Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/174)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And he was constructing the Ark; whenever a leading group among his people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He said, ‘If you ridicule us, then we will ridicule you just as you ridicule us.’” (38)

His saying, Exalted is He: “And he was constructing the Ark.” When Allah, Exalted is He, commanded him to build the Ark, Noah, peace be upon him, devoted himself to its construction, turning away from his people. He began cutting timber, hammering iron, and preparing the materials for the Ark, such as pitch and other things. As his people passed by him while he was at work, they ridiculed him, saying, “Noah, have you become a carpenter after having been a prophet?” Allah rendered the wombs of their women barren, so that no child was born to them (1).

The people of the Torah claim (2) that Allah commanded him to build the Ark from teakwood, to make it with a curved form (3), and to coat it with pitch (4), inside and out. He was to make it eighty cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, with each cubit extending to the shoulder; and he was to make it three decks: a lower, middle, and upper deck, and to make windows in it. Noah then did as Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, commanded him.

Ibn Abbas said: Noah built the ship in two years. It was three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. It was made of teakwood and had three decks. In the lower deck he placed the wild animals, beasts of prey, and creeping creatures; in the middle deck, the riding animals and livestock; while he and those with him boarded the

(1) From the preceding account of Ibn Ishaq as transmitted by al-Tabari. (2) This is what the people of the Torah claim! Yet claims are the vehicle of lies. We are obliged to affirm what is contained in the Noble Book, which falsehood cannot approach from before it or from behind it. (3) A'zwar derives from zawr, with a fatha followed by a sukun, meaning “chest.” Zawar, with two fathas, means a crookedness of the chest: when the front of the chest narrows and the breastbone protrudes, as though it had been compressed from both sides. See Hashiyat al-Tabari, 15:314. (4) Al-qar means pitch or tar. Al-Qamus states: “A black substance with which camels and ships are coated,” or “tar itself.”

﴿وَيَصْنَعُ الْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلَأٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُ قَالَ إِنْ تَسْخَرُوا مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنْكُمْ كَمَا تَسْخَرُونَ (٣٨) ﴾ . قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَيَصْنَعُ الْفُلْكَ﴾ فَلَمَّا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَصْنَعَ الْفُلْكَ أَقْبَلَ نُوحٌ ﵇ عَلَى عَمَلِ الْفُلْكِ وَلَهَا عَنْ قَوْمِهِ، وَجَعَلَ يَقْطَعُ الْخَشَبَ وَيَضْرِبُ الْحَدِيدَ، وَيُهَيِّئُ عِدَّةَ الْفُلْكِ مِنَ الْقَارِ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَجَعَلَ قَوْمُهُ يَمُرُّونَ بِهِ وَهُوَ فِي عَمَلِهِ وَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنْهُ، وَيَقُولُونَ: يَا نُوحُ قَدْ صِرْتَ نَجَّارًا بَعْدَ النُّبُوَّةِ؟ وَأَعْقَمَ اللَّهُ أَرْحَامَ نِسَائِهِمْ فَلَا يُولَدُ لَهُمْ وَلَدٌ (١) . وَزَعَمَ أَهْلُ التَّوْرَاةِ (٢) أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَصْنَعَ الْفُلْكَ مِنْ خَشَبِ السَّاجِ، وَأَنْ يَصْنَعَهُ مِنْ أَزْوَرَ (٣) ، وَأَنْ يَطْلِيَهُ بِالْقَارِ (٤) مِنْ دَاخِلِهِ وَخَارِجِهِ، وَأَنْ يَجْعَلَ طُولَهُ ثَمَانِينَ ذِرَاعًا وَعَرْضَهُ خَمْسِينَ ذِرَاعًا وَطُولَهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ ثَلَاثِينَ ذِرَاعًا، وَالذِّرَاعُ إِلَى الْمَنْكِبِ، وَأَنْ يَجْعَلَهُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَطْبَاقٍ: سُفْلَى وَوُسْطَى وَعُلْيَا وَيَجْعَلَ فِيهِ كُوًى، فَفَعَلَهُ نُوحٌ كَمَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ ﷿. وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: اتَّخَذَ نُوحٌ السَّفِينَةَ فِي سَنَتَيْنِ وَكَانَ طول السفينة ثلثمائة ذِرَاعٍ وَعَرْضَهَا خَمْسُونَ ذِرَاعًا وَطُولَهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ ثَلَاثُونَ ذِرَاعًا، وَكَانَتْ مِنْ خَشَبِ السَّاجِ وَجَعَلَ لَهَا ثَلَاثَةَ بُطُونٍ، فَحَمَلَ فِي الْبَطْنِ الْأَسْفَلِ الْوُحُوشَ وَالسِّبَاعَ وَالْهَوَامَّ، وَفِي الْبَطْنِ الْأَوْسَطِ الدَّوَابَّ وَالْأَنْعَامَ، وَرَكِبَ هُوَ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ فِي الْبَطْنِ

(١) من القصة السابقة عن ابن إسحاق في رواية الطبري. (٢) زعم أهل التوراة! وزعم مطية الكذب، ونحن متعبدون بتصديق ما في الكتاب الكريم الذي لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه. (٣) "أَزْوَر" من "الزَّوْر" -بفتح فسكون- وهو الصدر، و"الزَّوَر" بفتحتين- وهو عوج الصدر، وهو أن يستدقَّ جوشن الصدر، ويخرج الكلكل، كأنه عُصِر من جانبيه. انظر: حاشية الطبري: ١٥ / ٣١٤. (٤) القار: الزفت، قال في القاموس: شيء أسود تطلى به الإبل والسفن، أو هو الزفت.