His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "So We inspired him, saying: 'Make the Ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration. So when Our command comes and the oven overflows, then embark in it from every pair two, and your family except for him upon whom the word has preceded from them. And do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be drowned.'" "And when you have boarded the Ark, you and those with you, then say, 'Praise is to Allah, who has saved us from the wrongdoing people.'" "And say, 'My Lord, cause me to land at a blessed landing place, and You are the best of those who bring to land.'" "Indeed, in that are signs, and indeed, We will be testing."

The description of the ship and its size has already been mentioned in Surah Hud. The term "the Ark" here is singular, not plural.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "under Our eyes" is an expression of perception; this is the view of the experts. The Shari'ah has specified the eye and the eyes, and it is not permissible to say "two eyes" since the Shari'ah has not been established upon duality. And "Our inspiration" means: in the manner of the work and the way of the statement. This is because Gabriel, peace be upon him, descended to Noah, peace be upon him, and said to him: 'Do this and that for all the rulings of the Ark and what it needs.' The disbelievers mocked Noah for claiming prophethood, alleging that it was a mere claim, and they ridiculed him for building the Ark on dry land, or for it being the first Ark if that is correct.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Our command" may imply a source meaning that We command the water to overflow, and it may mean one of the matters, namely, the destruction of the disbelievers. The correct view regarding His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "and the oven overflows" is that it refers to the oven of baking, and it was a sign that was between Allah, blessed and exalted is He, and Noah, peace be upon him.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "then embark" means: then enter. From this is the saying of the poet: (p-291)

'Until they entered the she-camels into the musk of the offspring of the wanderers of the horizons.'

And the other poet said:

'And I was for a while your opponent, I did not abandon you, and they entered you on a difficult day.'

It is said: "to embark" and "to enter" mean the same.

Hafs read from Asim: "from every pair two" with the word "every" being indefinite, while the others and Abu Bakr from Asim read with the addition of "every" without being indefinite. And "the pairs" refers to everything that is associated with each other, like the male and female of animals and similar things; each one is a pair to the other. This is the position of the term in the language, and the numerologists apply the term "pair" to the two, and thus the common usage of the term "pair" is established.

And His saying, exalted is He: "And your family" means his relatives. Then he excluded those upon whom the saying had already been established that they are disbelievers, which are his son and his wife. Then Allah commanded Noah - blessings and peace be upon him - not to speak to his Lord nor to address Him as an intercessor for any of the wrongdoers. The reference is to those he excluded, as the custom among humans is to have affection for family. Then He commanded him to praise his Lord for being saved from the wrongdoers when he was settled and established in the ship. Then He commanded him (p-292) to pray for blessings in the dwelling. And 'Asim - in the narration of Abu Bakr - read: "a dwelling" with the opening of the meem and the breaking of the zay, which is the place of descent. The others and Hafs from 'Asim read: "a descended place" with the rounding of the meem and the opening of the zay, which is a source meaning descent. It may be intended by it the place of descent.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, in that are signs" is an address to Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him - meaning: Indeed, in what has occurred to these nations are lessons or signs for whoever has insight and reason. Then He informed that He tests His servants from time to time with regard to the warning for the disbelievers of Quraysh with this news. And "Indeed" according to Sibawayh is the lightened form of the heavy one, and the lam is a lam of emphasis. Al-Firuzabadi says: "Indeed" is negating, and the lam means "except." And "testing" means afflicting with a trial and examining in a way that leads to that.