سُوْرَةُ هُوْدٍ
Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 38
وَيَصْنَعُ ٱلْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلَأٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِۦ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُ ۚ قَالَ إِن تَسْخَرُوا۟ مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنكُمْ كَمَا تَسْخَرُونَ ﴿38﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And as he was constructing the ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they mocked at him. He said: "If you mock at us, so do we mock at you likewise for your mocking.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَيَصْنَعُ
wayaṣnaʿu
And he was constructing
ٱلْفُلْكَ
l-ful'ka
the ship
وَكُلَّمَا
wakullamā
and every time
مَرَّ
marra
passed
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
by him
مَلَأٌۭ
mala-on
(the) chiefs
مِّن
min
of
قَوْمِهِۦ
qawmihi
his people
سَخِرُوا۟
sakhirū
they ridiculed
مِنْهُ ۚ
min'hu
[of] him
قَالَ
qāla
He said
إِن
in
If
تَسْخَرُوا۟
taskharū
you ridicule
مِنَّا
minnā
us
فَإِنَّا
fa-innā
then we
نَسْخَرُ
naskharu
can ridicule
مِنكُمْ
minkum
you
كَمَا
kamā
as
تَسْخَرُونَ
taskharūna
you ridicule
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
38. And Noah began to build the Ark, and whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they mocked [45] him. He said, "If you mock us now, we will surely mock you as you mock us."
[45]
The Mockery of the People at the Building of the Ark:
They mocked him by saying: The boat, as large as a ship, that you are building—will you make it move on dry land? There is neither a river nearby in which you could sail it, nor are there rains; we are longing for rain, there is drought, and there is no danger of a flood in any river, so what will you do after building it? They considered Nuhؑ to be insane, and Nuhؑ considered them to be insane because he had already warned his people that a flood of punishment was about to come upon them. He was astonished at his people that their destruction was imminent, yet they had no concern for themselves; instead, they mocked him, thinking him mad. Nuhؑ replied to them: No matter, today you may mock us, but soon a time will come when we will mock you; at that time you will know upon whom the humiliating punishment descends.
[45]
The Mockery of the People at the Building of the Ark:
They mocked him by saying: The boat, as large as a ship, that you are building—will you make it move on dry land? There is neither a river nearby in which you could sail it, nor are there rains; we are longing for rain, there is drought, and there is no danger of a flood in any river, so what will you do after building it? They considered Nuhؑ to be insane, and Nuhؑ considered them to be insane because he had already warned his people that a flood of punishment was about to come upon them. He was astonished at his people that their destruction was imminent, yet they had no concern for themselves; instead, they mocked him, thinking him mad. Nuhؑ replied to them: No matter, today you may mock us, but soon a time will come when we will mock you; at that time you will know upon whom the humiliating punishment descends.
