The ship was constructed, and Noah sat waiting Allah’s command. Allah revealed to him that
when water miraculously gushed forth from the oven at Noah’s house, that would be the sign of the start of the flood, and the sign for Noah to act.
The terrible day arrived when the oven at Noah’s house overflowed. Noah hurried to open the ark and summon the believers. He also took with him a pair, male and female, of every type of animal, bird and insect. Seeing him taking these creatures to the ark, the people laughed loudly:
“Noah must have gone out of his head! What is he going to do with the animals?” Almighty Allah narrated:
“So it was till then there came Our Command and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains from the earth). We said: “Embark therein, of each kind two (male and female), and your family, except him against whom the Word has already gone forth, and those who believe.” And none believed him except a few.(Ch 11:40 Quran)
The Number of Believers
Noah’s wife was not a believer with him so she did not join him; neither did one of Noah’s sons, who was secretly a disbeliever but had pretended faith in front of Noah. Likewise most of the people were disbeliever and did not go on board.
The scholars hold different opinions on the number of those who were with Noah on the ship. Ibn Abbas stated that there were 80 believers while Ka ab al Ahbar held that there were 72 believers.
Others claimed that there were 10 believers with Noah.
Description of the Flood
Water rose from the cracks in the earth; there was not a crack from which water did not rise. rain poured from the sky in quantities never seen before on earth. Water continued pouring from the sky rising from the cracks; hour after hour the level rose. The seas and waves invaded the land.
The interior of the earth moved in a strange way, and the ocean floors lifted suddenly, flooding
the dry land. The earth, for the first time was submerged.
Noah Appeals to his Son
Allah told the story thus: He (Noah) said:
“Embark therein in the Name of Allah will be its moving course and its resting anchorage.
Surely, my Lord is Oft Forgiving, most Merciful.”
So it (the ship) sailed with them amidst the waves like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (apart), “O my son! Embark with us and be not with the disbelievers.”
The son replied, “I will betake myself to a mountain, it will save me from the water.” Noah said:
“This day there is no savior from the Decree of Allah except him on whom He has mercy.” And a wave came in between them so he (the son) was among the drowned.” (Ch. 11: 41-43)