﴿ وَكَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَمَا بَلَغُوا۟ مِعْشَارَ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوا۟ رُسُلِى ۖ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ﴾

“Thus, too, gave the lie to the truth [many of] those who lived before them; and although those [earlier people] had not attained to even a tenth of [the evidence of the truth] which We have vouch­safed unto these [late successors of theirs], yet when they gave the lie to My apostles, how awesome was My rejection!”

(Those before them denied) before your people, the Quraysh, denied the messengers, (and these have not attained a tithe of that which We bestowed on them (of old)) i.e. on the disbelievers of old; it is also said that this means: their wealth and children have not reached even a tithe of the wealth and children that which We bestowed upon the disbelievers of old; (yet they denied My messengers. How intense then was My abhorrence (of them)) how intense was My chastisement when they disbelieved!