Commentary on Tafsir al-Jalalayn: “Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those who were before them? They were stronger than them in power and more numerous in traces” and in a reading among you “power and traces in the land” from factories and palaces “so Allah took them” He destroyed them “for their sins, and there was no protector for them from Allah” from His punishment?

And among them, it is said that there are two readings in it: “And in a reading among you” This involves a shift from the third person to the second person, and it is known that the second person is more impactful on the soul than the third person, meaning if you address a person directly, it is more impactful on him than if you spoke about him in the third person. For this reason, the saying of Allah the Exalted came: in the third person, and the frowning and turning away was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and it did not say “You frowned and you turned away,” because the second person is more impactful than the third person. And his saying: “And in a reading among you” I know that the convention of the author (may Allah have mercy on him) is that if he says “in a reading,” it is one of the seven canonical readings, and if he says “and it was read,” it is an anomalous reading, not one of the seven canonical readings.
"And in a reading, 'among you'

greater in strength and in impression on the land

أشد قوة وآثارا في الأرض

[Ghafir 40:82]

from factories and palaces", they were strong in body, and they had more of the monuments on earth than these who lied to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The evidence for this is apparent in the lands of Thamud, for everyone who sees them can discern how strong the people were. Likewise, the monuments of 'Ad in the sand dunes, which he looked upon, and Allah said about them: They had great strength, to the point that 'Ad said, "Who is stronger than us in strength?" So what was their condition? Allah the Exalted said: He destroyed them. Their sins consisted of two things: denial and turning away. They were deniers of the news and turners away from the command. So they denied the news and opposed the commands, they fell into what they were forbidden, and they left what they were commanded. They denied what they were obligated to believe. The "ba" here indicates causality. "Ma" is a negation, and "min" is attached to "waqa," and "waqa" is the name of "kana" upon which the extra "min" entered for emphasis. The original of "waqa" is "waqi," so the "ya" was deleted for lightness. It means: there was no one who could protect them from the punishment of Allah. Even the son of Noah (peace be upon him) was not protected from the punishment of Allah by his closeness to Noah, nor by his inclusion in the general statement, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) mentioned that He would save him and his family, meaning Noah. So when Allah sent the flood upon them, his son called upon him to board the ship with him, but he refused and said: So he drowned. And Noah said: And Allah had promised him that He would save him and his family. So Allah the Exalted said: This son was not protected by his closeness to his father, one of the resolute messengers, but he perished among those who perished, as Allah the Exalted said here: