Tafsir of Hud 11:38-39

{And he was constructing the ship}: A narrative of a past state. {They mocked him} and his work in building the ship. He was building it in a desolate wilderness, far from any water, at a time when water was extremely scarce. They would laugh at him, saying: "O Noah, have you become a carpenter after having been a prophet?"

{Indeed, we mock you}: Meaning, in the future, {just as you mock} us now. That is: we will mock you with a mockery equal to yours when drowning befalls you in this world and burning in the Hereafter.

It is said: If you deem us ignorant for what we are doing, we deem you ignorant for the disbelief you are upon and for exposing yourselves to the wrath and punishment of Allah; thus, you are more deserving of being called ignorant than we are. Or, if you deem us ignorant, we deem you ignorant for your ignorance, because you only deem us ignorant out of ignorance of the reality of the matter, basing your judgment on the outward appearance, as is the habit of the ignorant who are far from the truth.

Regarding the ship: It is narrated that Noah (peace be upon him) built the ship in two years. Its length was 300 cubits, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. It was made of teak wood and had three decks:

• The lowest deck: For wild beasts, predators, and vermin.
• The middle deck: For livestock and cattle.
• The top deck: For him and those with him, along with their necessary provisions. He also carried the body of Adam (peace be upon him) and placed it as a partition between the men and the women.

Al-Hasan said: Its length was 1,200 cubits and its width 600.

It is said that the disciples asked Jesus (peace be upon him): "If only you would raise for us a man who witnessed the ship to tell us about it." He went with them until he reached a mound of earth. He took a handful of that earth and said: "Do you know who this is?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "This is Ka'b ibn Ham." He struck the mound with his staff and said: "Rise by the permission of Allah." Suddenly, he was standing, shaking the dust from his head, having turned gray. Jesus (peace be upon him) asked: "Did you die like this?" He replied: "No, I died as a young man, but I thought it was the Hour, and that is why I turned gray." He then told them about the ship, describing it as 1,200 cubits long and 600 cubits wide, with three levels: one for beasts, one for humans, and one for birds. Then Jesus said: "Return by the permission of Allah to what you were," and he returned to dust.

{Who will come to him}: This is in the accusative case, linked to "you will know." That is: You will soon know the one to whom a humiliating punishment comes. He means them. By "punishment," he refers to the punishment of this world, which is drowning.

{And upon whom will descend}: Like the settling of a debt or an inevitable right from which there is no escape, {a lasting punishment}, which is the punishment of the Hereafter.