ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَا ۖ كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ ۚ فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُم بَعْضًا وَجَعَلْنَٰهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ ۚ فَبُعْدًا لِّقَوْمٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ
2:88; 36:31.
Important Words:
تتراً (one after another) is derived from وتر. They say وترہ i.e. he made it (a number) sole; or one and no more; he made it to be odd number. وتر الخبر means, he made the tidings to follow one part after another or to follow with a small space between every two portions thereof. تواتر means, it was consecutive, or was so with intervals or was so with interruption. وترة of the nose means the partition between the two nostrils. جاؤواتتری means, they came following one another; one after another. ثم أرسلنا رسلنا تتری means, then We sent Our Messengers one after another; or interruptedly; at intervals or making a long time to intervene between every two (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
This verse like several others shows that after a Divine Law has been revealed God continues to raise other Messengers to support, explain and establish it. After the Law of Moses was revealed God sent other Messengers who followed the Mosaic Law and exhorted the Israelites to follow it.
It appears from the Bible that there had always lived among the Israelites a number of Prophets and Reformers who explained the Torah to the Israelites. Jesus was the last of these Prophets. He himself says, "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled" (Matt. 5:17, 18).
The words, "We made them mere tales," signify that when the opponents of the Prophets are destroyed their destruction is so complete that generations coming after them talk of them as people who once lived on this earth, because no trace of their existence or work remains behind.
2:88; 36:31.
Their destruction was so complete that generations coming after them talked of them as of a people who once lived on this earth, as no trace of their existence was left.