And when He completed - glorified and exalted is He - the news about the first matter of those represented by them; and the first matter of the believer in them; and its end; and this regret indicates that the destruction of the deniers is an inevitable matter; it was indicated by their astonishment at their lack of consideration for themselves; and it threatens the listeners among them; and warns of the final matter of those represented by them; in a way that includes all the past nations; and the empty sects; by His saying: ﴿Did they not see﴾; meaning: they should know; these whom you call upon; knowledge that is like vision; regarding what has been confirmed to them of the news; and what they have witnessed of the effects; ﴿How many have We destroyed﴾; despite Our greatness; and His saying: ﴿Before them﴾ - as it is a context in which He did not mention the preposition - indicates that the intended meaning is all the time that preceded them; from Adam to their time; and the inclusion of the preposition regarding the destroyed indicates that the intended meaning is some of them; thus, the result of that returns to the fact that the intended meaning is: look at all that has passed from time; was any people punished with the punishment of total destruction except due to their disobedience to the messengers? So He said: ﴿From the generations﴾; meaning: the many; the severe; the great; and 'generation'; Al-Baghawi said: the people of every era; they were named that due to their being contemporaneous in existence; ﴿That they﴾; meaning: because the generations; and when the intended meaning of 'messenger' is not one in particular; and the form of (p-119) 'fa'ul' is like 'fi'il'; it is equal in it the masculine and the feminine; the singular and the plural; He returned the pronoun to all of them; so He said: ﴿To them﴾; meaning: to the messengers specifically; in terms of them being messengers; ﴿Do not return﴾; meaning: from their vile paths; and they specify the messengers with following; so they do not follow anyone else at all in anything of the religious or worldly matters; thus, Our tradition has been established; and you will not find any change in Our tradition; in that whenever a people denied their messenger, We destroyed them; and saved their messenger; and whoever followed him; do these not fear that We will subject them to that ancient, upright tradition? So 'that' is a causal particle; indicating the intention to omit the preposition of the cause; as is well known in other contexts; and the pronoun 'that they' refers to those sent to them; and the pronoun 'to them' refers to the messengers; there is no doubt in this for one who has sound taste; and a straight nature; and the expression in the present tense indicates His delay with them; and His patience towards them; and His forbearance with them; while they persist in their obstinacy by renewing their refusal to return; and 'they do not return' here is similar to His saying (the Exalted): ﴿And We will surely make them taste of the lesser punishment before the greater punishment, perhaps they will return﴾ [As-Sajda: 21]; meaning: from their corrupt ways; and this is the meaning of the verse without a doubt; and it is not at all the saying of one who said: the meaning is that the destroyed do not return to the world; to imply a refutation of one who claims the return; because the Arabs are not among those who believe that; and even if it were valid, it would not be appropriate; because the context does not support it; nothing has preceded them except mockery; so He denied their mockery; (p-120) while they know that Allah (the Exalted) has established His tradition that whoever mocks the messengers; and opposes their words; and does not return to them; He destroys him; this has been consistent in His tradition; and it has not failed in any nation of the nations; as occurred with the people of Noah; and Hud; and those after them; none of them failed; and all of them the Arabs know their news; and they look at their effects; and likewise they know the story of Moses - peace be upon him - with Pharaoh; so the context is for threatening; thus the meaning becomes: Did these not see the multitude of those whom We destroyed from before them; for their opposition to the messengers? Do they not fear something similar in their opposition to their messenger? And this is consistent with the reading of the broken form; which Al-Burhan Al-Safaqasi transmitted from Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with them both - and others; from Al-Hasan; and they said: it is an independent statement; so it is in the estimation of a question from someone who seems to say: Why did We destroy them? And this is like if it became well-known that a certain valley has not been traversed by anyone except that he was afflicted; that would prevent someone from traversing it; and if someone wanted that, it would be correct to say to him: Did you not see that no one has traversed it except that he perished? So that would deter him; and prevent him from persisting in it; because the reason for destruction is only his traversing it; and that is more effective than saying to him: Did you not see that people die; and the multitude of those who have died among them; and no one has returned from them? Without attributing that to anything of traversing the valley; or anything else; for this is a known matter to him; not renewing any benefit; and the increase of not returning to the world has no relevance to the cause either; because that is known among the addressees; rather (p-121) they are saying something greater than that; that there is no life after death; neither to the world; nor to anything else; and in the estimation of submission perhaps mentioning the return of the dead is more appropriate to be a threat; for every person among them would then return to what is in the possession of others; from what he died upon; and the followed becomes thereby a follower; or war occurs; and tribulations arise; thus this indicates that threatening by the absence of return is not appropriate; and Allah is the Guide to what is correct.