Surah Hud: Verses (25 - 26)

Know that the Almighty began mentioning this story in Surah Yunus, and He repeated it in this Surah as well due to the added benefits and wonders of wisdom it contains. There are two issues concerning this:

Ibn Kathir, Abu 'Amr, and Al-Kisai' read the word as {إنى} (with fath on the hamza). The meaning is: "We sent Noah, saying: 'Indeed, I am to you a clear warner.'" This means He sent him accompanied by this speech, which is His saying: {إنى لكم نذير مبين}. Since the preposition Bā' (بـ) followed it, the hamza took the fath, similar to how it occurs in the word kāna.

As for the rest of the reciters, they read {إنى} (with kasr on the hamza), implying the meaning: He said, "Indeed, I am to you a clear warner."

Some commentators have stated that "Warner" refers to his threatening the disobedient with punishment, and "Clear" refers to his clarifying the reward God has prepared for the obedient.

However, the preferred meaning is that he is a warner to the disobedient concerning punishment, and he is "Clear" in the sense that he explained that warning in the most complete manner and with the strongest, most evident clarification.

The Almighty then clarified that this warning was manifested in forbidding the worship of anyone other than God and commanding the worship of God, because His statement: {أن لا تعبدوا إلا الله} (That you worship none but Allah) is an exception from a negation, which necessitates the negation of everything other than the exception.

Know that the structure of the verse is as if the Almighty said: "We sent Noah to his people with this speech, which is His saying: {إنى لكم نذير مبين}."

Then He said: {أن لا تعبدوا إلا الله}. Thus, His saying {أن لا تعبدوا إلا الله} is a substitute (badal) for His saying {إنى لكم نذير}. Furthermore, He emphasized this by saying: {إنى أخاف عليكم عذاب يوم عظيم} (Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day). The meaning is that since the great pain occurs on that Day, the pain is attributed to the Day, similar to the saying: "Your day is fasting" or "Your night is standing in prayer."