Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The meaning of the verse is that every town will inevitably reach the end of its existence before the Day of Resurrection, either through destruction or punishment. The destruction of a righteous town occurs through ordinary death and passing away, while a wicked town may be destroyed through a punishment that wipes it out or through severe punishment. All of this has been recorded in the Preserved Tablet.
Allah تعالى has informed us that punishment resulting from wrongdoing does not befall people until the proof has been established against them. He says:
“And your Lord would never destroy the towns unjustly while their people are reformers.” [Hud: 117]
And He says:
“And We would never punish until We have sent a messenger.” [Al-Isra: 15]
And Allah تعالى says:
“Messengers bringing good tidings and warnings, so that mankind would have no argument against Allah after the messengers.” [An-Nisa: 165]
Thus, Allah does not inflict a punishment of total destruction or punishment in the Hereafter upon anyone until the proof has been established against him: the messengers have been sent, their message has reached him, and he has subsequently rejected or stubbornly turned away from the truth.
The establishment of the proof is not necessarily the same for all people. It varies according to individuals, times, and places. The proof may reach one person while it does not reach another. One person may have the ability to recognize the truth, while another may be unable to do so because of an inability to understand or because the message did not reach him.
For this reason, the scholars distinguish between a general ruling and ruling upon a particular individual. In general, we say that whoever receives the message of Islam, has the proof established against him, and then rejects it is deserving of punishment. But determining whether a specific individual had the proof established against him or not is a matter whose ultimate knowledge and judgment belong to Allah تعالى.
The establishment of the proof also does not mean that Allah does not already know who will believe and who will disbelieve. Allah’s prior knowledge encompasses all of this. However, Allah تعالى does not wrong anyone. Rather, He holds a servant accountable after the proof has been established against him and his choice and rejection of the truth have become manifest.
Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah take a middle position regarding divine promises and warnings. They do not adopt the view of those who say that every sinful Muslim will remain eternally in Hell, nor do they adopt the view of those who disregard Allah’s warnings and make sins seem insignificant. Rather, they affirm what is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah regarding promises and warnings, and they say that Muslims who commit major sins are subject to Allah’s will: if He wills, He forgives them, and if He wills, He punishes them. A person who dies upon monotheism does not remain eternally in Hell as the disbelievers do.
In conclusion: Allah تعالى’s saying, “There is no town except that We will destroy it”, is a statement that all towns are destined to perish before the Day of Resurrection, or that punishment will descend upon the wicked towns. This is something recorded in the Preserved Tablet. As for punishment because of disbelief and wrongdoing, it occurs only after the proof has been established. The establishment of the proof varies according to individuals and circumstances, and Allah تعالى knows best against whom the proof has been established and against whom it has not.
And Allah تعالى knows best.