Tafsir of Hud 11:40

(Until, when Our command came) is the limit for His saying, the Almighty: (make the ship). (Until) is either a preposition connected to it, with (when) merely serving as a temporal marker, or it is an inaugural particle entering into the conditional sentence and its response, in which case the clause has no grammatical position. The state of what transpired in the interim has already been alluded to. The "command" is either one of the commands to board the ship, to [the water's] eruption, to the clouds to release rain, to the angels (peace be upon them) to act as intended, or something similar; or it refers to "the matter," meaning the descent of the punishment upon them.

(And the oven erupted [fāra al-tannūr]) means water gushed forth from it and rose violently, just as a pot boils over in its seething. It contains a metaphor that is self-evident. By (the oven), the majority intend the baking oven. According to reports from al-Hasan and Mujahid, it was the oven of Eve [Hawwa'], in which she used to bake, then it came to Noah (peace be upon him), and it was made of stone. It is said: It was an oven in Kufa, at the site of its mosque, to the right of the entrance near the gate of Kindah, and this appears in a narration from Ali (may Allah exalt his face). It is also said: An oven in India, or in 'Ayn Warda in the land of al-Jazirah al-'Umariyyah, or in the land of Syria. Some say: It does not refer to a specific oven, but to the genus; the meaning is that water erupted from the ovens, and in that is an amazing manifestation of power that is clear. There is no contradiction between this and His saying, the Almighty: (And We caused the earth to burst forth with springs), for it is possible that the "bursting forth" is distinct from the "eruption," so the eruption occurred for the oven and the bursting for the earth, or "the earth" is meant to signify the locations of the ovens.

[The word tannūr] is of the pattern taf'ūl from al-nūr (light), and its original form was tannūwūr; the first wāw was changed into a hamzah due to the dammah preceding it, then it was deleted for ease of pronunciation, and the nūn was then doubled in compensation for what was deleted. This is reported from Tha'lab. Abu Ali al-Farisi said: Its pattern is fa'ūl. It is also said, based on this, that it is a foreign loanword and has no etymology, and its root is t-n-r; there is no nūn before a rā' in the speech of the Arabs. Nargis (narcissus) is also an arabized word, though it is famously considered one of the words shared by both the Arabs and the non-Arabs, like soap (sābūn) and sable (sammūr).

From Ibn Abbas, 'Ikrimah, and al-Zuhri, it is reported that (the oven) here means the face of the earth. From Qatada, it means the highest place upon it, i.e., its apex. Ibn Jarir, Abu al-Shaykh, and others narrated from Ali (may Allah exalt his face) that it was the "lighting of the morning." It is apparent that it was not used in the non-Arab language in these latter meanings. It is permissible that the eruption of the oven refers to the onset of the punishment and the intensity of the terror; this is like the expression in the report, "The battle intensified (hamiya al-watīs)," as a metaphor for the heat of war. There is not much difference in meaning between the two, and it is a sound meaning far removed from what the [more miraculous] reports mention.

We said: (Load into it), meaning into the ship. The pronoun is feminine because it refers to the ship (safīnah). The sentence is an initiation or the response to "when." (Of every [kind]) means of every type of animal from which those who are saved from drowning and their descendants would benefit. It was not the custom to create them without a male and female. The prepositional phrase is connected to "load" or to an implied [adjective] functioning as a state for its object, namely His saying, the Almighty: (two mates). This is the dual of zawj (mate), and it refers to one being coupled with another of its own kind; the male is a mate to the female, just as she is a mate to him. It is sometimes used for the pair together, but that is not intended here, otherwise it would necessitate loading four of every category; and so that this is not intended, it was described by His saying, the Almighty: (two). The resulting meaning is: Load a male and a female of every type of animal.

Most [scholars] read (min kulli zawjayn) in the construct state, so (two) in this reading is the object of "load," and (min kulli zawjayn) is a state of it. If it were placed after, it would be its description, meaning: Load two of every pair, i.e., a male category and a female category. It is said: (Min) is extra, and what follows is the object of "load," and (two) is an adjective for "pair," based on the permissibility of min being extra in affirmative sentences. Then, what we mentioned regarding the interpretation of generality is what some have inclined toward, including in it crawling creatures and birds. It is mentioned that he (peace be upon him) made three decks for the ship: in the lowest deck, he loaded the wild beasts, predators, and vermin; in the middle deck, the livestock and cattle; and he boarded, along with those who were with him, the highest deck with the necessary provisions. He also carried with him the body of Adam (peace be upon him), placing it as a barrier between the men and the women; its carriage was by a bequest from him (peace be upon him), inherited by his children until it reached Noah (peace be upon him). This division is contradicted by what is narrated, that the lowest level was for wild beasts, the middle for food, and the highest for him (peace be upon him) and those who believed.

Some expanded the generality to include even that which is not of the animal kingdom, supported by what Ishaq ibn Bishr and others narrated from Ali (may Allah exalt his face) in a marfu' fashion: that Noah (peace be upon him) loaded with him in the ship [seeds/cuttings] from all trees. Also, what Abu al-Shaykh narrated from Ja'far ibn Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: Noah (peace be upon him) was ordered to carry with him (of every two mates, two), so he loaded from the dates, the 'ajwah and the colored [dates].

