"And he was constructing the ship"—the vessel. "And whenever the eminent among his people passed by him, they ridiculed him." Noah constructed the ship with his own hand. The eminent ones of his people would pass by him and say to him, in mockery: 'O Noah, you who claim to be a messenger of the Lord of the worlds, have you now become a carpenter?'
"He said, 'If you ridicule us, then we will ridicule you just as you ridicule.'" Muhammad said: The meaning is: We regard you as ignorant just as you regard us as ignorant.
Yahya said: A man from his people would take his son by the hand and go with him to Noah, and say: 'O my son, do not obey this man; for my father took me to him when I was like you, and he said: O my son, do not obey this man.'
﴿ويصنع الْفلك﴾ السَّفِينَةَ ﴿وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلأٌ من قومه سخروا مِنْهُ﴾ عَمِلَ نوحٌ الْفُلْكَ بِيَدِهِ، فَكَانَ يَمُرُّ عَلَيْهِ الْمَلأُ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ فَيَقُولُونَ لَهُ اسْتِهْزَاءً بِهِ: يَا نُوحُ، بَيْنَمَا أَنْتَ تَزْعُمُ أَنَّكَ رَسُولُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ إِذْ صِرْتَ نَجَّارًا.
﴿قَالَ إِنْ تَسْخَرُوا مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنْكُمْ كَمَا تَسْخَرُونَ﴾ قَالَ محمدٌ: الْمَعْنَى: نَسْتَجْهِلُكُمْ كَمَا تَسْتَجْهِلُونَ.
قَالَ يحيى:
وَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ يَأْخُذُ بِيَدِ ابْنِهِ، فَيَذْهَبُ بِهِ إِلَى نوحٍ فَيَقُولُ: أَيْ بُنَيَّ، لَا تُطِعْ هَذَا؛ فَإِنَّ أَبِي قَدْ ذَهَبَ بِي إِلَيْهِ وَأَنَا مِثْلُكَ فَقَالَ: أَيْ بني لَا تُطِع هَذَا.
