The benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those who were before them? They were stronger than they in power and in traces upon the earth, but Allah seized them for their sins, and they had no protector from Allah.”

Now, in this verse there are many benefits, among which is the encouragement to travel through the earth, based on His saying: , on the understanding that the interrogative here is for denial and rebuke.
And among its benefits is that traveling through the earth, specifically in the lands of those who denied the truth, and explaining what Allah inflicted upon them of punishment, is permissible if it is for the sake of taking a lesson. It is for the sake of taking a lesson from their destruction, not for the sake of taking a lesson from their strength. Based on this, we know that those who go today to the lands of Thamud to look at their strength and take a lesson from their craftsmanship are greatly mistaken, because they did not travel through the earth in the manner Allah commanded, but rather they traveled in the manner the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So who is it who goes today to the lands of Thamud, standing to watch their traces while weeping? No one, except one whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has guided and the truth has become clear to him. Otherwise, they go merely to sightsee. And it is amazing that some of the ignorant among us consider this to be among the respected traces. It is said: Glory be to Allah, the respected traces, O ignorant ones, are the Book and the Sunnah, the traces of revelation. As for the traces of those who denied the messengers, they are not respected. And are they the traces of your fathers and grandfathers? They are the traces of a people who perished, followed by people, then people, then many generations. But this is from ignorance and blind imitation, which causes people to cling to material traces rather than spiritual traces.
And among the benefits of these noble verses is that the end of those who were before them was a bad end, based on His saying: to His saying: .
And among its benefits is that these people who were before them were stronger than them in physical strength, in strength of craftsmanship, and in strength of traces, and yet this strength did not prevent Allah from seizing them.
And among the benefits of this noble verse is that the power of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is above all power, for He said: , and yet Allah (Mighty and Majestic) seized them. This is because when Allah the Exalted wills something, He says to it “Be,” and it is. He does not need to bring someone to help, nor does He need to make bombs or cannons. No, “Be,” and it is. Look at 'Ad; they boasted of their strength, so Allah the Exalted destroyed them with the gentlest of things. He sent the wind against them, not for them, but against them. And the wind is among the gentlest of things, so it destroyed them: until they were like the trunks of empty palm trees. They say that the wind would carry one of them until he was in the sky, then return him to the earth, and he would be bent over like the trunk of an empty palm tree. When you see the trunks of palm trees, you find that the palm tree has bent. These people who were strong and powerful, standing on their feet, became like the trunks of empty palm trees. And the second verse says: “Like the trunks of bent palm trees.”
Pharaoh said, based on His saying: . How did He destroy him? Allah destroyed him by taking him out of Egypt, which he boasted of, by his own choice. He left by choice, indeed, he left as if he were a victor, as if he were winning the battle. Then Allah destroyed him with the very thing he boasted of, which is water, to make it clear that power is the power of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and that Allah is stronger in power than these people. Yes.
Among the benefits of the noble verse is that when Allah the Exalted wills evil for a people, there is no repelling it, based on His saying: . And Allah has made this clear in His saying: . Nothing protects against what Allah has willed, neither castles, nor cannons, nor airplanes, nor anything else. .