Al-Furqan: (37) And the people of Noah...

Know that the Almighty said: {They denied the Messengers} for one of three reasons:

1. They were among the Brahmins who deny all messengers.
2. Their denial of one messenger constituted a denial of all, because denying one messenger necessarily involves impugning the miracle, which implies denying all of them.
3. The intended meaning is Noah (peace be upon him) alone, but it is phrased in the plural, similar to saying, "So-and-so rides horses" (even if he rides only one).

As for His statement: {We drowned them}, Al-Kalbi said: Allah caused the sky to rain upon them for forty days and also brought forth water from the earth during those forty days, so the earth became one vast sea. {And We made them}—meaning, We made their drowning, or their story, a sign. {And We have prepared for the wrongdoers}—meaning, for everyone who follows their path in denying the messengers—a painful punishment. Alternatively, the intended meaning might specifically be the people of Noah.

The Third Story: The Story of 'Ad, Thamud, and the People of the Well

{And 'Ad and Thamud, and the people of the Well, and many generations between them.}

{And to all of them We set forth examples, and all of them We utterly destroyed.}