الَّذينَ طَغَوا فِي البِلادِ
فَأَكثَروا فيهَا الفَسادَ
All these transgressed [against Allah] in [their] cities,
and caused much corruption in them.
EXEGESIS
The third person, plural, perfect tense verb aktharū in verse 12 means to do something in great quantity or frequently.
EXPOSITION
The transgressions of the people of ʿĀd are described at several places in the Quran. Prophet Hūd (a), who was from among them, urged them to worship one God (7:65, 11:50, 26:124, 26:125-127, 46:21) and to express gratitude to God for the bounties He had granted them, which included a tall stature (7:69), cattle and sons, gardens and springs (26:131-135), and power (46:26, 11:52). He also urged them to repent (11:52). However, the elite from among them belied him (7:66, 7:70, 11:53-54, 26:136-139, 46:22), despite his exhortations and entreaties to them (7:67-69, 11:52, 46:23). They defied God (11:60), rejected the signs of God, disobeyed God’s messengers (26:123, and 41:14 refers to a series of messengers sent to them), behaved arrogantly in the earth unduly (41:15), and instead did the bidding of and followed obdurate tyrants (11:59).
The transgressions of the people of Thamūd are also described at several places in the Quran. To them was sent Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a), who was from among them. He urged them to worship one God and not to cause corruption on the earth (7:74, 26:142-152, and 41:14 refers to a series of messengers sent to them), but rather to turn penitently towards Him (11:61, 27:45). He even brought them a sign from God: a live female camel carved out of a rock. He asked them to honour and guard her and not to molest her (7:73, 11:64, 26:154-156, 54:26-28, 17:59, 91:13). He reminded them of God’s bounties bestowed on them (26:146-148), which included the ability to build palaces in the plains and to hew dwellings in the mountains (7:74, 26:149). However, the elite among them who were arrogant, belied his teachings and taunted and insulted those who did believe in him and his teachings. The latter are described as weak and abased in the land (7:75-76, 26:141, 26:153-154, 54:23-25, 91:11). 27:45-53 explicitly mentions that the people to whom Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) was sent split into two factions due to his teachings: believers and disbelievers. The disbelievers belied him, among whom nine people are particularly singled out as the leaders who had planned to kill Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) and his family (27:49), while 91:12 mentions a particularly vicious adversary for Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) among the people of Thamūd. They also hamstrung the female camel and dared to provoke the wrath of God (7:77, 11:65, 26:157, 54:29, 91:14).
As regards the transgressions of Pharaoh and his henchmen, the Quran describes these to include subjecting the Children of Israel to a terrible torment, enslaving them (26:22), slaughtering their sons and sparing their women (2:49, 7:127, 7:141, 14:6, 28:4), and behaving arrogantly (28:39, 29:39). Pharaoh is described in 10:83 as domineering and prone to excess.
[1] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 79.