Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Hafiz Ibn Kathirذَلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُنْ رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غَـفِلُونَ(This is because your Lord would not destroy the (populations of) towns for their wrongdoing while their people were unaware. ) meaning: `We sent the Messengers and revealed the Books to the Jinns and mankind, so that no one has an excuse that he is being punished for his wrongs although he did not receive Allah's Message.
Therefore, We did not punish any of the nations, except after sending Messengers to them, so that they have no excuse.' Allah said in other Ayat,وَإِن مِّنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلاَّ خَلاَ فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ(And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.) 35:24, andوَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ(And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and stay away from At-Taghut (all false deities).") 16:36, andوَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً(And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger.) 17:15, and,كُلَّمَا أُلْقِىَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌقَالُواْ بَلَى قَدْ جَآءَنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا(Every time a group is cast therein, its keeper will ask: "Did no warner come to you" They will say: "Yes, indeed a warner did come to us, but we belied him.") 67:8-9 There are many other Ayat on this subject.
At-Tabari said, "Allah's statement,وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَـتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُواْ(For all there will be degrees according to what they did.) means, every person who obeys Allah or behaves disobediently, has grades and ranks according to their works, which Allah gives them as recompense, good for good and evil for evil." I say, it is possible that Allah's statement,وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَـتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُواْ(For all there will be degrees according to what they did.) refers to the disbelievers of the Jinns and mankind who will earn a place in the Fire according to their evil deeds.
Allah said,قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ(He will say: "For each one there is double (torment).")7:38, and,الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَـهُمْ عَذَابًا فَوْقَ الْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُواْ يُفْسِدُونَ(Those who disbelieved and hinder (others) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment to the torment because they used to spread corruption.) 16:88 Allah said next,وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ(And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.) Ibn Jarir commented, "All these deeds that they did, O Muhammad, they did while your Lord is aware of them, and He collects and records these deeds with Him, so that He recompenses them when they meet Him and return to Him.