29 Preface إِن كانَت إِلّا صَيحَةً واحِدَةً فَإِذا هُم خامِدونَYusuf AliIt was no more than a single mighty Blast,1 and behold! they were (like ashes)2 quenched and silent.God’s Justice or Punishment does not necessarily come with pomp and circumstance, nor have the forces of human evil or wickedness the power to require the exertion of mighty spiritual forces to subdue them. A single mighty Blast-either the rumbling of an earthquake, or a great and violent wind-was sufficient in this case. Cf. 11:67 and n. 1561 (which describes the fate of Thamūd); also, n. 3463 to 29:40, also 36:49,###Cf. 21:15. They had made a great deal of noise in their time, but they were reduced to silence, like spent ashes.