Tafseer of Noah · Nooh · 71:1
Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
He, exalted is His mention, says: إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا ("Verily, We sent Nūḥ") — and that is Nūḥ ibn Lamak — إِلَى قَوْمِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ("to his people: 'Warn your people before a painful punishment comes upon them'"). He says: We sent him to them with: warn your people. The word "an" is in the naṣb position according to the view of some of the Arabic grammarians, and in the khafḍ position according to the view of some of them.
I have already set forth the arguments for each group of them, as well as what in our opinion is correct concerning this, in an earlier part of this book of ours, in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat it in this place. And in the reading of ʿAbd Allāh there stands — according to what has been transmitted — إنَّا أرْسَلْنا نُوحًا إلى قَوْمِهِ أنْذِرْ قَوْمَكَ ("Verily, We sent Nūḥ to his people: warn your people") without "an"; and that is permissible, because the sending has the meaning of speaking, as if it were said: We said to Nūḥ: warn your people before a painful punishment comes upon them. And that painful punishment is the flood with which Allah drowned them.
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Footnotes:
(4) He is ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, the eminent Companion, reciter of the Qurʾān and teacher of the people of Kūfa.
