27وَلَقَد أَهلَكنا ما حَولَكُم مِنَ القُرىٰ وَصَرَّفنَا الآياتِ لَعَلَّهُم يَرجِعونَMuhammad AsadThus have We destroyed many a [sinful] community living round about you;1 and yet, [before destroying them,] We had given many facets to [Our warning] messages, so that they might turn back [from their evil ways].I.e., "close to you in space as well as in time". In its wider sense, this phrase denotes "all the rest of the world".