Tafsir of Hud 11:26

"(That you worship none but Allah)" means: by the fact that you worship none but Allah. The an (أن) is acting as a source-based particle (masdariyyah), and the ba (ب) is connected to "We sent." The la (لا) is prohibitive; thus, it means: "We sent him, encompassing their prohibition from polytheism." However, the statement of some of his attributes was inserted between them so that it would be more readily accepted. This was not stated at the beginning of the chapter so that it would not be like separating the bark from the tree.

It is permitted that "(That you worship...)" and what follows it, in the interpretation of a source, is the object of "a manifest warner" (mubin), meaning: "manifesting the prohibition of polytheism." It is also possible that an (أن) is explanatory, connected to "We sent" or to "warner" or to "manifest," meaning: "We sent him with something," or "a warner with something," or "manifesting something," which is "that you worship none but Allah." However, it has been said: The warning in this is not apparent. This applies to the reading with a kasra (that which passed before).

As for the reading with a fatha (that you worship...), then "that you worship..." is a substitute (badal) for "I am for you a warner." One assumes a speech-act after an (أن), so the estimation is: "We sent him with his saying: 'I am for you a warner,' and with his saying: 'Do not worship...'" Thus, it indicates, in part or in whole, exaggeration and the claim that the entire warning is this. It is also permitted not to assume the speech-act; the most apparent interpretation then is the substitute of inclusion (badal al-ishtimal). Whoever claims that it is so absolutely—because there is no relation between them of part-to-whole—has overlooked that, upon the estimation of the speech-act, His saying, "I fear for you the punishment of a painful Day," is the cause of the prohibition and is part of what was said. It is a specific warning, and thus it is a part of it, or the whole of it by way of claim.

The apparent meaning is that the "Day" refers to the Day of Resurrection, though it is permissible that it refers to the Day of the Flood. Describing it as "painful" (alim), meaning "the inflictor of pain" (mu'lim), is a figurative attribution, because the true inflictor of pain is Allah—glory be to Him. The temporal vessel (the Day) was placed in the position of the actor himself due to the frequency of the occurrence of the action within it, so it was made as if the action originated from it. Likewise, the punishment is described as such in more than one place in the Magnificent Quran. It is possible to consider it here as well, and to attribute the genitive case (al-jar) to proximity (jiwar).

The aspect of the metaphor, in that case, is that the description of a thing is made, due to the strength of its association with it, as if it were the thing itself, so that which is attributed to the actor is attributed to it. An example of this, based on both interpretations, is the phrase, "His day is fasting," and "His seriousness has become serious." It may be said that describing the punishment as "inflicting pain" is a conventional reality, and the like of it is considered an actor in the language, so it is said: "The punishment pained him," without metaphor.

It has been said: This statement, and what is in its meaning of what has been recounted in more than one verse, was not issued by him—upon him be peace—only once. Rather, he used to repeat it throughout his prolonged period, as expressed by His saying—glory be to Him—narrating from him: "My Lord, I have called my people night and day." The verses are connected to the act of sending that accompanied them, or to the assumed speech-act following it, as their response, interjected by the states of the believers who followed him through thick and thin, with the fa of immediate sequence. So He—glory be to Him—said: ...