Allah then revealed to him that when the appointed moment came and “the oven overflowed” (Hud 40)—that is, when the whole earth would burst with springs gushing from every side, even from places normally far removed from heat—he was to act at once. He was commanded to take aboard two of every kind of beast, male and female, so that their line might survive; for it was impossible to carry them all, and wisdom required the preservation of those animals Allah had created and subjected to serve human needs. He was also to bring on board every believer, man and woman alike, although “none believed with him except a few” (Hud 40). In addition, he was to take his own family, “except those against whom the decree had already been passed” (Hud 40) that they be destroyed.

When he had seated everyone he had been ordered to take, he said to them: “Invoke Allah’s name whenever she sails and whenever she comes to rest, for all means, however great, are but a manifestation of Allah’s grace, and they reach completion only through Him.”

Thereupon Allah caused the earth to burst with fountains and commanded the sky to pour down torrents of water. The waters of the heavens met the waters of the earth, flooding the lowlands first and then rising, little by little, over every elevation until even the towering mountain peaks vanished from sight. All the while the Ark “was carrying them through waves like mountains” (Hud 42), lurching to the right and to the left.

In the midst of that harrowing scene, Noah caught sight of his disbelieving son—who had followed the religion of his people—and who had kept his distance from his father even now. He saw him, like the rest of his people, fleeing in terror from the surging waters. Noah called out to him tenderly: “My dear son, ride with us and do not be with the unbelievers” (Hud 42). Yet arrogance still possessed him, even in that hour when every veil is lifted except from hearts that remain sealed. He replied, “I shall take refuge on a mountain that will protect me from the water” (Hud 43); it never occurred to them that the waters would rise above—