Al-Tannur
Definition
Al-tannur — the oven — is the sign Allah gave Nuh that the flood was imminent: when the tannur overflowed with water, Nuh was to begin loading the ark immediately. Scholars differ on whether this refers to a specific oven in Nuh's home or to the very surface of the earth itself beginning to overflow. Ibn Kathir presents both interpretations without insisting on one, noting that the Quran's precision about the sign (rather than its nature) is what matters: when you see this specific thing happen, the moment has arrived. The tannur is the divine signal that bridges the long years of preparation and the sudden reality of judgment.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Al-Tannur.
-
"If I get up and check my oven. So she got up and found her oven full of sheep's sides and her mill was grinding. She went to the mill, cleared it, and took out what was in her oven from the sheep's sides. Abu Huraira swore by the one in whose hand is the soul of Abu al-Qasim that if she had taken what was in her mill and not cleared it, it would have ground until the day of resurrection."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
-
"When the wait became long, he said, Woe to you! Get up and seek if you have anything to bring to me, for I have reached my limit. She said, Yes, now the oven is ready, so do not rush. When he remained silent for a while and she waited for him to speak, she thought to herself, If I get up and check my oven. So she got up and found her oven full of sheep's sides and her mill was grinding."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
-
"that water gushed forth from all parts of the earth, even from places associated with fire. Ibn Abbas believed the oven was a spring in India, while al-Shaabi thought it was in Kufa, and Qadda claimed it was in Mesopotamia. Ali ibn Abi Talib had a different interpretation, suggesting the oven referred to the dawn breaking, signaling the time to take a pair of every kind on board."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
Appears in
1 book in the library
Hear the term in context.
Every book above uses Al-Tannur the way the classical scholars meant it. Listen with the full Study Kit in the app.