with the rā’ read with kasrah wherever it occurs, as an adjective modifying “god.” Hamzah agreed with this reading in Surah Fatir: “Is there any creator other than Allah?” (Fatir 3). The others read the rā’ with dammah, on the basis of the word order; its meaning is: You have, apart from Him, no god.

“I fear for you,” should you not believe, “the punishment of a tremendous Day.”

“The eminent among his people said, ‘Indeed, we see you to be clearly in error’”—that is, in mistake and deviation from the truth—“manifest.”

Noah said, “My people, there is no error in me.” He did not say, “There is not,” in the feminine form, because the meaning of “error” here is “misguidance,” or because the verb comes first. “Rather, I am a messenger from the Lord of all worlds.”

“I convey to you”—Abu Amr read it as ublighukum (“I convey to you”), without doubling the lām, wherever it occurs, deriving it from the verb meaning “to convey,” based on His words: “I have certainly conveyed to you” (al-A‘raf 93)—“the messages of my Lord.” “So that He may know that they have conveyed the messages of their Lord.” The other reciters read it with a doubled lām, deriving it from the verb meaning “to communicate,” based on Allah’s words: “Convey what has been sent down to you” (al-Ma’idah 67): “the messages of my Lord.” (1)

“And I offer you sincere counsel.” One may say, “I advised him sincerely,” or, “I acted sincerely toward him.” Sincere counsel is to wish for another the same good that one wishes for oneself. “And I know from Allah that which you do not know”: namely, that His punishment cannot be turned away from the guilty people.

“Do you wonder that a reminder has come to you from your Lord through a man from among you, so that he may warn you, and so that you may be mindful of Allah and perhaps be shown mercy? (63) But they denied him, so We saved him and those with him in the Ark, and We drowned those who denied Our signs. Indeed, they were a blind people. (64) And to Aad We sent their brother Hud. He said, ‘My people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him. Will you not then be mindful of Him?’ (65) The eminent ones among his people who disbelieved said, ‘Indeed, we see you to be in folly, and indeed, we think you are among the liars.’ (66) He said, ‘My people, there is no folly in me; rather, I am a messenger from the Lord of all worlds.’ (67)”

“Do you wonder?” The interrogative alif is prefixed to the conjunctive wāw. “That a reminder has come to you from your Lord”: Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: an admonition. It was also said: an explanation. And it was said: a message. “Through a man from among you, so that he may warn you”—of Allah’s punishment, should you not believe—“and so that you may be mindful of Allah,” that is, so that you may fear Allah; “and perhaps be shown mercy,” that is, so that you may receive mercy.

“But they denied him,” meaning, they denied Noah. “So We saved him” from the Flood, “and those with him in the”