Hūd

فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخزِيهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ

39. “So you shall know soon to whom a Penalty (that) will confound him comes, and upon whom there shall fall a lasting Penalty.”

The meaning of the punishment which is modified by the term /yuxzihi/ is the devastating worldly punishment, i.e. their being drowned which would humiliate and belittle them, whilst the meaning of the term /‘aŏabun muqim/ is the punishment to be imposed on the Day of Resurrection. The verse says:

“So you shall know soon to whom a Penalty (that) will confound him comes, and upon whom there shall fall a lasting Penalty.”

In some Islamic narrations, one reads that forty years prior to the appearance of the storm, a type of disease had spread among the women of the People of Noah which had prevented them from giving birth to children. This event, in fact, marked the beginning of their punishment.

Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark, undoubtedly, was not an ordinary ship and its manufacture in those days with the technology of the time was not easily accomplished. It was a large vessel which, in addition to the believers, accommodated pairs of an extremely wide variety of animals, it also carried a large amount of food supplies for the human passengers, as well as food for the animals which was unprecedented for that time. In particular, this ship had to be safely navigated through a sea that covered the entire world with mountain-sized waves and still remain intact. In their commentaries, some Qur’an commentators have expressed their admiration for the magnitude of the ship. Refer to the comments of Majma‘-ul-Bayan for further information.