“Kadhdhabat qawmu Nūḥin al-mursalīn”
“Noah’s people denied the messengers.” (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:105)
Historically the passage centers on their rejection of Noah, but the Qur’an uses the plural “messengers.” The common foundation of prophetic revelation allows denial of one true messenger to stand as rejection of the shared prophetic mission.
This does not mean Noah’s people met every prophet in history. The plural highlights the unity of the messengers’ essential call and the seriousness of denying their authority.
An explanatory singular may identify the immediate historical encounter, but it should not remove the wider significance conveyed by the plural noun.