Regarding His saying: "And those cities, We destroyed them when they committed wrong," meaning: when they associated partners with God and rejected His messengers. "And We appointed for their destruction," meaning: for their punishment, "a fixed time," meaning: a limit and a specific time.
Muhammad said: Whoever read it as 'li-muhlikihim' with a damma on the mim and a fatha on the lam, it is the verbal noun (masdar) of 'ahlakahu', meaning to cause someone to perish (ihlak) or a time of destruction (mahlak). And whoever read it as 'li-mahlikihim' with a fatha on the mim and the lam, he intended the meaning 'halaku mahlakan' (they perished a perishing).
قَوْلِهِ: ﴿وَتِلْكَ الْقُرَى أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ لَمَّا ظلمُوا﴾ أَيْ: أَشْرَكُوا وَجَحَدُوا رُسُلَهُمْ ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا لمهلكهم﴾ أَي: لعذابهم ﴿موعدا﴾ أَجَلًا وَوَقْتًا.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: مَنْ قَرَأَ: (لِمُهْلَكِهِمْ) بِضَمِّ الْمِيمِ وَفَتْحِ اللَّامِ فَهُوَ مَصْدَرُ أَهْلَكَهُ إِهْلاكًا وَمَهْلِكًا. وَمِنْ قَرَأَ: (لِمَهْلَكِهِمْ) بِنَصْبِ الْمِيمِ وَاللَّامِ؛ أَرَادَ هَلَكُوا مَهْلِكًا.
