"And We did not send before you except men from the people of the cities to whom We revealed." Al-Hasan said: Allah did not send a prophet from the people of the desert, nor from the women, nor from the jinn.
"Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them?" He says: They have traveled through the land and seen the ruins of the nations of the past whom Allah destroyed when they denied His messengers. Their end was that Allah destroyed them, then cast them into the Fire. He warns them against suffering what befell the generations before them. "And the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah"—it is better for them.
﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلا رِجَالا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقرى﴾ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: لمْ يَبْعَثِ اللَّهُ نَبِيًّا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَادِيَةِ، وَلا مِنَ النِّسَاءِ، وَلا مِنَ الْجِنِّ.
﴿أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قبلهم﴾ يَقُولُ: قَدْ سَارُوا فِي الأَرْضِ، فَرَأَوْا آثَارَ الَّذِينَ أَهْلَكُهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْأُمَمِ السَّالِفَةِ حِينَ كَذَّبُوا رُسُلَهُمْ، كَانَ عَاقِبَتُهُمْ أَنْ دَمَّرَ الله عَلَيْهِم، ثمَّ صيرهم إِلَى النَّارِ؛ يُحَذِّرُهُمْ أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ بِهِمْ مَا نَزَّلَ بِالْقُرُونِ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ﴿وَلَدَارُ الآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا﴾ خير لَهُم.
