Surah 11

Surah 11:44

"And it was said: ‘Earth! Swallow your water! And sky! Stop!’ And the waters subsided, and the command was accomplished, and it came to rest on al-Jūdī. And it was said: ‘Away with the people who were evildoers!’"
The End of the Flood Verses 11:44
Show Full Scripture Context (11:44) — 1 Verse
Verse 44

وَقِيلَ يَـٰٓأَرۡضُ ٱبۡلَعِي مَآءَكِ وَيَٰسَمَآءُ أَقۡلِعِي وَغِيضَ ٱلۡمَآءُ وَقُضِيَ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ وَٱسۡتَوَتۡ عَلَى ٱلۡجُودِيِّۖ وَقِيلَ بُعۡدٗا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

And it was said: ‘Earth! Swallow your water! And sky! Stop!’ And the waters subsided, and the command was accomplished, and it came to rest on al-Jūdī. And it was said: ‘Away with the people who were evildoers!’

Allah, the Exalted, informs that when the people of the earth were all drowned, except for the people on the ship, He commanded the earth to swallow its water, which had sprang from it and gathered upon it. Then He commanded the sky to cease raining.

{And the water was made to subside} This means that it (the water) began to decrease.

{and the decree was fulfilled} This means that all of those who disbelieved in Allah were removed from the people of the earth. Not a single one of them remained upon the earth.

{And it (the ship) rested} This is referring to the ship and those who were in it.

{on (Mount) Judi} Mujahid said, "Judi is a mountain in Al-Jazirah (Northwest Mesopotamia) where the mountains sought to tower above each other on the day of the drowning. On that day of destruction, all the mountains sought to be higher (to avoid being overcome by the water). However, this mountain (Judi) humbled itself for Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, and therefore it was not drowned. This is why Nuh's ship anchored upon it." Qatadah said, "The ship rested upon it (Mount Judi) for a month before they (the people) came down from it." Qatadah also said, "Allah made Nuh's ship remain on Mount Judi in the land of Al-Jazirah, as a lesson and a sign." Even the early generations of this Ummah saw it. How many ships are there that have come after it and have been destroyed and became dust?

Quoted Scripture
"and it was said: ''Away with the people who are wrongdoing!""

means destruction and loss for them. The term "away with" here implies being far away from the mercy of Allah. For verily, they were destroyed to the last of them, and none of them survived.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.