Surah Hud 11:38

Hud · Verse 38 of 123 · Juz 12 · Page 226

وَيَصْنَعُ ٱلْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلَأٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِۦ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُ ۚ قَالَ إِن تَسْخَرُوا۟ مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنكُمْ كَمَا تَسْخَرُونَ

And he constructed the ship, and whenever an assembly of the eminent of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He said, "If you ridicule us, then we will ridicule you just as you ridicule.

Translation: Saheeh International

Tafsir

And he was building the Ark yasna‘ is narrating a past state in the present tense and whenever a council a group of his people passed him they scoffed at him mocked him. He said ‘Though you scoff at us yet we scoff at you even as you scoff when we are saved while you drown;

Excerpt from Tafsir al-Jalalayn, commentary on 11:38, via Quran.com. The reader has the full commentary and 9 more tafsirs.