Al-Nasa'i narrated from Anas ibn Malik that Noah (peace be upon him) disputed with Satan over a vine cutting. Satan said: "This is mine," and Noah said: "It is mine." They reconciled that one-third would belong to Noah and two-thirds to Satan. One can hardly rely on such reports when investigating. Among what was loaded in the ship is what Abu al-Shaykh narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The people of the ship were harmed by mice, so the lion sneezed and two cats, a male and a female, emerged from its nostrils, and they ate the mice except for what Allah willed to remain. They were also harmed by the filth of the people of the ship, so the elephant sneezed and two pigs, a male and a female, emerged from its nostrils and they ate the filth of the people of the ship. In a narration by al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi in Nawadir al-Usul, Ibn Jarir, and others from him, it says that Noah (peace be upon him) complained to Allah the Almighty about the mice chewing the ship's ropes. Allah inspired him to wipe the lion's forehead, so two cats emerged. He complained about the excrement in the ship, so He inspired him to wipe the elephant's tail, so two pigs emerged and ate the excrement.

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated via Zayd ibn Aslam from his father in a marfu' fashion that the people of the ship complained about the mouse, saying: "The little corruptor is ruining our food and supplies." Allah the Almighty inspired the lion, and it sneezed, and the cat emerged from it, and the mouse hid from it; there is no mention in this [version] of the pig. It is understood from this, despite its flaws, that the cat was not there at the time of loading, and from the former [narrations] that it and the pig were not [there]. In some traditions, there is that which contradicts this, for Ahmad narrated in al-Zuhd and Abu al-Shaykh from Wahb ibn Munabbih, who said: When Allah the Almighty ordered Noah (peace be upon him) to load, he said: "How shall I manage with the lion and the cow? How shall I manage with the kid and the wolf? How shall I manage with the pigeon and the cat?" Allah the Almighty said: "Who cast enmity between them?" He said: "You, O Lord." He said: "I will harmonize between them so that they do not harm each other." The contradiction between this and the first division is also evident.

Regarding the lion, various narrations exist: in one, his companions (peace be upon him) said: "How can we be at ease while the lion is with us?" So Allah the Almighty afflicted it with fever, which was the first fever that descended to the earth. In another narration, it was bothering them in the ship, so fever was cast upon it to keep it occupied with itself. In another, when he (peace be upon him) was ordered to load, he said: "O Lord, what about the lion and the elephant?" He (the Almighty) said: "I will cast fever upon them, and it is heavy." In another, from Abu 'Ubaydah, when he was ordered to load, he could not load the lion until fever was cast upon it, then he loaded it and brought it in. It is clear that some indicate the casting of fever was before entering, and some after. It would have sufficed to avoid casting it afterward by harmonizing it with humans, just as He harmonized the others with one another. Perhaps the wisdom in using fever to avoid harm rather than harmony—if that is true—is a wisdom not apparent to us.

It came in some traditions that it is understood from them that there were jinn with him (peace be upon him) in the ship, and in some that Iblis (upon him be the curse) was also there. From Ibn Abbas: When Allah the Almighty wanted the donkey to enter the ship, Noah took hold of the donkey's ears, and Iblis took hold of its tail. Noah began pulling it, and Iblis began pulling it. Noah (peace be upon him) said: "Enter, O Satan!" So the donkey entered, and Iblis entered with it. When the ship sailed, he sat at its tail singing. Noah said to him: "Woe to you! Who gave you permission?" He said: "You." He said: "When?" He said: "When you said to the donkey, 'Enter, O Satan,' I entered by your permission." In another narration from him, Noah (peace be upon him) said to the donkey: "Woe to you, enter, even if Satan is with you!"—a word that slipped from his tongue—so Satan entered with him.

Ibn 'Asakir narrated from 'Ata' that the Accursed One came to board the ship, but Noah (peace be upon him) pushed him away. He said: "O Noah, I am destined to remain, and you have no power over me." He realized he was truthful, so he ordered him to sit on the bamboo [structure] of the ship. This outwardly contradicts what was narrated from Ibn Abbas.

They differed on how the animals were gathered despite their dispersal in the corners of the earth. It is said: They sensed the punishment and gathered. From al-Zuhri: Allah the Almighty sent a wind, and it brought to him two of every pair of birds, beasts, wild animals, and cattle. From Ja'far ibn Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with them both): Allah the Almighty sent Gabriel (peace be upon him), and he gathered them. Noah (peace be upon him) would strike his hands on the pair; his right hand would fall on the male and his left on the female, and he would put them into the ship until he had brought in the number that Allah the Almighty commanded. Ishaq ibn Bishr and others narrated from Zayd ibn Thabit that the goat was stubborn, so he pushed it by its tail, which is why it broke and its genitalia became exposed; the ewe went on until it entered, and he wiped its tail, and its genitalia were concealed.

