﴿ وَكَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَمَا بَلَغُوا۟ مِعْشَارَ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوا۟ رُسُلِى ۖ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ﴾

“Thus, too, gave the lie to the truth [many of] those who lived before them; and although those [earlier people] had not attained to even a tenth of [the evidence of the truth] which We have vouch­safed unto these [late successors of theirs], yet when they gave the lie to My apostles, how awesome was My rejection!”

And those who were before them also denied and they these ones the Meccans have not received even a tenth of what We gave those others in the way of might long life and abundance of wealth. Yet they denied My messengers who were sent to them so how was My abhorrence! so how was My rebuttal against them through punishment and destruction in other words it was appropriate.