وَلَوْ And if أَنَّآ We أَهْلَكْنَـٰهُم (had) destroyed them بِعَذَابٍۢ with a punishment مِّن before him قَبْلِهِۦ before him لَقَالُوا۟ surely they (would) have said رَبَّنَا Our Lord لَوْلَآ why not أَرْسَلْتَ You sent إِلَيْنَا to us رَسُولًۭا a Messenger فَنَتَّبِعَ so we (could) have followed ءَايَـٰتِكَ Your signs مِن before قَبْلِ before أَن [that] نَّذِلَّ we were humiliated وَنَخْزَىٰ and disgraced ١٣٤
And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before him, they would have said, "Our Lord, why did You not send to us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses [i.e., teachings] before we were humiliated and disgraced?"
— Come To Light