Prophets Ādam, Nūḥ and Hūd: The Patience of the Prophets
Section 19 of 30 · Lives of the Prophets
Embark Therein in the Name of Allah
When he went on the ark, what did he say? Bismillāh. Whenever we start something, we say bismillāh.
۞ وَقَالَ ٱرْكَبُوا۟ فِيهَا بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ مَجْر۪ىٰهَا وَمُرْسَىٰهَآ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“He (NūH) said, “Embark it. With the name of Allah it sails and anchors. Surely, my Lord is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.” (11:41)
Wa qāla-rkabū fīhā bismi Allāh: and he said, embark therein in the name of Allah. So we start everything in the name of Allah. We say bismillāh. We start eating in the name of Allah. When we go to bed: in the name of Allah. When we go in our cars: in the name of Allah. We start everything in the name of Allah (swt). Bismillāh.
وَهِىَ تَجْرِى بِهِمْ فِى مَوْجٍ كَٱلْجِبَالِ وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ ٱبْنَهُۥ وَكَانَ فِى مَعْزِلٍ يَـٰبُنَىَّ ٱرْكَب مَّعَنَا وَلَا تَكُن مَّعَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
“And it was sailing with them amidst the waves like mountains. And NūH called out to his son, who was at an isolated place, “O my child, come on board with us, and do not be in the company of the disbelievers.”” (11:42)
Allah is saying that this ark is on these waves — and what description was given to the waves? Wa hiya tajrī bihim fī mawjin ka-l-jibāl. Allah (swt) says: so it — the ship — sailed with them amidst waves like mountains. We're talking here about waves like mountains. What is a mountain? A thousand feet, two thousand feet? Imagine waves a thousand feet high, or two thousand feet high. Not even the biggest US aircraft carrier can sustain these waves.