Allah tells us that if people were to be punished before proof was established against them, they would use the excuse that no Messenger came to them, but when the truth did come to them through Muhammad , in their stubbornness, disbelief, ignorance and misguided thinking, they said:

﴿لَوْلا أُوتِىَ مِثْلَ مَآ أُوتِىَ مُوسَى﴾

(Why is he not given the like of what was given to Musa) Meaning -- and Allah knows best -- many signs like the staff, the hand, the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, the blood, the destruction of crops and fruits -- which made things difficult for the enemies of Allah -- and the parting of the sea, the clouds (following the Children of Israel in the wilderness and) shading them, the manna and quails, and other clear signs and definitive proof, miracles which Allah wrought at the hands of Musa as evidence and proof against Fir`awn and his chiefs and the Children of Israel. But all of this had no effect on Fir`awn and his chiefs; on the contrary, they denied Musa and his brother Harun, as Allah tells us:

﴿أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَلْفِتَنَا عَمَّا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءابَاءَنَا وَتَكُونَ لَكُمَا الْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكُمَا بِمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾

(Have you come to us to turn us away from what we found our fathers following, and that you two may have greatness in the land We are not going to believe you two!) (10:78)

﴿فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَكَانُواْ مِنَ الْمُهْلَكِينَ ﴾

(So they denied them both and became of those who were destroyed.) (23:48)