
﴾11﴿ And how many towns have We destroyed that were unjust, and We brought forth after them another people
﴾12﴿ Then, when they saw Our punishment, they began to flee from it
﴾13﴿ (It was said to them): Do not flee, but return to what you were given luxury in and to your homes, so that you may be questioned

[9] In this verse, there is an indication of worldly warning for the disbelievers through the destruction of past rejecters, and a worldly glad tidings of salvation and victory for the prophets and their followers.
This promise is also mentioned in Surah Yūnus (10:103) and in Surah al-Ṣāffāt (37:171–173).
And in this is an indication that these messengers were in need of Allah the Exalted — both for their own salvation and for the destruction of their enemies.
[10] In this verse is the response to the earlier criticisms mentioned about the Qur’an, by affirming the truth of the Qur’an — that it is Dhikr (reminder), and that Allah the Exalted is the One who revealed it.
The meaning of Dhikr here is the explanation of legal rulings, exhortation, and advice.
Acting upon this brings honor, and for this reason, some commentators have interpreted Dhikr as “honor” or “nobility.”
It is also narrated from Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (as quoted by Ibn Jarīr) that Dhikr means “religion.”
[11] From this verse up to verse 15, there is a worldly warning for those who turn away from the Dhikr (reminder).
It does not refer to a specific incident, but rather to all the past nations who denied the prophets — all of them are intended here.
(QAṢAMNĀ) — Qaṣm in the Arabic language means to break, but here it refers to destroying or annihilating.
(ẒĀLIMAH) — “wrongdoers” — this indicates the reason for their punishment: their wrongdoing consisted of shirk (polytheism), disbelief, denial of the messengers, and mocking them with accusations.
[12] (Aḥassū) is mentioned to indicate that if they had repented before sensing the punishment, it would have been accepted — because iḥsās here means having certainty or clear awareness of the coming punishment.
(Yarkuḍūn) — Rakḍ in its original meaning refers to the striking or movement of the heel (back of the foot), and to forcefully stamping it on the ground.
Here, it means running or fleeing in panic.
[13] This statement is from the angels.
The meaning of (مَا أُتْرِفْتُمْ) refers to the luxury, comforts, and blessings they had been given — which led them to transgress the limits set by Allah.
(Laʿallakum tusʾalūn) — “So that you may be questioned” — this is said in a tone of mockery, meaning: will you be asked why you are running, why you did not believe, and why punishment has come upon you?
It includes all these meanings.