"And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before it," meaning: before the Quran, "they would have said, 'Our Lord, why did You not send to us a messenger?'"
﴿وَلَوْ أَنَّا أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ مِنْ قبله﴾ يَعْنِي: مِنْ قَبْلِ الْقُرْآنِ ﴿لَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا لَوْلَا﴾ هَلَّا ﴿أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولا﴾.
