Tafsir of Hud 11:36

"And it was revealed to Noah that none shall believe from your people except those who have already believed."

This is to cause him—peace be upon him—to despair of their belief, and to inform him that there remains no one among them whose faith could be expected. Ishaq ibn Bishr and Ibn 'Asakir narrated from Ibn 'Abbas who said: "Noah, peace be upon him, used to be beaten until he was wrapped in felt and cast into his house, where they would assume he had died. Then he would emerge and call them [to faith]. It happened that a man came to him accompanied by his son, while he [the man] was leaning on a staff. He said: 'O my son, observe this old man; do not let him deceive you.' The boy said: 'O my father, give me the staff.' He took the staff and said: 'Place me on the ground.' He placed him down, and he walked toward him [Noah] and struck him, wounding him in the head so that blood flowed. Noah, peace be upon him, said: 'O Lord, You see what Your servants are doing to me. If You have any need for Your servants, then guide them; and if it is otherwise, then grant me patience until You judge, and You are the best of judges.' Then Allah the Almighty revealed to him, causing him to despair of the belief of his people and informing him that there remained no believer in the loins of men nor in the wombs of women."

Allah, the Glorified, said: "(O Noah, none shall believe)..." etc.

Regarding those who "have believed," it is said: [it refers to] those who persisted in their belief, for persistence is akin to origination—hence, if one swears not to wear a garment while already wearing it, and he does not remove it immediately, he breaks his oath. It is also said that it means: "except those who are already prepared for belief and from whom it is expected," and it does not mean the apparent [literal] sense. Otherwise, the meaning would be: "Except for those who have believed, for they shall believe." An objection was raised against this: that besides being far-fetched, it implies that some from among the people did believe thereafter, which contradicts the act of causing him to despair of their belief.

It may be said that the intended meaning is the apparent one, and the exception is in the manner of the exception in the verse of the Almighty: "...and that you should take two sisters in marriage at the same time, except what has already passed," according to what more than one scholar has stated. Thus, the speech conveys the despair in the most complete and eloquent manner; meaning, no belief shall be originated or achieved by your people after this, except for what has already been originated and achieved before. This is an impossibility, as it would involve "achieving the achieved" (a tautology) and "originating the originated." Therefore, originating and achieving belief after this is something that will not happen at all. In the al-Hawashi al-Shihabiyyah, it is noted: if it were said that the exception is disconnected (disjunctive) and the meaning is "No one shall believe after this, other than these [already believers]," it would be an eloquent meaning—so contemplate this.

Abu al-Barahasim recited "Wa awha" (And [He] revealed) in the active voice, and "annahu" (that none) with a kasra on the hamza, based on the implied [verb of] speech according to the school of the Basrans, or by treating awha as the equivalent of qala (said) according to the school of the Kufans. The verse is used as evidence by those who permit the imposition of a duty that is beyond one's capacity.

"...so do not be distressed by what they used to do."

Meaning: Do not commit yourself to misery, nor grieve over the denial, mockery, and harm they were engaged in during this long period, for the time of retribution against them has arrived.