According to search-discovered classical Islamic scholarship, the great Flood, or 'Al-Tufan', was a cataclysmic divine event sent as a just retribution upon the people of Prophet Nuh (Noah) for their centuries of persistent idolatry and rejection of monotheism. The comprehensive Quranic narrative, detailed across several surahs including Hud and Nuh, describes how Allah commanded the prophet to construct an Ark as a means of salvation for the believers. Tafsir masters like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that the waters gushed forth from the earth and poured down from the sky, creating waves like mountains that inundated the land. This event serves as a profound lesson in divine justice, the consequences of disbelief, and the principle that salvation is tied to faith and righteousness alone, not kinship, as exemplified by the drowning of Nuh's own son who refused to believe. The story underscores the themes of prophetic patience, divine mercy for the faithful, and the absolute power of Allah over creation.