Meccan, and it consists of twenty-eight verses [revealed after An-Nahl]. 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.'

'That I may warn' its origin is: 'that I warn,' so the preposition was omitted and the verb was connected: and it is that which indicates the action, and the meaning is: We sent him with the command to warn, meaning: We sent him with the order of warning. It may also be an explanation, because sending contains the meaning of saying. Ibn Mas'ud read: 'warn' without 'that' intending the saying. And 'that you worship' is similar to 'that I may warn' in both aspects.

If you say: How did He say 'and He will delay you' while informing of the impossibility of delaying the term? Is this not a contradiction? I say: Allah decreed, for example, that the people of Noah, if they believed, would have their lifespan extended to a thousand years, and if they remained in disbelief, He would destroy them at nine hundred years. So it was said to them: 'Believe, and He will delay you to a specified term,' meaning: to a time that Allah named and set as a limit you will reach and not exceed, which is the longest time completing the thousand. Then He informed that when that appointed time comes, it will not be delayed as this time is delayed, and you will have no way out, so hasten during the times of respite and delay.