﴿ وَلَوْ أَنَّآ أَهْلَكْنَٰهُم بِعَذَابٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًۭا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَٰتِكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن نَّذِلَّ وَنَخْزَىٰ ﴾

“For [thus it is:] had We destroyed them by means of a chastisement ere this [divine writ was revealed], they would indeed [be justified to] say [on Judgment Day]: "O our Sustainer! If only Thou hadst sent an apostle unto us, we would have followed Thy messages rather than be humiliated and disgraced [in the hereafter]!"”

(And if We had destroyed them) i.e. the people of Mecca (with some punishment before it) before the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came with the Qur'an, (they would assuredly have said) on the Day of Judgement: (Our Lord!) O our Lord! (If only Thou hadst sent unto us) why did You not send us (a messenger, so that we might have followed Your revelations) so that we you follow your Messenger and believe in Your Book (before we were (thus) humbled) before we were killed at Badr (and disgraced!) and tormented by the torment of the Day of Judgement.