{ فكذبوا عبدنا }
Meaning Noah. If you ask: What is the meaning of His saying { فكذبوا } (they denied) after { كذبت } (denied)? I say: It means they denied, then they denied our servant. That is, they denied him repeatedly, one after another; whenever one generation of deniers passed, another followed. Or, the people of Noah denied the messengers, and then they denied our servant—meaning, because they were deniers of the messengers and rejected prophethood entirely, they denied Noah, for he was among the messengers.
{ مجنون }
He is insane.
{ وازدجر }
They rebuked him with insults, beatings, and threats of stoning, as in their saying: { لتكونن من المرجومين } (You shall surely be among the stoned). It is also said that this is part of their statement: they said he is insane, and that the jinn have possessed him, scrambled his mind, stolen his reason, and flown away with his heart.
{ أني }
It is read as *annī* (that I), meaning: He prayed, "That I am overcome." And *innī* (verily I) is based on the implication of speech: He prayed and said, "Verily, I am overcome." My people have defeated me; they do not listen to me, and despair of their response to me has taken hold.
{ فانتصر }
So take vengeance on them with a punishment You send upon them. He only prayed this after the matter overwhelmed him and the flood reached the peak (a metaphor for the situation becoming unbearable). It is narrated that one of his people would meet him and choke him until he fell unconscious, and when he recovered, he would say: "O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know."
{ ففتحنا }
It is read both with a light and a heavy *tashdid*, as is { وفجرنا }.
{ منهمر }
Pouring forth in abundance and succession, not ceasing for forty days.
{ وفجرنا الأرض عيونا }
We made the entire earth as if it were springs gushing forth. This is more eloquent than saying "We caused the springs of the earth to gush," similar in structure to { واشتعل الرأس شيبا } (The head has ignited with white hair).
{ فالتقى الماء }
Meaning the waters of the sky and the earth. It is read as *al-mā’ān* (the two waters), meaning the two types of water: celestial and terrestrial. Similar to saying "I have two dates," meaning two types of dates. Al-Hasan read it as *al-māwān*, changing the hamza to a waw.
{ على أمر قد قدر }
Upon a state that Allah decreed as He willed. It is said: Upon a state that came about as a measured equality, where the amount sent down from the sky was exactly equal to the amount brought forth from the earth. It is also said: Upon a matter decreed in the Preserved Tablet that it would happen, which is the destruction of Noah’s people by the flood.
{ على ذات ألواح ودسر }
He meant the ship. These are descriptions that stand in place of the described, fulfilling their role and conveying their meaning so that there is no separation between them. This is among the most eloquent and inventive forms of speech. *Dusr* is the plural of *disār*, which is a nail; it is a *fa‘āl* form from *dasarahu* (he pushed it), because the nail is used to push and fasten the joints.
{ جزاء }
An object for the sake of which (maf‘ūl lahu) the opening of the gates of heaven and what followed occurred. Meaning: We did that as a reward for one who was denied (kufira). This refers to Noah, peace be upon him. He was called "denied" because the Prophet—peace be upon him—is a blessing and mercy from Allah. Allah says: { وما أرسلناك إلا رحمة للعالمين }. Thus, Noah was a blessing that was denied.
{ تركناها }
The pronoun refers to the ship, or the act (the flood). Meaning: We made it a sign to be learned from. Qatada said: Allah kept it on the land of Al-Judi for a long time, until the early generations of this nation saw it.
{ والمدكر }
The one who takes heed. It is read as *muddakir* (original form), and *muddakir* (by changing the ta to a dhal and assimilating).
{ ولقد يسرنا القرءان للذكر }
We have made the Quran easy for remembrance and admonition by filling it with healing exhortations and alternating within it promises and threats. So is there any who will take heed? It is also said: We have made it easy to memorize and have aided those who wish to memorize it. It may also mean: We have prepared it for remembrance, like one who prepares his camel for a journey or his horse for battle. It is narrated that the scriptures of other religions, like the Torah and the Gospel, are not recited by their people except by looking at them, and they do not memorize them by heart as they do the Quran.
