وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَحْسَنُ أَثَٰثًا وَرِءْيًا
6:7; 17:18; 19:99; 21:12; 36:32; 50:37.
Important Words:
رء یاً (outward show) is derived from رأی which means, he saw or he thought. رؤیا means, a sight; a beautiful sight; anything to which people raise their eyes to see. رئیاً means, aspect, look or outward appearance; beautiful aspect or outward appearance or what the eyes see of goodly condition and clean apparel (Lane & Aqrab). For أثاثاً (wealth) see 16:81.
Commentary:
The verse while, on the one hand, shows how proud the western Christian nations are of their material might, pomp and wealth and of the high order of their society, on the other, it leaves no doubt that in spite of all these things they will eventually come to grief. It may be said that the statement made in the verse under comment that there lived in the past more powerful and wealthier peoples than the present Christian nations of the West is contrary to the facts of history. Speaking absolutely it is correct that Western Christian nations of today were never equalled in the past by any nation in material power and wealth but speaking comparatively there certainly have been rulers and nations in the past who were more powerful than these nations, inasmuch as the opponents of the former were much weaker to them in material resources and in numbers than the adversaries of Western Christian nations of today are to them. It is in this sense that some of the nations of antiquity have been described as more powerful than the Western Christian nations of today in the present verse.
6:7; 17:18; 19:99; 21:12; 36:32; 50:37.