12كَذَّبَت قَبلَهُم قَومُ نوحٍ وَعادٌ وَفِرعَونُ ذُو الأَوتادِMuhammad AsadTo the truth gave the lie aforetime1 Noah's people, and [the tribe of] 'Ad, and Pharaoh of the [many] tent-poles,2Lit., "before them", i.e., before the people who opposed or oppose Muhammad's message.In classical Arabic, this ancient bedouin term is used idiomatically as a metonym for "mighty dominion" or "firmness of power" (Zamakhshari). The number of poles supporting a bedouin tent is determined by its size, and the latter has always depended on the status and power of its owner: thus, a mighty chieftain is often alluded to as "he of many tent-poles".