[أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لِلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الأَرْضَ مِن بَعْدِ أَهْلِهَآ]

(Is it not a guidance for those who inherit the earth from its previous inhabitants. ..) "(Allah says,) did We not make clear to them that had We willed, We would have punished them because of their sins'' Mujahid and several others said similarly. Abu Ja`far bin Jarir At-Tabari explained this Ayah, "Allah says, `Did We not make clear to those who succeeded on the earth after destroying the previous nations who used to dwell in that land. Then they followed their own ways, and behaved as they did and were unruly with their Lord. [Did We not make clear to them] that,

[أَن لَّوْ نَشَآءُ أَصَبْنَـهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ]

(that had We willed, We would have punished them for their sins.) by bringing them the same end that was decreed for those before them,

[وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ]

(And We seal up their hearts), We place a cover over their heart,

[فَهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ]

(so that they hear not), words of advice or reminding''' I say that similarly, Allah said,

[أَفَلَمْ يَهْدِ لَهُمْ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِّنَ الْقُرُونِ يَمْشُونَ فِى مَسَـكِنِهِمْ إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لأَيَـتٍ لاٌّوْلِى النُّهَى ]

(Is it not a guidance for them: how many generations We have destroyed before them, in whose dwellings they walk Verily, in this are signs indeed for men of understanding.) [20:128]

[أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لَهُمْ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِمْ مِّنَ الْقُرُونِ يَمْشُونَ فِى مَسَاكِنِهِمْ إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لاّيَاتٍ أَفَلاَ يَسْمَعُونَ ]

(Is it not a guidance for them: how many generations We have destroyed before them in whose dwellings they do walk about Verily, therein indeed are signs. Would they not then listen) [32:26] and,

[أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُواْ أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِّن زَوَالٍوَسَكَنتُمْ فِى مَسَـكِنِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ]

(Had you not sworn aforetime that you would not leave (the world for the Hereafter). And you dwelt in the dwellings of men who wronged themselves)[14:44-45] Also, Allah said,

[وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِّن قَرْنٍ هَلْ تُحِسُّ مِنْهُمْ مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَوْ تَسْمَعُ لَهُمْ رِكْزاً ]

(And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Can you find a single one of them or hear even a whisper of them) [19:98] meaning, do you see any of them or hear their voices There are many other Ayat that testify that Allah's torment strikes His enemies, while His bounty reaches His faithful believers. Thereafter comes Allah's statement, and He is the Most Truthful, the Lord of all that exists,

[تِلْكَ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنبَآئِهَا وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ فَمَا كَانُواْ لِيُؤْمِنُواْ بِمَا كَذَّبُواْ مِن قَبْلُ كَذَلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِ الْكَـفِرِينَ - وَمَا وَجَدْنَا لاًّكْثَرِهِم مِّنْ عَهْدٍ وَإِن وَجَدْنَآ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَفَـسِقِينَ ]

(101. Those were the towns whose story We relate unto you. And there came indeed to them their Messengers with clear proofs, but they were not such who would believe in what they rejected before. Thus Allah does seal up the hearts of the disbelievers.) (102. And most of them We found not true to their covenant, but most of them We found indeed rebellious.) After narrating the stories of the people of Prophets Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut and Shu`ayb, destroying the disbelievers, saving the believers, warning these nations by explaining the truth to them with the evidence sent in the words of His Messengers, may Allah's peace and blessings be on them all, Allah said;

[تِلْكَ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ]

(Those were the towns that We relate to you) O Muhammad,

[مِنْ أَنبَآئِهَا]

(their story), and news,

[وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ]

(And there came indeed to them their Messengers with clear proofs,) and evidences of the truth of what they brought them. Allah said in other Ayah,

[وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً]

(And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).) [17:15], and,

[ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهَا قَآئِمٌ وَحَصِيدٌ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ وَلَـكِن ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ]

(That is some of the news of the towns which We relate unto you; of them, some are standing, and some have been reaped. We wronged them not, but they wronged themselves.) [11:100-101] Allah said

[فَمَا كَانُواْ لِيُؤْمِنُواْ بِمَا كَذَّبُواْ مِن قَبْلُ]

(but they were not such who would believe in what they had rejected before.) meaning they would not have later on believed in what the Messengers brought them, because they denied the truth when it first came to them (although they recognized it), according to the Tafsir of Ibn `Atiyyah. This explanation is sound, and is supported by Allah's statement,

[وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَآ إِذَا جَآءَتْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَوَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَـرَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُواْ بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ]

(And what will make you perceive that if it came, they will not believe And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance), as they refused to believe therein for the first time.) [6:109-110] This is why Allah said here,

[كَذَلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِ الْكَـفِرِينَوَمَا وَجَدْنَا لاًّكْثَرِهِم]

(Thus Allah does seal up the hearts of the disbelievers. And most of them We found not...) meaning, We did not find most of the previous nations,

[مِّنْ عَهْدٍ وَإِن وَجَدْنَآ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَفَـسِقِينَ]

(true to their covenant, but most of them We found to indeed be rebellious.) This Ayah means, We found most of them to be rebellious, deviating away from obedience and compliance. The covenant mentioned here is the Fitrah that Allah instilled in them while still in their fathers' loins, and taking their covenant, that He is their Lord, King, and that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him,. They affirmed this covenant and testified against themselves to this fact. However, they defied this covenant, threw it behind their backs and worshipped others besides Allah, having no proof or plea, nor support from rationality or by divine law. Surely, the pure Fitrah defies these actions, while all the honorable Messengers, from beginning to end, forbade them. Muslim collected the Hadith,

«يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ فَجَاءَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُم»

(Allah said, "I created My servants Hunafa' (monotheists), but the devils came to them and deviated them from their religion and prohibited them what I allowed them.'') It is recorded in the Two Sahihs,

«كُلُّ مَوْلُودٍ يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ وَيُنَصِّرَانِهِ وَيُمَجِّسَانِه»

(Every child is born upon the Fitrah, it is only his parents who turn him into a Jew, a Christian or a Zoroastrian.)

[ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِم مُّوسَى بِـَايَـتِنَآ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلإِيِهِ فَظَلَمُواْ بِهَا فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الْمُفْسِدِينَ ]

(103. Then after them We sent Musa with Our signs to Fir`awn and his chiefs, but they wrongfully rejected them. So see how was the end of the mischief-makers)