Tafsir of Nuh 71:21

"Nuh said": The repetition of the narrative phrase is due to the long interval since the narration of his supplication to his Lord—Mighty and Majestic is He—meaning: He—peace be upon him—said, communing with Him—Exalted is He—and complaining to Him—Mighty and Majestic is He.

"My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me": That is, they have persisted in disobeying me regarding what I commanded them, despite my exhaustive efforts in guiding them through admonition and reminding.

"And have followed those whose wealth and children increase them only in loss": That is, they persisted in following their leaders, whose wealth made them arrogant and whose children deceived them, and this became the cause of the increase of their loss in the Hereafter, so they became models for them in loss. It is apparent that the following refers to the commoners and the lowly among them following those leaders. Describing them in this manner implies that they followed them due to the status they acquired through their wealth and children, not because they observed in them any semblance [of truth] that would justify following them in any capacity.

Ibn al-Zubayr, al-Hasan, al-Nakha'i, al-A'raj, Mujahid, the two brothers [Hamza and al-Kisa'i], Ibn Kathir, Abu 'Amr, and Nafi'—in a narration from Kharijah—recited wuld (وُلْد) with a damma on the waw and a sukun on the lam. It is said that this is a singular form in the language, like huzn and huzn (grief); others say it is a plural for it, like asad and usud (lion). In al-Qamus, it is stated: "The walad (child/children)—with vowelization [of the letters]—is used for both singular and plural; it is sometimes pluralized as awlad, wiladah, and wuld (with damma)." End quote.

Al-Hasan, al-Jahdari, Qatadah, Dharr, Talhah, Ibn Abi Ishaq, and Abu 'Amr—in one narration—also recited it with a kasra and a sukun (wild).