44وَأَصحابُ مَديَنَ ۖ وَكُذِّبَ موسىٰ فَأَملَيتُ لِلكافِرينَ ثُمَّ أَخَذتُهُم ۖ فَكَيفَ كانَ نَكيرِMuhammad Asadand the dwellers of Madyan; and [so, too,] Moses was given the lie [by Pharaoh] .1 And [in every case] I gave rein, for a while, to the deniers of the truth: but then I took them to task - and how awesome was My denial [of them]!I.e., not by his own people, since these, despite their sinning, had accepted him as God's prophet (Tabari). References to the tribes of 'Ad and Thamud and the people of Madyan are given in surah 7, notes 48, 56 and 67.