And so, when Our [heavenly] messengers came to Abraham with the glad tiding [of the birth of Isaac,] they [also] said, "Behold, we are about to destroy the people of that land, for its people are truly evildoers!" 31 He said, 'Lot is in it.' They said, 'We know very well who is in it; assuredly We shall deliver him and his family, except his wife; she has become of those that tarry.' 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 We shall bring down upon the people of this city a scourge from the heaven because of their evildoing.” 34 And We have left a vestige of it in that city as a Clear Sign for a people who use their reason. 35 And to Midian their brother Shuaib; he said, 'O my people, serve God, and look you for the Last Day; and do not mischief in the land, working corruption.' 36 But they belied him, so the earthquake seized them, and when morning came, they were found fallen crouched in their dwellings, dead. 37 And (remember) 'Ad and Thamud. It will be clear to you from their habitations (how they were destroyed), for Satan had made their deeds look attractive to them, and turned them away from the path; and yet they were a people of acumen. 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 We took each one in his sin; of them was he on whom We sent a hurricane, and of them was he who was overtaken by the (Awful) Cry, and of them was he whom We caused the earth to swallow, and of them was he whom We drowned. It was not for Allah to wrong them, but they wronged themselves. 40 The likeness of those who take other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider who taketh unto herself a house. And verily the frailest of all houses is the spider's house - if they but knew! 41 Indeed, Allah knows whatever thing they call upon other than Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. 42 And these similtudes! We propound them for mankind; and none understand them save men of knowledge. 43 [and hence are certain that] God has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth: for, behold, in this [very creation] there is a message indeed for all who believe [in Him]. 44