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wa-la-qad jāʾahum rasūlun minhum fa-kadhdhabūhu fa-ʾakhadhahumu l-ʿadhābu wa-hum ẓālimūna
Certainly there had come to them an apostle from among themselves, but they impugned him. So the punishment seized them while they were doing wrong.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nahl – Verse 113
113. “And certainly there came to them a messenger from amongst them, but they rejected him; so the punishment overtook them while they were unjust.”
This blissful verse, following the previous one, suggests that: The ungrateful people not only showed ingratitude due to the material blessings but they also rejected and denounced the most important spiritual blessing which was ever conferred upon them by Allah, that is, the Divine prophets as well, the consequence of which was the Divine punishment that covered them all over in the midst of their oppression. The verse, pointing to this meaning, says:
“And certainly there came to them a messenger from amongst them, but they rejected him; so the punishment overtook them while they were unjust.”