Tafsir of Hud 11:38-39

Surah Hud (11): Verses 38–39

Regarding the phrase: {And he was making the ark} (ويصنع الفلك):

There are two issues concerning this phrase:

Issue 1: The Tense/Narration

1. First Opinion: It is a narration of a past event, meaning at that time, the description applied to him was that he was making the ark (a continuous past action).
2. Second Opinion: The implied meaning is: "And he set about making the ark" (وأقبل يصنع الفلك), and the text was shortened to just {And he was making the ark}.

Issue 2: The Description of the Ark

Scholars have mentioned many opinions regarding the ark's characteristics:

1. First Opinion: Noah (peace be upon him) built the ark over two years, or perhaps four years. Its dimensions were: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. It was made of Sāj wood (teak/linden). It had three decks (بطون):
   • The lower deck carried wild beasts, predators, and vermin.
   • The middle deck carried domestic animals and livestock.
   • The upper deck housed Noah, those who believed with him, the necessary provisions, and the body of Adam (peace be upon him).
2. Second Opinion (Al-Hasan): Its length was 1,200 cubits, and its width was 600 cubits.

Scholarly Note on Such Details:

I do not find these kinds of discussions appealing, as knowing these specifics is utterly unnecessary and yields no benefit whatsoever. Delving into them is merely superfluous, especially since there is no definitive evidence pointing to the correct dimension. What we know for certain is that it was spacious enough to accommodate the believers from his people, what they needed, and a pair of every kind of animal, as this much is mentioned in the Qur'an. Anything beyond that is not mentioned.

Regarding the phrase: {And whenever an assembly of his people passed by him, they mocked him} (وكلما مر عليه ملأ من قومه سخروا منه):

Interpretation of Al-Mala’ (Assembly):

1. It means a group (جماعة).
2. It means a class of their nobles and chiefs (طبقة من أشرافهم وكبرائهم).

Reasons for their Mockery:

They differed on why they mocked him. There are several possibilities:

1. They would say: "O Noah, you claimed prophethood from God, and now you have become a carpenter!"
2. They would say: "If your claim were true, your God would spare you this arduous labor."
3. They had never seen a ship before and did not know how it would be used, so they marveled at him and mocked him.
4. The ark was very large, and he was building it far from any water. They would say: "There is no water here, and you cannot move it to the great rivers or the seas." They considered this foolishness and madness.
5. Since his warning about the flood had been prolonged, and they had seen no sign or evidence of it, they became convinced he was lying about his message. Thus, when he occupied himself with building the ark, they naturally mocked him.

All these explanations are plausible.

Regarding the phrase: {He said, "If you mock us, then we will mock you as you mock us"} (إن تسخروا منا فإنا نسخر منكم كما تسخرون):

There are several interpretations of this response:

1. First Interpretation: The meaning is: "If you mock us at this moment, then We (God) will mock you with the mockery of the drowning that befalls you in this world and the disgrace in the Hereafter."
2. Second Interpretation: "If you judge us as ignorant for what we are doing, then We judge you as ignorant for your disbelief and exposure to God's wrath and punishment; thus, you are more deserving of mockery than us."
3. Third Interpretation: "If you deem us foolish, then We deem you foolish. And your deeming us foolish is uglier and more severe, because you only deem us foolish due to ignorance of the reality of the matter and being deceived by the outward appearance, as is the habit of children and the ignorant."

Addressing a Potential Objection:

Objection: Mockery is a consequence of sin. How is it appropriate for the Prophets (peace be upon them) to engage in it?

Response: God has termed the reciprocation as mockery, just as He said: {And the recompense of an evil deed is an evil the like thereof} (Ash-Shura: 40).

Regarding the phrase: {Then you will know who comes to him a torment that disgraces him} (فسوف تعلمون من يأتيه عذاب يخزيه):

This means you will know who is more deserving of mockery and whose end is better.

Regarding the phrase: {who comes to him} (من يأتيه):

1. First View: It is an interrogative particle meaning "which one" (أي), as if saying: "Then you will know which one of us the torment will come to." In this case, man (who) is in the nominative case (rafʿ) as the subject of the nominal sentence.
2. Second View: It means "the one who" (الذي), and it is in the accusative case (nasb) as the object.

Regarding the phrase: {and a lasting torment descends upon him} (ويحل عليه عذاب مقيم):

This means the torment is incumbent upon him and descends upon him.

(The verse continues in the original text, but the provided excerpt ends here.)