﴿ فَلَوْلَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ أُو۟لُوا۟ بَقِيَّةٍۢ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْفَسَادِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا مِّمَّنْ أَنجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَٱتَّبَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مَآ أُتْرِفُوا۟ فِيهِ وَكَانُوا۟ مُجْرِمِينَ ﴾

“BUT, ALAS, among those generations [whom We destroyed] before your time there were no people endowed with any virtue - [people] who would speak out against the [spread of] corruption on earth -except the few of them whom We saved [because of their righteousness], whereas those who were bent on evildoing only pursued pleasures which corrupted their whole being, and so lost themselves in sinning.”

(If only there had been among the generations before you) He says: there were not among the nations before you believing (men possessing a remnant (of good sense) to warn (their people) from corruption in the earth) warning them against disbelief, idolatry, idol worship and all kinds of transgressions, (as did a few of those whom We saved from them) from among the believers! (The wrong-doers followed) the idolaters engaged in (that by which they were made sapless) the comfort and wealth which they were given in this world, (and were guilty) idolaters.