Tafsir Ibn Abbas: An-Nahl, Ayah 26
قَدْ مَكَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَى ٱللَّهُ بُنْيَٰنَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّقْفُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَأَتَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Those before them had already plotted, but Allah came at their building from the foundations, so the roof fell upon them from above them, and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive.
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Those before them had indeed plotted those such as Nimrod — he built a lofty tower that he might ascend through it to the heavens and wage war against its inhabitants; then God came at He aimed at their edifice from the foundations from the base unleashing against it winds and earthquake which demolished it; and so the roof collapsed upon them from above them that is while they were beneath it and the chastisement came upon them whence they were not aware from a direction which would not have occurred to them alternatively it is said that this description is a simile for demonstrating the thwarting of that which they had settled on in the way of plots against God’s messengers.
Ibn Abbas Commentary
(Those before them plotted) against their prophets, just as the leaders of Quraysh who were slain in the valley of Badr plotted against Muhammad (pbuh); the reference here is to the tyrant Nimrod who built the tower, (so Allah struck at the foundations of their building) Allah extracted their tower from its foundation, (and then the roof fell down upon them) the tower fell upon him (from above them, and the doom came on them) through this destruction (whence they knew not);