Does the fact that the Quraysh were not annihilated after their denial of the miracle of the moon splitting, despite the annihilation of previous nations for their denial of miracles, contradict the verses of the Qur'an, especially given that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not grant the Quraysh the miracle of turning mountains into gold for fear of their annihilation should they disbelieve?

There is no contradiction in the question posed by the inquirer. Allah hastens the destruction of the polytheists if they deny a specific sign they requested. However, He grants them respite if they request signs in general. This is because Allah does not destroy a nation due to a general sign unless they deny it. The exegetes (mufassirun) have alluded to this meaning when interpreting the verse: "And nothing prevented Us from sending signs except that the former peoples denied them."

As for the incident of the splitting of the moon, it was a great sign. The polytheists merely requested a sign; they did not specifically ask for the splitting of the moon. Therefore, punishment did not befall them despite their denial. The sign whose denial hastens destruction for the deniers is the general sign that became apparent to the polytheists in general, not one seen by a small number. When the moon split, most people were asleep or preoccupied with their affairs, and only a few saw it.