PROPHET NUH'S ARK

Safinat Nuh (سَفِينَةُ نُوحٍ). 

Other name: Al-Fulk (الفُلْك).

The size of the Ark was 300 cubits by 50-cubit.

Surah 29:15 of the Quran refers to it as a safina, an ordinary ship; surah 7:64 uses fulk, and surah 54:13 describes the Ark as "a thing of boards and nails.

The Ark was constructed three (3) different layers; wild and domesticated animals were lodged in the first part; Prophet Nuh and his followers occupied the second layer, and the third were occupied by different birds.

Whenever Prophet Nuh (Alayhi Salam) invites his people to Allah, they either run away from him or put their fingers in their ears and became too proud to listen to the truth. All in all, he realized overtime that his efforts were surely in vain.

Consequently, he became tired and sad; so he asked Allah (SWT) to destroy the non-believers.

As Quran says:

وَقَالَ نُوحٌ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا 

And Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant.

إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرْهُمْ يُضِلُّوا۟ عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا فَاجِرًا كَفَّارًا 

Indeed, if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and not beget except [every] wicked one and [confirmed] disbeliever.

Surah Nuh 71:26-27

Allah (SWT) then accepted his prayer and asked him to build an Ark away from the sea with wood and tools. As non-believers saw these preparations, they mocked at him thinking he went mad. As Quran says:

وَٱصْنَعِ ٱلْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا وَلَا تُخَٰطِبْنِى فِى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ۚ إِنَّهُم مُّغْرَقُونَ 

And construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration and do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are [to be] drowned."

Surah Hud 11:37

Eventually when the Ark was built, Prophet Noah (AS) and his believers patiently waited for the command of Allah (SWT). Allah revealed to him that when water miraculously gushed forth from the oven at Prophet Noah's(AS) house, that would be the sign of the start of the flood, and the sign for Prophet Nuh (AS) to take action.

It was also said that the waves rose over the mountains by a height of eighty miles. Yet, this ship continued to move upon the water, sailing by the permission of Allah. It moved under His shade, His help, His protection and His blessing.

When the ship got to it's destination point, Allah commanded the rain to stop and the water to dry up. 

Allah say;

وَقِيلَ يَٰٓأَرۡضُ ٱبۡلَعِى مَآءَكِ وَيَٰسَمَآءُ أَقۡلِعِى وَغِيضَ ٱلۡمَآءُ وَقُضِىَ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ وَٱسۡتَوَتۡ عَلَى ٱلۡجُودِىِّۖ وَقِيلَ بُعۡدًا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ 

And it was said, "O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, withhold [your rain]." And the water subsided, and the matter was accomplished, and it [i.e., the ship] came to rest on the [mountain of] Jūdiyy. And it was said, "Away with the wrongdoing people."

Surah Hud 11: 44.

It was said that the ark began its voyage at Kufa in central Iraq and sailed to Mecca, circling the Kaaba before finally traveling to Mount Judiyy in Turkey, which the above surah gave as its final resting place.

Qatadah, one of the Prophet's companion said;

"The ship rested upon it (Mount Judi) for a month before they (the people) came down from it.

Allah made Nuh's ship remain on Mount Judi in the land of Al-Jazirah, as a lesson and a sign.

He also added that the early generations of this Prophet Muhammad ummah saw the Ark".

According to The Observer newspaper, 16 January 1994, a team of scientists said that they had found Noah’s Ark on the Turkish-Iranian border, 32 kilometers from Mount Ararat, according to the leader of that team who did a six-year thorough investigation on the site.

The Turkish government was so convinced by the findings that, after years of intransigence, it had designated the site one of special archaeological interest and agreed to its excavation later.