And when he mentioned what He set as limits for swimming in the face of the heavens; if it were to exceed them, the order would be disrupted; he mentioned what He prepared of the ships for swimming on the surface of the water; which covered the earth in the time of Noah - peace be upon him - until it was like the sky; and if the ship were to exceed what He - glorified and exalted is He - set for it of the stations, it would have penetrated into the sea of darkness; the matter would have been corrupted; and they would have been in it as if they were on land; and by its movement as if they were piercing through mountains; and deserts; and wastelands - all of this is a reminder of the days of Allah; and a warning to draw upon His blessings; and a caution from His might; and His punishments; and a favor upon them for what He facilitated for them of navigating the sea; and reaching great benefits through it; so He said: "And a sign for them"; meaning: (p-134) concerning our complete power; and our comprehensive knowledge; "that we"; meaning: concerning what we have of greatness; "carried"; and when those before Noah - peace be upon him - from the roots of mankind were not carried in the ship; He shifted from expressing with the pronoun; and the ancestors; to His saying: "their offspring"; meaning: the offspring of mankind; which We created; and We spread; and We multiplied; until We filled the earth with them from that time; until the end of time; and for this abundance understood from this eloquent derivation, Ibn Kathir and Abu Amr and the Kufans were enriched; so they read in the singular; and the reading of the others in the plural increased in clarity; some of them overtly; and some of them in the lineage of their father; "in the ship"; He defined it for its fame among all people; "the laden"; meaning: the loaded; filled with animals and provisions; and it is moving in those waters which have never been seen like them; nor will they ever be seen; and yet Allah saved him.