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ḥattā ʾidhā jāʾa ʾamrunā wa-fāra t-tannūru qulnā ḥmil fīhā min kullin zawjayni thnayni wa-ʾahlaka ʾillā man sabaqa ʿalayhi l-qawlu wa-man ʾāmana wa-mā ʾāmana maʿahū ʾillā qalīlun
When Our edict came and the oven gushed [a stream of water], We said, ‘Carry in it a pair of every kind [of animal], along with your family—except those [of them] against whom the edict has already been given—and those who have faith.’ And none believed with him except a few.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Hud – Verse 40
40. “(Thus it was) till, when Our Command came, and the oven gushed forth (water)! We said: “Embark therein, of each kind a pair, and your family (apart from your wife and a son) – except for those him against whom the Word has already passed – and whoever believed. But there believed not with him but a few.”
The Onset of the Flood
In the previous verses, we noted how Noah and the true believers became occupied in building the Ark of Salvation and, while subjected to all kinds of difficulties and sarcasms of the arrogant unbelieving majority, they prepared themselves for the flood. Here, the Qur’an expounds upon the third highlight or the climax of the story which relates to the punishment inflicted upon this oppressive nation. First of all, it says that this situation continued until Allah’s command was issued and the dawning of the divine punishment appeared, and waters of the earth gushed forth. The verse says:
“(Thus it was) till, when Our Command came, and the oven gushed forth (water)!...”
Those people who were inattentive and unaware probably noticed the bubbling water in their wells, but, as usual, they did not heed these Divine warnings much less try to understand their meaning. They probably did not pay any attention to it at all to see if a cataclysm was about to occur, and maybe to at least entertain the possibility that Noah’s warnings might be real. At this time, the Command was issued to Noah that he should put a pair of each animal on the Ark so that they would not be exterminated in the flood. And that he, his family, except those for whom word had already had been marked for their punishment, and the believers should board the Ark of Salvation. However few were those who had believed in him.
The verse says:
“…We said: “Embark therein, of each kind a pair, and your family (apart from your wife and a son) – except for those him against whom the Word has already passed - and whoever believed. But there believed not with him but a few.”
This verse, on the one hand, refers to the wife of Noah and his son ‘Kan’an’, who, deviating from the path of belief and being in collaboration with the sinners, had broken off their relationship with Noah and were not entitled to embark on the Ark. On the other hand, it refers to the limited success that Noah (as) had had in persuading people to follow his way of life during his long years of continuous struggle that had resulted in getting only a small number of believers.