Quran Universe
11:38

وَيَصۡنَعُ ٱلۡفُلۡكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيۡهِ مَلَأٞ مِّن قَوۡمِهِۦ سَخِرُواْ مِنۡهُۚ قَالَ إِن تَسۡخَرُواْ مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسۡخَرُ مِنكُمۡ كَمَا تَسۡخَرُونَ

WayasnaAAu alfulka wakullama marra AAalayhi malaon min qawmihi sakhiroo minhu qala in taskharoo minna fainna naskharu minkum kama taskharoona

And he constructed the ship, and whenever an assembly of the eminent of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He said, "If you ridicule us, then we will ridicule you just as you ridicule.

Word by word
  1. وَيَصۡنَعُAnd he was constructing
  2. ٱلۡفُلۡكَthe ship
  3. وَكُلَّمَاand every time
  4. مَرَّpassed
  5. عَلَيۡهِby him
  6. مَلَأٞ(the) chiefs
  7. مِّنof
  8. قَوۡمِهِۦhis people
  9. سَخِرُواْthey ridiculed
  10. مِنۡهُۚ[of] him
  11. قَالَHe said
  12. إِنIf
  13. تَسۡخَرُواْyou ridicule
  14. مِنَّاus
  15. فَإِنَّاthen we
  16. نَسۡخَرُcan ridicule
  17. مِنكُمۡyou
  18. كَمَاas
  19. تَسۡخَرُونَyou ridicule
Hud · 11:38Makkah

They laughed at a ship on dry land.

Mockery while obeying, and Nuh's steady reply

At the building site
Nuhbuilding, plank by plank
chiefs pass by
mockeryevery single time
he replies
we will laugh toowhen the truth shows
Who looks foolish
the buildera boat with no sea
the mockerslaughing at a warning

Nuh kept building. Every time the chiefs of his people passed, they mocked him, rejecting his warning that they would drown. He did not stop. He answered that if they laughed now, the laughter would one day turn back on them.

Your coworkers smirk when you step out to pray. Your friends tease you for skipping the bar night or saving instead of spending. Keep building. Mockery is loud today, but it does not decide how things end.

If people laugh at what I am doing, maybe I am the one who is wrong.

Mockery does not make obedience foolish; the end will show who was right.

Try this

The next time someone teases you for a good habit, smile, say nothing back, and carry on.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 11:36)

And it was revealed to Nuh: "None of your people will believe except those who have believed already. So be not sad because of what they used to do (36)"And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with Our revelation, and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; they are surely to be drowned. (37)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. (38)"And you will know who it is on whom will come a torment that will cover him with disgrace and on whom will fall a lasting torment. (39)

The Revelation to Nuh concerning what would happen to the People and the Command to prepare for It

Allah, the Exalted, sent revelation to Nuh when his people hastened the vengeance and punishment of Allah upon themselves. Then, Nuh supplicated against them, as Allah mentioned, when He said;

رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ دَيَّارًا

(My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers inhabiting the earth!)[71:26] And he said,

فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ

(Then he invoked his Lord (saying): "I have been overcome, so help (me)!")[54:10] At this point Allah revealed to him,

أَنَّهُ لَن يُؤْمِنَ مِن قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَن قَدْ آمَنَ

(None of your people will believe except those who have believed already.) Therefore, do not grieve over them and do not be concerned with their affair.

وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ

(And construct the ship.) The word Fulk here means ship.

بِأَعْيُنِنَا

(under Our Eyes) This means under Our vision.

وَوَحْيِنَا

(and with Our revelation,) This means, "We will teach you (Nuh) what to do."

وَلَا تُخَاطِبْنِي فِي الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۚ إِنَّهُم مُّغْرَقُونَ

(and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; they are surely to be drowned.) Muhammad bin Ishaq mentioned from the Tawrah, "Allah commanded him (Nuh) to make it (the ship) from Indian oak wood. Then He commanded him to make its length eighty cubits and its width fifty cubits. Allah then commanded him to coat its interior and exterior with tar and to make it with a slanted bow to part the water (as it sailed). Its height was thirty cubits into the sky. It had three levels and each level was ten cubits high. The lowest level was for the animals, both tame and wild, the second level was for the human beings and the highest level was for the birds. Its door was in the center of it and it had a cover on top of it that covered the entire ship." Concerning Allah's statement,

وَيَصْنَعُ الْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلَأٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُ

(And as he was constructing the ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they mocked at him.) This means that they teased him and rejected his threat that they would drown (in the forthcoming flood).

قَالَ إِن تَسْخَرُوا مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنكُمْ

(He said: "If you mock at us, so do we mock at you likewise...") This is a severe threat and a serious warning.

مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ

(who it is on whom will come a torment that will cover him with disgrace) This means that it (the torment) will humiliate him in this life.

وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ

(and on whom will fall a lasting torment.) that is continuous and everlasting.