15 Preface كَمَثَلِ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم قَريبًا ۖ ذاقوا وَبالَ أَمرِهِم وَلَهُم عَذابٌ أَليمٌYusuf AliLike those who lately1 preceded them, they have tasted the evil result of their conduct; and (in the Hereafter there is) for them a grievous Penalty;-The immediate reference was probably to the Jewish goldsmith tribe of Banū Qaynuqa', who were also settled in a fortified township near Medīna. They were also punished and banished for their treachery, about a month after the battle of Badr, in which the Meccan Pagans had suffered a signal defeat, in Shawwal, A.H. 2. Banū al Nadir evidently did not take that lesson to heart. The general meaning is that we must learn to be on our guard against the consequences of treachery and sin. No fortuitous alliances with other men of iniquity will save us.