The people were one nation, agreeing on the religion of Islam. Then Allah sent the prophets, meaning: they differed, so Allah sent. And it was omitted due to the indication of His saying: (to judge between the people in that which they differed). And in the reading of Abdullah: the people were one nation, then they differed, so Allah sent. The evidence for this is His Exalted saying: (and the people were not except one nation, then they differed). It is said: the people were one nation of disbelievers, so Allah sent the prophets, and they differed with them. The first view is correct. If you say: when were the people one nation agreeing on the truth? I say: according to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, there were ten centuries between Adam and Noah upon a law of truth, then they differed.

It is said: they are Noah and those who were with him in the ship, and He sent down with them the Book, meaning the genre, or with each of them his Book, to judge by Allah, or the Book, or the prophet upon whom it was sent in that which they differed in the truth and the religion of Islam in which they differed after the agreement. And they did not differ in the truth except those who were given it, except those who were given the revealed Book to remove the difference, that is, they increased in difference when the Book was sent down to them, and they made the descent of the Book a cause for the severity of the difference and its strengthening, out of envy among them and injustice due to their greed for this world and their lack of fairness. And from the truth is the clarification of what they differed in, meaning Allah guided those who believed to the truth in which those who differed differed.