His brother: one of them, from your saying: O brother of the Arabs, for one of them. And he made it one of them because they understand better about a man among them and are more familiar with his condition in terms of his truthfulness and trustworthiness. He is Hud, the son of Shalikh, the son of Arfakhshadh, the son of Sam, the son of Noah. And their brother: is an apposition to Noah. And Hud is an explanatory apposition to him. If you say: why was the conjunction omitted from his saying, 'he said: O my people' and he did not say 'then he said' as in the story of Noah? I say: because the speech was presented as a response to a questioner, as if it were said: what did Hud say then? It was said: O my people. And likewise, the leaders said. Ahmad said: and the conjunction was omitted from the conversation. Do you not see his saying in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, narrating the conversation between Musa (Moses) and Fir'aun (Pharaoh), how the mention of the conjunction was omitted despite the many statements mentioned therein? The secret in that - and Allah knows best - is that the conjunction organizes the sentences until they become like a single sentence, so that it avoids the intention of independence of each one of them in its meaning, and Allah knows best. If you say: why did the leaders describe those who disbelieved without mentioning the leaders from the people of Noah? I say: there were among the nobles of the people of Hud those who believed in him, among them was Murtad ibn Sa'd who embraced Islam and concealed his Islam. Thus, the distinction was intended by the description, and there were no believers among the nobles of the people of Noah. And similar to it is His saying: 'And the leaders from his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter.' It may be that the description is one that is intended for blame only, in foolishness, in the lightness of forbearance and the silliness of intellect, where you abandon the religion of your people for another religion. And foolishness was made a condition in a figurative manner: they intended that he is firmly established in it and not detached from it. In the response of the prophets, may peace be upon them, to those who attributed them to misguidance and foolishness, with what they responded to them with words that emanated from forbearance and overlooking and refraining from confrontation, with what they said to them while knowing that their opponents were the most misguided and foolish of people - there is good manners and great character. And Allah, the Exalted, narrating that is a teaching for His servants on how to address the foolish and how to overlook them and let their tails drag behind them. As for what is from you, a sincere advisor, trustworthy in what I call you to, I do not lie in it. You have succeeded after the people of Noah, meaning you have succeeded them on earth, or He made you kings on earth, having appointed you in it after them. In creation, a vastness in what He created from your bodies, going in height and bulk. It is said: the shortest of them was sixty cubits, and the tallest of them was a hundred cubits. So remember the favors of Allah in your succession and the vastness of your bodies and other than them from His gifts. And one of the favors is 'to' like 'I' and 'we', and 'side' and 'sides', and 'grape' and 'grapes'. If you say: what is the case of 'when' in His saying 'when He made you successors'? I say: it is an object and not a circumstance, meaning remember the time of your succession.