كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَّالْاَحْزَابُ مِنْۢ بَعْدِهِمْ ۖوَهَمَّتْ كُلُّ اُمَّةٍۢ بِرَسُوْلِهِمْ لِيَأْخُذُوْهُ وَجَادَلُوْا بِالْبَاطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا بِهِ الْحَقَّ فَاَخَذْتُهُمْ ۗفَكَيْفَ كَانَ عِقَابِ ( غافر: ٥ )
Kazzabat qablahum qawmu Noohinw wal Ahzaabu mim ba'dihim wa hammat kullu ummatim bi Rasoolihim liyaa khuzoobhu wa jaadaloo bilbaatili liyudhidoo bihil haqqa fa akhaztuhum fakifa kaana 'iqaab (Ghāfir 40:5)
Sahih International:
The people of Noah denied before them and the [disbelieving] factions after them, and every nation intended [a plot] for their messenger to seize him, and they disputed by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate thereby the truth. So I seized them, and how [terrible] was My penalty. (Ghafir [40] : 5)
1 Mufti Taqi Usmani
Before these, the people of NūH and the groups after them had rejected (the messengers). Every group intended to seize their messenger, and raised disputes on the basis of falsehood, so that they might refute the truth with it, hence I seized them. So, how was My punishment?