The question of resurrection and accountability was something that bothered many of the disbelievers of Makkah as it bothers others today. In the same way as the rainfall causes dead earth to be revived and makes the hidden treasures of life burst forth from its womb, so the impact of the Prophets also brings dead humanity back to life, causing the hidden goodness in women and men to burst forth. This allegory also hints at another important fact. In the same way that only fertile soil profits from rainfall, so only people of righteous nature can take benefit from the blessings of prophethood. As for the wicked, they are like a wasteland, as this verse suggests.
Rainfall can cause such a land to bring forth only thorny bushes and cacti.
Similarly, when the evil people come in contact with the teaching of the Prophets, the hidden evils of their nature come into full play. This allegory is followed in the Quran by a graphic account with illustrations from history showing that whenever the Prophets preached their Message, people split into two camps. The righteous receive the blessings of the Prophethood and flourish, bringing forth the fruit of their goodness. As for the wicked, once the criterion provided by the Prophets is applied, their impurities are fully exposed. When the persecution of Muslims in their homes in Makkah became so severe that they were in a state of desperation and hopelessness, some of them approached the Prophet in weakness.