Tafseer of The Spider · Al-Ankaboot · 29:15
But We saved him and the companions of the ship, and We made it a sign for the worlds.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of the Exalted: فَأَنْجَيْنَاهُ وَأَصْحَابَ السَّفِينَةِ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا آيَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ ("Then We saved him and the occupants of the ship, and We made it a sign for the worlds") (29:15).
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: Then We saved Nūḥ and the occupants of his ship, and they were those whom he carried with him in his ship from among his children and their wives.
&; 20-18 &;
We have already expounded this earlier and mentioned the narrations concerning it, so that it is superfluous to repeat this in this place.
وَجَعَلْنَاهَا آيَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ ("and We made it a sign for the worlds"). He says: and We made the ship in which We had saved him and his companions a lesson and an admonition for the worlds, and a proof against them.
And in the spirit of what we have said concerning this, the exegetes of the Qurʾān have spoken.
* The mention of who said this:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: فَأَنْجَيْنَاهُ وَأَصْحَابَ السَّفِينَةِ... ("Then We saved him and the occupants of the ship...") the verse. He said: Allah let it endure as a sign for the people on the summit of al-Jūdī.
And if it were said that the meaning of وَجَعَلْنَاهَا آيَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ ("and We made it a sign for the worlds") is: and We made Our punishment of them a sign for the worlds — whereby the suffix "hā" and the alif in His words وَجَعَلْنَاها would be a reference to the punishment or the wrath and the like, since that had already been preceded in His words: فَأَخَذَهُمُ الطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ ("Then the flood seized them, while they were wrongdoers") — then that would be an acceptable mode of interpretation.
