13 Preface وَاضرِب لَهُم مَثَلًا أَصحابَ القَريَةِ إِذ جاءَهَا المُرسَلونَYusuf AliSet forth to them, by way of a parable, the (story of) the Companions1 of the City. Behold!,### there came messengers to it. Many of the classical Commentators have supposed that the City referred to was Antioch. Now Antioch was one of the most important cities in North Syria in the first century of the Christian era. It was a Greek city founded by Selecus Nicator, one of the successors of Alexander, about 300 B.C. in memory of his father Antiochus. It was close to the sea, and had its seaport at Seleucia. Soon after Christ his disciples successfully preached there, and they “were called Christians first in Antioch “, Acts, 11:26. It afterwards became the seat of a most important Bishopric of the Christian Church. In the story told here “by way of a parable”, the City rejected the Message, and the City was destroyed: 36:29. Following Ibn Kathir, I reject the identification with Antioch decisively. No name, or period, or place is mentioned in the text. The significance of the story is in the lessons to be derived from it as a parable, for which see the next note. That is independent of name, time, or place.