And when Our apostles came to Ibrahim with the good news, they said: Surely we are going to destroy the people of this town, for its people are unjust. 31 He said: Surely in it is Lut. They said: We know well who is in it; we shall certainly deliver him and his followers, except his wife; she shall be of those who remain behind. 32 And when Our messengers came unto Lut, he was distressed on their account and felt straitened on their account. And they said: fear not, nor grieve: verily we are to deliver thee and thy household, save thy wife: she is to be of the lingerers. 33 "For we are going to bring down on the people of this township a Punishment from heaven, because they have been wickedly rebellious." 34 And assuredly We have left thereof manifest sign for a people who reflect. 35 To Midian We sent their brother Shu'aib. He said: "O people, worship God and be ready for the Day of Resurrection. Do no evil, and create no mischief in the land." 36 But they rejected him, so the earthquake overwhelmed them and they were left lying prostrate on the ground in their homes. 37 AND [the tribes of] Ad and Thamud [too, did We destroy] as should have become obvious to you from [whatever there remains of] their dwellings. [They perished] because Satan had made their [sinful] doings seem goodly to them, and thus had barred them from the path [of God] despite their having been endowed with the ability to perceive the truth. 38 And [thus, too, did We deal with] Qarun and Pharaoh, and Haman: to them had come Moses with all evidence of the truth, but they behaved arrogantly on earth [and rejected him]; and withal, they could not escape [Us]. 39 So each We punished for his sin; of them was he on whom We sent down a violent storm, and of them was he whom the rumbling overtook, and of them was he whom We made to be swallowed up by the earth, and of them was he whom We drowned; and it did not beseem Allah that He should be unjust to them, but they were unjust to their own souls. 40 The likeness of those who take Auliya' (protectors and helpers) other than Allah is as the likeness of a spider, who builds (for itself) a house, but verily, the frailest (weakest) of houses is the spider's house; if they but knew. 41 Allah knows whatever they call upon other than Him; He is the Almighty, the Wise. 42 These are parables which We tell to human being, but only the learned ones understand them. 43 God has created the heavens and the earth for a purpose; surely in this there is a sign for true believers. 44