﴿ وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْنٍ هَلْ تُحِسُّ مِنْهُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَوْ تَسْمَعُ لَهُمْ رِكْزًۢا ﴾

“for, how many a generation have We destroyed before their time - [and] canst thou perceive any one of them [now], or hear any whisper of them?”

أَوْ تَسْمَعُ لَهُمْ رِ‌كْزًا "Or hear from them even a whisper" - 19:98. The word means a faint, unintelligible sound such as a death-rattle. The meaning of the verse is that there have been many kings who ruled vast empires, exercised unlimited authority and lived in great splendor, but when the wrath of Allah caught upon them for their sinful acts, they were annihilated in such a manner that not even a whisper or a feeble motion is now being heard of them. Alhamdulillah The Commentary on Surah Maryam Ends here.