Noah: (28) My Lord, forgive me...

And know that after the Prophet (peace be upon him) supplicated against the disbelievers, he immediately said: {My Lord, forgive me} (Rabbi ighfir lī).

This means: Forgive me concerning any omission on my part of what was better (i.e., leaving the superior action). It is also possible that when he supplicated against the disbelievers, he did so because of the harm they inflicted upon him. Thus, that supplication against them was akin to seeking vengeance, and he sought forgiveness for it because it involved seeking a personal benefit.

Then He said: {and for my parents} (wa li-wālidayya). His father was Lamek son of Methuselah, and his mother was Shamkha bint Anūsh. Both of them were believers. 'Aṭā' said: There was no disbeliever among Noah's ancestors between him and Adam (peace be upon them both), and there were ten generations between him and Adam. Al-Ḥasan ibn 'Alī recited it as {wa li-waladī} (and for my son), intending Sām and Ḥām.

Then the Almighty said: {and for whoever enters my house a believer} (wa liman dakhala baytiya mu'minan). It is said this refers to his mosque. It is also said it refers to his ark (ship). Another interpretation is: for whoever enters my religion. If one asks: Under this interpretation, does the phrase {a believer} (mu'minan) become redundant? We reply: Indeed, one who outwardly enters his religion might be a believer in his heart, or he might not be. The meaning is: and for whoever enters my religion with a true affirmation of the heart.

Then the Almighty said: {and for the believing men and believing women} (wa lil-mu'minīna wal-mu'mināt). He first specified himself in the supplication, then those connected to him because they are the most deserving of his prayer, and then He generalized to all believing men and believing women.

Then He concluded the speech once again by supplicating against the disbelievers, saying: {and do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction} (wa lā tazid aẓ-ẓālimīna illā tabārā). This means ruin and utter destruction. Everything that is destroyed is described as tabār. From this is His saying: {Indeed, those people are doomed for what they are engaged in} (Inna hā'ulā'i mutabbarun mā hum fīhi) and His saying: {and that He might utterly destroy whatever they have gained} (wa liyatarra mā 'alaw tatbīrā).

So, God answered his supplication and destroyed them completely. If one asks: What was the offense of the children when they were drowned? The answer is in several aspects:

1. That God Almighty dried up the loins of their fathers and made the wombs of their wives barren forty (or ninety) years before the Flood, so there were no children with them when they were drowned. This is supported by His saying: {Ask forgiveness of your Lord... and He will help you with wealth and sons} (Noah: 10-12). This implies that if they did not seek forgiveness, God would not extend His bounty to them with sons.
2. Al-Ḥasan said: God knew the innocence of the children, so He caused them to perish without torment.
3. They drowned with them, not as a form of punishment, but just as people die by drowning or burning. This served as an increase in the torment for the fathers and mothers when they witnessed their children drowning.

And God, the Glorified and Exalted, knows best. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master Muḥammad, the Prophet, his family, and all his companions.