58 Preface وَإِن مِن قَريَةٍ إِلّا نَحنُ مُهلِكوها قَبلَ يَومِ القِيامَةِ أَو مُعَذِّبوها عَذابًا شَديدًا ۚ كانَ ذٰلِكَ فِي الكِتابِ مَسطورًاYusuf AliThere is not a population but We shall destroy it before the Day of Judgment or punish it with a dreadful Penalty:1 that is written in the (eternal) Record.These verses are a commentary on the last clause of the last verse. “The Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of.” The godless thoughtlessly challenge God’s Wrath, but do they realise its nature? Even the best of us must be moved with terror when we think of its consequences, were it not for His unbounded Mercy. Those who deny the Hereafter fail to realise its terrible Portents. They ask for Portents and Miracles now, but do they realise that their coming means destruction and misery to those who reject faith? They will come soon enough. The whole world will be convulsed before the Day of Judgment. The part of the wise is to prepare for it.