حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ التَّنُّورُ قُلْنَا احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ وَمَنْ آمَنَ وَمَا آمَنَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ ﴿۴۰﴾ وَقَالَ ارْكَبُوا فِيهَا بِسْمِ اللَّهِ مَجْرَاهَا وَمُرْسَاهَا إِنَّ رَبِّي لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۴۱﴾ وَهِيَ تَجْرِي بِهِمْ فِي مَوْجٍ كَالْجِبَالِ وَنَادَى نُوحٌ ابْنَهُ وَكَانَ فِي مَعْزِلٍ يَا بُنَيَّ ارْكَبْ مَعَنَا وَلَا تَكُنْ مَعَ الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿۴۲﴾ قَالَ سَآوِي إِلَى جَبَلٍ يَعْصِمُنِي مِنَ الْمَاءِ قَالَ لَا عَاصِمَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا مَنْ رَحِمَ وَحَالَ بَيْنَهُمَا الْمَوْجُ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُغْرَقِينَ ﴿۴۳﴾

﴾40﴿ Hattaaa izaa jaaa'a amrunaa wa faarat tannooru qulnah mil feehaa min kullin zawjainis naini wa ahlaka illaa man sabaqa 'alaihil qawlu wa man aaman; wa maaa aamana ma'ahooo illaa qaleel
﴾41﴿ Wa qaalar kaboo feehaa bismil laahi majraihaa wa mursaahaa; inna Rabbee la Ghafoorur Raheem
﴾42﴿ Wa hiya tajree bihim fee mawjin kaljibaali wa naadaa Noohunib nahoo wa kaana fee ma'ziliny yaa bunai yarkam ma'anaa wa laa takum ma'al kaafireen
﴾43﴿ Qaala sa aaweee ilaa jabaliny ya'simunee minal maaa'; qaala laa 'aasimal yawma min amril laahi illaa mar rahim; wa haala bainahumal mawju fakaana minal mughraqeen

﴾40﴿ When Our command came and the oven gushed forth, We said, Load onto the ship of every kind, two (a pair), and your family—except those upon whom the decree has already been passed—and those who have believed. But none had believed with him except a few
﴾41﴿ God Almighty said: Board the ship, for its movement and its resting are in the name of Allah, the Most High. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful
﴾42﴿ And the ship sailed with them amidst waves like mountains, and Noah (peace be upon him) called out to his son, who stood apart, 'O my son, embark with us and do not be among the disbelievers
﴾43﴿ He said, I will take refuge on a mountain that will save me from this water. Noah (peace be upon him) said, There is no savior today from the punishment of Allah, except for the One on whom He shows mercy (i.e., Allah, the Exalted) And a wave came among them, then he became one of the drowned

[40] (حَتَّى) here is ḥattā ibtida’iyya, meaning it marks the beginning of a new sentence or event — not a limit but a turning point in the narrative.
(التَّنُّورُ) — this has several interpretations:
1. It could refer to a common oven (a clay or stone oven).
2. Or a specific oven in the house of Nuh (peace be upon him), which was made as a sign — that when it overflowed, it marked the beginning of the flood.
3. Or it could metaphorically refer to the surface of the earth, i.e., water gushed forth from all over the land.
4. Some scholars say it is a metaphor for the wrath of Allah, symbolizing divine anger bursting forth.
(إِلَّا مَنْ سَبَقَ) — refers to those whom Allah had already decreed to be destroyed, such as one of Nuh’s sons and his disbelieving wife.
The meaning of precedence (سَبَقَ) here can refer to: – A prior decree in divine knowledge (taqdīr), or – A prior verse, such as verse 37, where Allah told Nuh not to intercede for the wrongdoers.
(زَوْجَيْنِ) — refers to pairs, meaning two creatures that depend on each other or are matched as male and female.
(إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ) — there are many views regarding the number of people who believed and boarded the Ark:
– The minimum view says they were six people, excluding Nuh, his believing wife, and himself.
– The maximum view is that they were eighty people in total.
[41] This command is either from Allah to Nuh (peace be upon him), or it is from Nuh to his people on Allah’s instruction — both interpretations are valid.
In this verse, the timing of boarding the Ark is mentioned, along with the prescribed etiquettes (adab) for such a significant event.
The phrase (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ) — In the name of Allah — has three possible grammatical connections:
1. It could relate to (ارْكَبُوا) — meaning board it in the name of Allah.
2. It could be linked to an implied help or assistance, i.e., with the help of Allah.
3. Or it may relate to (مَجْرَاهَا) — its sailing, i.e., its sailing and anchoring are by the name of Allah.
Each interpretation emphasizes that Allah's name and power is central to starting, continuing, and ending the journey safely.
[42] The phrase (وَهِيَ تَجْرِي) — and it sailed — is an expression of divine arrangement (taqdīr).
The intended meaning is: They boarded the Ark with "Bismillah", and then the Ark began to sail.
As for (وَنَادَى نُوحٌ ابْنَهُ) — Nuh called out to his son — there are two explanations:
1. First interpretation (preferred): Nuh (peace be upon him) did not yet know that his son was a disbeliever.
This is why he called out to him, thinking he might be among the saved.
(مَعْزِلٍ) here means that his son was physically apart, standing at a distance from the Ark, but not necessarily opposing in belief.
2. Second interpretation: Nuh (peace be upon him) did know that his son was a disbeliever.
Yet, he still called him — not to save his body, but to call him to faith so that he may be saved from disbelief.
In this view, (ارْكَبْ) means: Believe, and then come aboard, similar to how we say “perform the prayer” meaning after making wudu, go and pray.
Here, (مَعْزِلٍ) would mean: he was on the other side in terms of religion, i.e., ideologically apart.
Among the two, the first interpretation is more accepted and preferable, as it aligns better with the context of the verse and Nuh’s later plea to Allah.
[43] There are three interpretations in this verse: 1. First interpretation: The phrase (رَحِمَ رَبِّي) refers to mercy itself, and the one granting it is Allah the Exalted.
So the meaning becomes: None is saved today except the one upon whom Allah has mercy.
2. Second interpretation: The word (عَاصِم) means ma‘ṣūm — protected.
Similar to how (أَفِق) can mean the one who is overpowered, here (عاصم) refers to one who is protected — meaning, no one can be protected from Allah’s command except the one He protects.
3. Third interpretation: (إِلَّا) is an istithnā’ munqaṭi‘ — a disconnected exception, meaning “but” or “however.”
So the verse means: There is no protector from Allah’s command today — but the one whom Allah shows mercy to.
Each interpretation highlights the same truth: only Allah’s mercy can save — no worldly means, no mountain, no plan can protect anyone from His decree.