The Reason for Selecting the Ark
The blowing of the trumpet by the Angel Israfil will be the declaration of Doomsday in spoken words while Noah’s Ark (daabba) is a declaration of Qiyamah (Doomsday) in an unspoken language. The same reality which the trumpet of Israfil will proclaim in words, will be declared in silent language by Noah’s Ark. What was the reason for selecting the Ark for this purpose? By taking into account the following aspects we can understand why the Ark was possibly the best medium for this purpose in ancient times.
i) According to God’s Way (Sunnah), a disguised name was required for the Ark. This purpose was easily served by using the word ‘daabba’ for the Ark.
ii) For this purpose something was required which could move from one place to another in the flood by sailing and this could be achieved only by a boat.
iii) For this purpose such a method was required as would save some people and destroy others. This was possible only by means of an Ark.
iv) For this purpose, such a thing was required, which could be preserved for several thousand years under sheets of ice and later be exposed before man at an appointed time.
v) Another advantage of the Ark was that it could be preserved by the natural chemical process of fossilization, so that it might serve as a sign for later generations.
Furthermore, in accordance with the way (Sunnah) of God (The Quran 6:8), an Ark was the only thing for which a disguised name was available in the form of daabba. According to the way of God, referring to the Ark as “Ark” was not desirable. Rather, referring to it by some indirect name was desirable, so that people might ponder over it to understand its significance.
For this purpose, daabba was the most appropriate name, for the Ark creeps over water, and the literal meaning of daabba is ‘creeper’. The Quran states that when the time will come, ‘We will produce a daabba from the earth’ (The Quran, 27:82). These words very aptly indicate the real occurrence—the Ark which lay covered under the thick layer of ice (as glaciers) gradually became exposed following global warming, which led to the melting of ice caps. The word ‘creeper’, coming out of the earth, literally portrays this event, exactly as it happened.
While mentioning daabba, the Quran only states that daabba will ‘speak’ to people and tell them that they did not believe in God’s signs. This is all that we are told about it. The Quran does not say anything about the response of the people, whether or not they will believe. Thus, it is not proved from the Quran that after listening to daabba, people will become believers.
The truth is that in later times the appearance of daabba
(Ark) will only mark the announcement. This will not
result in all the people becoming believers, i.e. there will
be no one who denies God.
We can infer from this that the appearance of daabba (Ark) will again be of the same nature as that of the time of Noah. Noah communicated the message of God to people for a very long time, but very few believed in him. The same would take place in later times as well. That is, this second time, only some will give a positive response and the majority will ignore the message. The truth is that in later times the appearance of daabba (Ark) will only mark the announcement. This will not result in all the people becoming believers, i.e. there will be no one who denies God.
