Tafsir of Al-Qamar 54:18

(‘Ad denied, so how...)

(‘Ad denied): This marks the beginning of another story. It is not conjoined [with the previous one], and the same applies to the stories that follow it. This is an indication that each story is independent in its purpose and its function as a lesson.

Since the people of Noah had no proper name, they were mentioned by way of genitive construction [i.e., the people of Noah]. Since the people of Hud had a proper name—which is ‘Ad—they were mentioned by it, as it is more effective for identification.

The intended meaning is: ‘Ad denied Hud, peace be upon him. The specific manner of their denial of him, peace be upon him, is not elaborated upon, in pursuit of brevity and a hastened move toward explaining the punishment that serves as a deterrent.

Regarding His saying: (So how were My punishment and My warnings?)

(18): This is to direct the hearts of the listeners toward attentive hearing of that which is being presented to them, not merely to terrify or aggrandize it, nor to evoke wonder at its state after its description, as is the case both before it and after it. It is as if it were said: “ ‘Ad denied, so have you heard—or rather, listen—how My punishment and My warning to them were?”

It is also said: It is for the purpose of terror, due to the strangeness of the wind by which they were punished, and the uniqueness of this type of torment. There is some discussion regarding this.

And regarding His saying, the Exalted:...