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Question No. 3218 31 August 2022 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified Content level: Intermediate

Did Noah Take Every Animal Species Aboard the Ark?

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According to a report from Imam al-Sadiq (AS) cited in *al-Kafi*, Noah (AS) took eight pairs of domesticated and wild animals aboard the Ark, including sheep, goats, camels, and cattle, as well as birds. After that, the earth was submerged.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

Abu ʿAbd Allāh (peace be upon him) said: Noah carried aboard the Ark the eight pairs mentioned by God, Mighty and Exalted: «ثمانیه أزواج من الضأن اثنین و من المعز اثنین و من الإبل اثنین و من البقر اثنین» . Of the sheep, one pair consisted of domestic sheep raised by people , and the other of wild sheep that live in the mountains and may be hunted. Of the goats, one pair consisted of domestic goats raised by people, and the other of gazelles that live in open country. Of the camels, one pair was Bactrian and the other Arabian . Of the cattle, one pair was domestic and the other wild. He also took every kind of good bird, both wild and domestic. Then the earth was submerged.

Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 8, p. 284

ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Abī al-Daylam relates from Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) that he said: Noah carried aboard the Ark eight pairs of animals, as God, Mighty and Exalted, had said: «ثمانیه أزواج من الضأن اثنین و من المعز اثنین ... «1» و من الإبل اثنین و من البقر اثنین ... «2». Of the sheep, one pair consisted of domestic sheep raised by people, and the other of mountain sheep that people were permitted to hunt. Of the goats, one pair consisted of domestic goats raised by people, and the other of gazelles that live in the plains and deserts. Of the camels, one pair consisted of Bactrian camels [raised in Khurasan] and the other of Arabian camels. Of the cattle, one pair consisted of domestic cattle and the other of wild cattle. He chose one domestic and one wild bird of every kind, and then the earth was submerged.

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