Surah Fatir (35): Verse 44

When God mentioned that the predecessors had a precedent (the custom of destruction), He reminded them by recalling the state of the former peoples. They used to pass by their ruins, seeing their traces. Their hopes were greater than their hopes, and their deeds were less than their deeds. The former (greater hopes/deeds) was due to their long lives and immense power, while the latter (lesser deeds) was because they did not reject someone like Muhammad, nor Muhammad himself. As for you, O people of Mecca, you rejected Muhammad and those who preceded him.

Regarding the phrase, "And they were greater than them in strength," we have already discussed it in Surah Ar-Rum. Two points remain to be examined here:

First Point: The Difference in Wording

In Surah Ar-Rum, the text stated, "They were greater than them in strength" (without the conjunction waw [and]), whereas here it is mentioned with the waw. What is the difference?

We say: If someone says, "Have you not seen Zayd how he honored me, and he is greater than you," it implies that the speaker is informing the listener that Zayd is greater. If he says, "Have you not seen how he honored me, and he is greater than you," it implies that both meanings (the honoring and the greatness) are already established in the listener's mind, as if the listener had witnessed both actions. This second phrasing suggests that the second matter (greatness) is as apparent as the first, requiring no explicit notification from the speaker.

Knowing this, we say that what is mentioned here is simply their being greater in strength, nothing else. Perhaps this fact was already obvious to them, so the waw was used, implying that just as their end result was observed, their strength was also observed.

However, in Surah Ar-Rum, many things were mentioned. There it said: "They were greater than them in strength, and they cultivated the earth and inhabited it" (30:9). In another place, it says: "Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those who were before them? They were more numerous than them and greater in strength and in the cultivation of the earth" (30:9). Perhaps their knowledge of cultivating the earth or their greater numbers was not fully established, but the sheer strength and their superiority over the current people were known to them, as every generation tends to believe that those who preceded them were stronger, and there is no dispute about that.

The Almighty's saying:

"And Allah was not going to let anything in the heavens or on earth escape Him. Indeed, He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful."

This has two possible interpretations:

1. It serves as a clarification for them: Even though the predecessors were immensely strong, they did not escape Allah's decree, and thus, they are even less likely to escape Him.
2. It cuts off the hopes of the ignorant. If someone were to say, "Suppose the predecessors had greater strength and longer lives, we could use our intelligence to devise means beyond their power, seeking aid from earthly matters that have properties, or from celestial bodies that have effects." In response, Allah says: "And Allah was not going to let anything in the heavens or on earth escape Him." He is All-Knowing of their deeds and sayings, and All-Powerful to destroy and eradicate them.

Then the Almighty says:

"And if Allah were to impose punishment upon the people for what they have earned, He would not leave upon the earth any living creature. But He postpones them for a specified term. And when their term comes..."