What is meant by "people" (al-nas) in this āyah?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. It refers to all Arabs except the tribes known as al-Ḥums. This is supported by the hadith of ʿĀʾishah and is the view of ʿUrwah, Mujāhid, and Qatādah.
2. It refers to Abraham. [al-Ḍaḥḥāk]
3. It refers to Adam. [al-Zuhrī] A non-canonical reading has "al-nāsī", implying Adam as "the one who forgot", see 20:115).
4. It refers to the people of Yemen and the tribe of Rabīʿah, as they used to depart from ʿArafāt. [Muqātil]