Is it permissible to apply Quranic verses that speak of the destruction of wicked towns, such as His — Exalted be He — saying: "And never would We destroy the cities unless their people were wrongdoers," to contemporary reality when cities are destroyed by disasters or wars, and to claim that this is due to the wrongdoing and wickedness of their people, and are there any controls for this?

Allah destroys the villages of the oppressive disbelievers upon whom the proof has been established, and who insisted on disbelief. He does not punish anyone until the proof is established against them. As for the villages of Muslims where immorality and disobedience have spread, Allah may destroy them if evil becomes widespread and is not denounced. Silence in the face of evil and being content with it makes everyone deserving of punishment.