"Then We will follow them with the latter ones," meaning: the disbelievers of the end of this nation upon whom the Hour will come. Muhammad said: Whoever recites "thumma nutbiʿuhumu" in the nominative case, it is by way of a new sentence (istiʾnāf), and whoever recites "nutbiʿhum" in the jussive case, it is a conjunction to "nuhlik." Interpretation of Sūrat al-Mursalāt from verse (20-28).
﴿ثمَّ نتبعهم الآخرين﴾ يَعْنِي: كفار آخر هَذِه الْأمة الَّذِينَ تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّاعَةُ.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: مَنْ قَرَأَ (ثُمَّ نُتْبِعُهُمُ) بِالرَّفْعِ فَعَلَى الِاسْتِئْنَافِ، وَمَنْ قَرَأَ (نُتْبِعْهُمْ) بِالْجَزْمِ فَهُوَ عَطْفٌ عَلَى (نهلك).
تَفْسِير سُورَة المرسلات من آيَة (٢٠ - ٢٨)