They brought them clear proofs. and evidences of the truth that they came
with.
[فَمَا كَانُواْ
لِيُؤْمِنُواْ بِمَا كَذَّبُواْ بِهِ مِن قَبْلُ]
(But they would not believe what they had already rejected beforehand)
meaning the nations did not believe what their Messengers brought to them
because they already rejected it from the beginning. Allah said:
[وَنُقَلِّبُ
أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَـرَهُمْ]
(And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance).) (6:110)
He then said here,
[كَذَلِكَ نَطْبَعُ
عَلَى قُلوبِ الْمُعْتَدِينَ]
(Thus We seal the hearts of the transgressors.) This means that as Allah has
set seals on the hearts of those people, such that they would not believe since
they previously rejected faith, He would also set seals on the hearts of the
people that are like them, who will come after them. They would not believe
until they see the severe torment. This means that Allah destroyed the nations
after Nuh. He destroyed the nations that rejected the Messengers and saved those
who believed from among them. From the time of Adam to Nuh, people followed
Islam. Then they invented the worship of idols. So Allah sent Nuh to them. That
is why the believers will say to him on the Day of Resurrection, "You are the
first Messenger Allah sent to the people of the earth.'' Ibn `Abbas said: "There
were ten generations between Adam and Nuh, and all of them were following
Islam.'' Allah also said:
[وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا
مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ]
(And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh!) (17:17) This was a
serious warning to the Arab pagans, who rejected the leader and last of the
Messengers and Prophets. If the people before them who rejected their Messengers
had received this much punishment, then what did they think will happen to them
since they perpetrated even greater sins than others before them
[ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَا مِن
بَعْدِهِمْ مُّوسَى وَهَـرُونَ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِ بِآيَـتِنَا
فَاسْتَكْبَرُواْ وَكَانُواْ قَوْماً مُّجْرِمِينَ - فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمُ الْحَقُّ
مِنْ عِندِنَا قَالُواْ إِنَّ هَـذَا لَسِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ - قَالَ مُوسَى أَتقُولُونَ
لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَكُمْ أَسِحْرٌ هَـذَا وَلاَ يُفْلِحُ السَّـحِرُونَ -
قَالُواْ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَلْفِتَنَا عَمَّا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءابَاءَنَا
وَتَكُونَ لَكُمَا الْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكُمَا
بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ]
(75. Then after them We sent Musa and Harun to Fir`awn and his chiefs with
Our Ayat. But they behaved arrogantly and were a people who were criminals.)
(76. So when came to them the truth from Us, they said: "This is indeed clear
magic.'') (77. Musa said: "Say you (this) about the truth when it has come to
you Is this magic But the magicians will never be successful.'') (78. They said:
"Have you come to us to turn us away from that we found our fathers following,
and that you two may have greatness in the land We are not going to believe you
two!'')