Tafsir

The Revelation to Nuh concerning what would happen to the People and the Command to prepare for It

Allah, the Exalted, sent revelation to Nuh when his people hastened the vengeance and punishment of Allah upon themselves. Then, Nuh supplicated against them, as Allah mentioned, when He said; رَّبِّ لاَ تَذَرْ عَلَى الاٌّرْضِ مِنَ الْكَـفِرِينَ دَيَّاراً(My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers inhabiting the earth!) 71:26 And he said, فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنُّى مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ (Then he invoked his Lord (saying): "I have been overcome, so help (me)!")54:10 At this point Allah revealed to him, أَنَّهُ لَن يُؤْمِنَ مِن قَوْمِكَ إِلاَّ مَن قَدْ ءَامَنَ(None of your people will believe except those who have believed already.) Therefore, do not grieve over them and do not be concerned with their affair. وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ(And construct the ship.) The word Fulk here means ship. بِأَعْيُنِنَا(under Our Eyes) This means under Our vision.

وَوَحْيِنَا(and with Our revelation,) This means, "We will teach you (Nuh) what to do." وَلاَ تُخَـطِبْنِى فِى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ إِنَّهُمْ مُّغْرَقُونَ(and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; they are surely to be drowned.) Muhammad bin Ishaq mentioned from the Tawrah, "Allah commanded him (Nuh) to make it (the ship) from Indian oak wood. Then He commanded him to make its length eighty cubits and its width fifty cubits. Allah then commanded him to coat its interior and exterior with tar and to make it with a slanted bow to part the water (as it sailed). Its height was thirty cubits into the sky. It had three levels and each level was ten cubits high. The lowest level was for the animals, both tame and wild, the second level was for the human beings and the highest level was for the birds. Its door was in the center of it and it had a cover on top of it that covered the entire ship.

Concerning Allah's statement, وَيَصْنَعُ الْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلأٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِ سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُ(And as he was constructing the ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they mocked at him.) This means that they teased him and rejected his threat that they would drown (in the forthcoming flood). قَالَ إِن تَسْخَرُواْ مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنكُمْ(He said: "If you mock at us, so do we mock at you likewise...") This is a severe threat and a serious warning. مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ(who it is on whom will come a torment that will cover him with disgrace) This means that it (the torment) will humiliate him in this life. وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ(and on whom will fall a lasting torment.) that is continuous and everlasting.

In the third verse (38), mentioned there is the total lack of concern for their sad end shown by the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) during the period he was making the ark. When the chieftains of his people saw him busy with his project under a Divine command, they would ask him, ` what are you doing?' He said, ` a flood is to come, therefore, I am making an ark.' They would mock at him and say, ` we have no water to drink here and this wise man is planning to sail in a boat on this dry land.' In response, Sayyidna Nuh told them, ` if you mock at us today, then remember the day is sure to come when we shall be laughing at you.' The sense is that conditions would change and events would unfold in a manner that they themselves would become the cause of their being mocked at. For, in reality, ridicule is contrary to the spiritual station of prophets. It is simply not permissible for any-one in fact, it is Haram (unlawful).

Says the Holy Qur'an: لَا يَسْخَرْ‌ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرً‌ا مِّنْهُمْ ( O those who have believed, no people should mock at [ other ] people - may be, they are better than them - 49:11) Therefore, the mocking referred to here is a pragmatic response to their mockery. This is like saying, ` when you are seized by the punishment, we shall be telling you that this was the outcome of your mockery.' This is as it was said after that in the fourth verse (39): ` So, you shall soon know to whom will come the punishment that will humble him, and upon whom will befall the lasting punishment.' The first punishment refers to the punishment in the mortal world, and the ` lasting punishment' means the never-ending punishment of the Hereafter.

فسوف تعلمون إذا جاء أمر الله بذلك: من الذي يأتيه في الدنيا عذاب الله الذي يُهينه، وينزل به في الآخرة عذاب دائم لا انقطاع له؟

( من يأتيه عذاب يخزيه ) أي : يهنه في الدنيا ، ( ويحل عليه عذاب مقيم ) أي : دائم مستمر أبدا .