ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَاThen 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 الضَّلَـلَةُAnd 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 جَاء أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُEvery 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 يَسْتَهْزِءُونَAlas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him. (36:30)... فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُم بَعْضًاso We made them follow one another,means, `We destroyed them,' as Allah says:وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍAnd how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh! (17:17)... وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَand We made them as Ahadith,meaning, stories and lessons for mankind, as Allah says elsewhere:فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍso, We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally. (34:19)... فَبُعْدًا لِّقَوْمٍ لاَّ يُوْمِنُونَSo, away with a people who believe not!