تَنزِعُ النَّاسَ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ مُّنقَعِرٍ

“It plucked the people out as if they were stumps/trunks of palm trees uprooted”.

uprooted palm trunks from the bottom

Language points and insights

تَنزِعُ

Means “to pluck, pull or tear something out.” This verb implies the thing being plucked is attached or rooted—like a plant pulled from the ground.

The usage here can imply they were uprooted.
Before this they were deeply rooted in a stable society with established systems and architectural structures.
‘Ād were yanked out as if their history, culture, civilisation, memory and impact in the world were all plucked out of existence.
As with trees removed from soil, all benefit is lost—likewise, the people’s previous effects were wiped away.

أَعْجَازُ

عَجْز refers to the rear or backside of something, and أَعْجَازُ is used to refer to the stumps/trunks of palm trees.

مُنْقَعِرٍ

قَعْر refers to the bottom or depth of something (like a well or hole). مُنْقَعِرٍ means uprooted or torn out from the bottom.

The use of مُنْقَعِرٍ alongside تَنزِعُ emphasises the image of ‘Ād and every trace of them being completely wiped out.

Like plants pulled from soil, what is torn out loses all connection to its roots.
The comparison to palm stumps/trunks captures visibility of destruction and the finality of being cut off.

Before this, they were deeply rooted in a stable society with established systems and architectural structures.

‘Ād were yanked out as if their history, culture, civilisation, memory and impact were all plucked out of existence.

As with trees uprooted from the ground, all benefits are lost and removed. Likewise, their prior impact and effects were wiped away.

“Nobody would have ever known what happened to ‘Ād had I not informed you because I wiped them out and all trace of them.”