13 Preface وَحَمَلناهُ عَلىٰ ذاتِ أَلواحٍ وَدُسُرٍYusuf AliBut We bore him on an (Ark) made of broad planks and caulked1 with palm- fibre:Dusur, plural of disar, which means the palm fibre with which boats are caulked: from dasara, to ram in, to spear. A derived meaning is “nails”, (which are driven into planks): this latter meaning also applies, and is preferred by translators not familiar with the construction of simple boats.