In the books of tradition, there are many of these narrations that provoke wonder. I do not believe anything except that Allah, the Almighty in His power, created the goat and the ewe from before just as they are today, and that He, the Almighty, did not create the cat from the lion even if it resembles it in image, nor the pig from the elephant even if there is some resemblance between them as we witnessed during the year the elephant came to Baghdad. If the elephant were tasked with eating excrement, it would have been more beloved to the people of the ship than the addition of a pig among them. More beloved to them than all of that was that there be no one in the ship but them, or that there be a single animal that could create for them, from its sneezing, whatever animals they wanted or needed thereafter.

What the heart inclines toward is that the flood was not universal, as some have claimed, and that he (peace be upon him) was not ordered to load what is usually formed from the decay of the earth, like mice and insects, but was ordered to load what he would need once he and those with him were saved from drowning, so they would not be bereft of them due to their loss and have to bear the hardship of fetching them from regions that the flood did not reach. It is as if it was said: "We said: Load into it of every [thing] you will need when you are saved, two pairs." Even if we hold that the flood was universal, we say that he (peace be upon him) was not tasked with loading anything formed from decay, but was tasked with loading what reproduces among animals for the benefit of the species. The ship was such that it could contain that, whether by custom or miracle. Allah's power is too majestic for it to be too narrow for that. Even if it is said that the universality remains such that some mountains were spared, it may be said that he (peace be upon him) only loaded that which was necessary for him and whose loss would harm his group. If it is said that the universality is absolute and he (peace be upon him) only loaded what could be contained by custom from what was necessary so that his companions would not be completely distressed by their loss—as human nature requires—and the rest drowned, then Allah the Almighty, His power is majestic, created counterparts to what drowned afterward in the way He had done before. That is not strange for the One whose command is between Kāf and Nūn (Be, and it is), glorious is His majesty and magnificent is His authority.

This [matter of the animals] was placed before his family and the rest of the believers, it is said, because he was deeply involved in the commanded loading, for it required him to manage the tasks of distinguishing one from another and designating the pairs. As for humans, they entered the ship by their own choice, so the meaning of "loading" is lighter regarding them, or because that [animals] could only be loaded by human effort, and they entered the ship only after loading them. It is also possible that the priority was to preserve the noble structure from being disorganized. Whatever the case, His saying, the Almighty: (And your family) is a conjunction to (two pairs) or to (two). "His family," according to some traditions, refers to his believing wife and his sons from her: Sam (peace be upon him), who is the father of the Arabs (and its origin, according to al-Bakri, is with the shīn); Ham, who is the father of the Sudans (it is said he had intercourse with his wife in the ship, so Noah prayed that his offspring be changed, and it was changed; Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated this from the path of Ibn Jurayj from Abu Salih); and Yafith, who is like the former and is the father of the Turks, Gog, and Magog; and the wife of each of them. (Except those against whom the word has already gone forth) that they are among the drowned because of their oppression. This is in His saying, the Almighty: (And do not address Me regarding those who have wronged), the verse. The meaning is another wife of his named Wa'ilah (with the unpointed 'ayn), and in a narration, Waliqah; and his son from her, Canaan, whose name was said to be Yam (this is his title according to the People of the Book). Both were disbelievers. In this is evidence that it was permissible for the prophets (peace be upon them) to marry disbelievers, unlike our Prophet (may Allah exalt him and grant him peace), due to His saying, the Almighty: (O Prophet, We have made lawful to you...), the verse. It is permissible for the exception to be connected if "family" implies "family in faith," and it can be disconnected if it implies "family in kinship." It suffices for the correctness of the exception that it was known when referring to their conditions and investigating their deeds. "Upon" ('ala) was used because the "preceding word" was harmful to them, just as "for" (lam) was used where it was beneficial in His saying, the Almighty: (And Our word has already preceded for Our servants, the messengers) and His saying, the Almighty: (Those for whom the best [reward] has preceded from Us).

(And those who have believed) is a conjunction to "family," meaning: and the believers among others. Specifying them separately from [the family] is for the aforementioned exception. Preferring the singular form in (have believed) is to preserve the wording of (those who), signaling their scarcity, as He clarified in His saying: (And none believed with him except a few).

It is said: They were seven: his wife, his three sons, and his three daughters-in-law. This is reported from Qatada, al-Hakam ibn 'Uqbah, Ibn Jurayj, and Muhammad ibn Ka'b. The conjunction of (and those who believed) to (the family) refutes this, unless "family" implies "wife," for it is proven in this meaning. However, it is said that this is contrary to the apparent meaning, and the exception based on that is disconnected as well. From Ibn Ishaq: They were ten, five men and five women. From him also: They were with Noah (peace be upon him) twenty, half of them men and half of them women. It is said: They were seventy-eight, half male and half female. It is said: They were eighty men and eighty women. It is said, and it is said... The correct narration is that they were seventy-nine: his wife, his three sons and their wives, and seventy-two men and women from other than them, from the descendants of Seth. Linking "believed" here is to point to their togetherness in the abode of faith and salvation.