Allah says:

[ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قُرُوناً ءَاخَرِينَ ]

(Then, after them, We created other generations.) meaning, nations and peoples.

[مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَـْخِرُونَ ]

(No nation can advance their term, nor can they delay it.) means, they are taken at the appropriate time, as decreed by Allah in His Book that is preserved with Him, before they were created, nation after nation, century after century, generation after generation, successors after predecessors.

[ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَى]

(Then We sent Our Messengers in succession.) Ibn `Abbas said, "(This means) following one another in succession.'' This is like the Ayah:

[وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَـلَةُ]

(And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and avoid Taghut (all false deities).'' Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified) [16:36].

[كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ]

(Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him;) meaning the greater majority of them. This is like the Ayah:

[يحَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ]

(Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him.) [36:30]

[فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ بَعْضاً]

(so We made them follow one another,) means, `We destroyed them,' as Allah says:

[وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ]

(And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh!) [17:17]

[وَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ]

(and We made them as Ahadith) meaning, stories and lessons for mankind, as Allah says elsewhere:

[فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ]

(so, We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally) [34:19].

[ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى وَأَخَاهُ هَـرُونَ بِـَايَـتِنَا وَسُلْطَـنٍ مُّبِينٍ - إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِ فَاسْتَكْبَرُواْ وَكَانُواْ قَوْماً عَـلِينَ - فَقَالُواْ أَنُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا وَقَوْمُهُمَا لَنَا عَـبِدُونَ - فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَكَانُواْ مِنَ الْمُهْلَكِينَ - وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَـبَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ ]

=(45. Then We sent Musa and his brother Harun, with Our Ayat and manifest authority,) (46. To Fir`awn and his chiefs, but they behaved insolently and they were people self-exalting (by disobeying their Lord).) (47. They said: "Shall we believe in two men like ourselves, and their people are obedient to us with humility!'') (48. So, they denied them both and became of those who were destroyed.) (49. And indeed We gave Musa the Scripture, that they may be guided.)