Conclusion

Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those before them? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the soil and populated it in greater numbers than these have done: there came to them their messengers with Clear (Signs). (Which they rejected, to their own destruction): It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged their own souls.(Surat ar-Rum: 9)

All the peoples we have reviewed until now, have had some qualities in common such as: transgressing against Allah, associating partners with Him, behaving arrogantly in the land, wrongfully devouring other’s property, tending to sexual perversion, and insolence. Another common feature they had was their oppression and iniquity towards the Muslims in their vicinity. They tried in every way to intimidate the Muslims.

The purpose of the warnings of the Qur’an is surely not just to impart history. The Qur’an states that the stories of the prophets are told only to set an "example". Those nations who were earlier destroyed, should lead those who come after them to the right way:

Is it not a warning to such men (to call to mind) how many generations before them We destroyed, in whose haunts they (now) move? Verily, in this are Signs for men endued with understanding.(Surah Ta-Ha: 128)

If we consider all of these to be "examples", then we can see that many parts of the world today and many present-day societies are no better, in terms of degeneration and transgression, than the peoples who have perished and which are described in these stories.

Particularly, an important group of the "leading people of the society" are not very different from the peoples who perished as described in the Qur’an. Most of the members of this group do not hesitate to perform every kind of perversion.

There are a number of practicing sodomists and homosexuals within society that remind us of the "People of Lut (as)". In additions there are currently all kinds of perversions outdoing their counterparts in the past, Sodom and Gomorrah.

All the societies we have examined have been punished through natural disasters.It is important that we realise that present-day societies that go astray and commit similar sins to those of past peoples may well be punished in a similar manner.

It should not be forgotten that Allah may punish whatever person or nation He wills whenever He wills. Or, He may let whomever He wills lead an ordinary life in this world, and punish him in the Hereafter. The Qur’an states:

Each one of them We seized for his crime: of them, against some We sent a violent tornado (with showers of stones); some were caught by a (mighty) Blast; some We caused the earth to swallow up; and some We drowned (in the waters): It was not Allah Who injured (or oppressed) them. They injured (and oppressed) their own souls. (Surat al-Ankabut: 40)

The Qur’an also tells of a believer, who was from the family of Fir’awn and lived during the period of Musa (as), but who concealed his belief. He said to his people:

"O my people! Truly I do fear for you something like the Day (of disaster) of the Confederates (in sin)! - Something like the fate of the People of Nuh, the ‘Ad, and the Thamud, and those who came after them: but Allah never wishes injustice to his Servants.

And O my people! I fear for you a Day when there will be Mutual calling (and wailing) - "A Day when ye shall turn your backs and flee: No defender shall ye have from Allah: Any whom Allah leaves to stray, there is none to guide..." (Surat al-Ghafir: 30-33)

All of the prophets warned their people, pointed out to them the Day of Judgement and attempted to make them fear Allah’s punishment, just as did this believer who concealed his faith. The lives of all the prophets and messengers were passed in explaining these matters to their people over and over again. Yet most often, the people to whom they were sent accused them of untruthfulness, of seeking to acquire material gains, or trying to assert their superiority over them and then they went on to practise their own systems without thinking of what the prophet said or without questioning their deeds. Some of them have gone further and attempted to kill or drive away the believers. The number of the believers that obeyed and followed was often very few. However, in the cases of the rebellious communities, Allah always saved only the prophets and their followers.

Despite the thousands of years that have gone by, and the changes in places, manners, technologies and civilisations, yet not much has changed in the aforementioned social structures and the systems of the unbelievers. As we have emphasised above, many of the world’s societies have all the qualities of the people described in the Qur'an. Just like Thamud who gave short measure, there are also a great number of forgers and swindlers today. There exists a "homosexual community", which is defended whenever the occasion presents itself, and the members of which do not fall short of the people of Lut (as) in whom sexual perversion had reached its peak. A great part of society is made up of people as ungrateful and rebellious as Saba, as unthankful for the wealth endowed to them as the people of Iram, as unsubmissive and insulting towards the believers as the people of Nuh (as), and as heedless of social justice as ‘Ad.

These are very significant signs…

We should always bear in mind that whatever differences come about in societies or at whatever stage of technological advancement they are or whatever their potentials are, these have no importance whatsoever. None of these can save one from Allah's punishment. The Qur’an reminds us all of this reality:

Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those before them? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the soil and populated it in greater numbers than these have done: there came to them their messengers with Clear (Signs). (Which they rejected, to their own destruction): It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged their own souls.(Surat ar-Rum: 9)