Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:75

{And We shall draw out from every nation a witness}

This is conjoined to {He shall call out to them}. The past tense is used to signify certainty, or it is in the state of its subject, either with the implicit addition of "qad" (already) or without it. The shift to the pronoun of majesty (the "We" in "We draw out") is to demonstrate the utmost concern regarding this extraction and to emphasize its gravity. That is, We shall extract quickly from every nation of the nations a witness—one who testifies against them regarding what they were upon, and he is the prophet of that nation, as has been narrated from Mujahid and Qatada.

This is supported by the words of the Exalted: {How [will it be] then, when We bring from every nation a witness, and We bring you as a witness against these [people]?} This refers to one of the stages of the Day of Judgment; therefore, it does not conflict with the witness in another stage being someone other than the prophets (peace be upon them)—such as the nation of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) or the angels (peace be upon them)—due to the words of the Exalted: {And the prophets and the witnesses will be brought}. For this, in its outward meaning, indicates that the witnesses are distinct from the prophets (peace be upon them).

It has been said: It is possible that the stage is the same, and the indication of distinction is not conceded. Even if it were conceded, the testimony of the prophets (peace be upon them) does not negate the testimony of others alongside them. As for His word, {from every nation}, and the use of the singular {a witness}, it is apparent in what has preceded. Hence, it is said in al-Bahr: "It means righteous and chosen ones, and 'the witness' is a generic noun."

{Then We said}, to each of those nations, {Bring your proof} for the validity of that which you used to profess. On that day, they shall know that the Truth belongs to Allah alone in divinity, and that none shares it with Him, glory be to Him.

{And they shall be lost to them}, meaning, they shall vanish from them, like the disappearance of something lost—"lost" being a metaphorical borrowing for the meaning of "vanished" as a consequential metaphor—{what they used to fabricate} in the world, of falsehood.