Surah Yaseen (36) — Ayah 6

(Ayah 6) ➊ { لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّاۤ اُنْذِرَ اٰبَآؤُهُمْ … :} That is, you (ﷺ) were made a Messenger and this Book was revealed so that you may warn that nation among whom no prophet had come before, therefore they are unaware of the true religion. See the same subject in Surah As-Sajdah (4).

➋ Ibn Kathir said that in {’’ لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا ‘‘} the nation refers to the Arabs, whose forefathers were not warned. But this raises the question that this would mean that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sent only for the Arabs. Ibn Kathir answered this by saying that mentioning only the Arabs does not negate being sent to other nations, just as mentioning some individuals does not negate generality. Here, it is established by many verses and mutawatir ahadith that you were sent to all nations and your prophethood is until the Day of Judgment. See Surah Al-A'raf (157) and Surah Saba (28). The commentator Sulaiman Al-Jamal said: By {’’ لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا ‘‘} is meant all nations, Arabs and non-Arabs, and by {’’ اٰبَآؤُهُمْ ‘‘} is meant the near forefathers, that is, in the near time, neither any prophet came to the Arabs nor to the non-Arabs. Yes, in the distant past, Ismail, Hud, Salih, and Shu'ayb (peace be upon them) were sent to the Arabs, and to the non-Arabs, the last was Isa (peace be upon him), since whose mission about six hundred years had passed. Therefore, the meaning of Allah's statement is that you are sent to all people of your time, whether Arab or non-Arab, because no prophet was sent to their near forefathers. Due to the long period since the coming of the prophets, all these people are unaware of the original religion. This explanation is also very excellent. The question that arises on the tafsir of Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) does not arise on this tafsir.

➌ Another question is, why will the people of the period of interruption (in which no Messenger came) be punished for shirk and misguidance, when Allah's rule is: «وَ مَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِيْنَ حَتّٰى نَبْعَثَ رَسُوْلًا » [ بني إسرائیل : ۱۵ ] "And We never punish until We have sent a messenger." See the answer to this in the tafsir of the above-mentioned verse (15) in Surah Bani Isra'il.

6. 1. That is, you ﷺ have been made a Messenger for this reason and this book has been revealed for this reason so that you ﷺ may warn the people among whom no warner has come before you ﷺ, therefore, for a long time these people have been unaware of the true religion. This subject has already been mentioned in several places before, that among the Arabs, after Hazrat Ismail (عليه السلام), and before the Prophet ﷺ, no direct prophet had come. This matter has also been stated here.

6. So that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned [5], and so they are heedless.

[5]
In Makkah, You ﷺ Were Sent Two Thousand Years After Shu‘ayb ؑ:

This verse can have two meanings, and both are correct. If "ma" in ﴿مَا اُنْذِرَ﴾ is understood as "nafiya" (negating), as it has been translated, then it would mean that since no prophet had come to them, these people were deeply immersed in heedlessness and ignorance. And if "ma" is understood as "mawsula" (relative), then it would mean that you should warn them of the same thing with which their ancient forefathers were warned long ago. And it is evident that Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ, Sayyiduna Isma‘il ؑ, and Sayyiduna Shu‘ayb ؑ were sent to their forefathers, and the last prophet among them was Shu‘ayb ؑ, since whom two thousand years had passed, and after such a long period, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent to them.

The Condition of Arabia Before the Prophethood of You ﷺ:

And it was the effect of this long period that these people had fallen into extreme ignorance and heedlessness. Their habits and characteristics had greatly deteriorated. Polytheism was so widespread that there were three hundred and sixty idols inside the Ka‘bah, and each tribe also had its own separate idol. The profession of most of them was looting and highway robbery. They were extremely fond of wine. Immorality and shamelessness were common. It was their habit to start quarrels over trivial matters. Then, due to their tribal system, such wars would break out among the tribes that would never seem to end. In short, in every respect, this nation was uncivilized, unfamiliar with culture, and a rough and unrefined people, for whose reform and guidance you ﷺ were sent. From this situation, it can also be estimated how difficult and great was the responsibility placed upon you ﷺ.