Prophet Nuh/Noah (pbuh) by Ibn Kathir
He was Noah Ibn Lamik, Ibn Mitoshilkh, Ibn Enoch, Ibnyard, Ibn Mahlabeel, Ibn Qinan, Ibn Anoush, Ibn Seth, Ibn Adam theFather of Mankind (PBUH).
According to the history of the People of the Book,(refers to the Jews, and Christians, so called by Allah because theyreceived Revealed Books, Taurat, Zabur and Injeel. These names aretranslated 'Torah, Psalms, and Gospels' respectively, but the books thatare extent are corrupt. Of the Revealed Books, ONLY the Quran remainsexactly as it was revealed).
the period between the birth of Noah and the death ofAdam was 146 years. (According to Genesis 5 (new Revised StandardVersion), Noah was born one hundred and twenty six years after the deathof Adam. Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:"The period between Adam and Noah was ten centuries." (Sahih Bukhari,Noah was born 1056 years after Adam's creation (or after he left theGarden of Eden). Thus, this hadith does not contradict the previousstatement from the People of the Book as it may first appear to do. Thereader should keep in mind, however that any statement or narrativestaken from the People of the Book are not necessarily credible. This wastaken from Genesis 5).
For many generations Noah's people had been worshippingstatues that they called gods. They believed that these gods wouldbring them good, protect them from evil and provide all their needs.They gave their idols names such as Waddan, Suwa'an, Yaghutha, Ya'auga,and Nasran, (These idols represented, respectively, manly power;mutability, beauty; brute strength, swiftness, sharp sight, insight)according to the power they thought these gods possessed.
Allah the Almighty revealed: "They (idolaters) havesaid: "You shall not leave your gods nor shall you leave Wadd, norSuwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Ya uq nor Nasr (names of the idols)." (CH 71:23 Quran).
Originally these were the names of good people who hadlived among them. After their deaths, statues of them were erected tokeep their memories alive. After sometime, however, people began toworship these statues. Later generations did not even know why they hadbeen erected; they only knew their parents had prayed to them. That ishow idol worshipping developed. Since they had no understanding ofAllah the Almighty Who would punish them for their evil deeds, theybecame cruel and immoral.
Ibn Abbas explained: "Following upon the death ofthose righteous men, Satan inspired their people to erect statues in theplaces where they used to sit. They did this, but these statues werenot worshiped until the coming generations deviated from the right wayof life. Then they worshipped them as their idols."
In his version, Ibn Jarir narrated: "There wererighteous people who lived in the period between Adam and Noah and whohad followers who held them as models. After their death, their friendswho used to emulate them said: 'If we make statues of them, it will bemore pleasing to us in our worship and will remind us of them.' So theybuilt statues of them, and , after they had died and others came afterthem, Iblis crept into their minds saying:'Your forefathers used toworship them, and through that worship they got rain.' So theyworshipped them."
Ibn Abi Hatim related this story: "Waddan was arighteous man who was loved by his people. When he died, they withdrewto his grave in the land of Babylonia and were overwhelmed by sadness.When Iblis saw their sorrow caused by his death, he disguised himself inthe form of a man saying: 'I have seen your sorrow because of thisman's death; can I make a statue like him which could be put in yourmeeting place to make you remember him?' They said: 'Yes.'
So he made the statue like him. They put it in theirmeeting place in order to be reminded of him. When Iblis saw theirinterest in remembering him, he said: 'Can I build a statue of him inthe home of each one of you so that he would be in everyone's house andyou could remember him?'
They agreed. Their children learned about and saw whatthey were doing. They also learned about their remembrance of himinstead of Allah. So the first to be worshipped instead of Allah wasWaddan, the idol which they named thus."
The essence of this point is that every idol from thoseearlier mentioned was worshipped by a certain group of people. It wasmentioned that people made picture sand as the ages passed they madethese pictures into statues, so that their forms could be fullyrecognized; afterwards they were worshipped instead of Allah.
It was narrated that Umm Salmah and Umm Habibah toldAllah's Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about the church called "Maria" whichthey had seen in the land of Abyssinia. They described its beauty andthe pictures therein. He said: "Those are the people who build placesof worship on the grave of every dead man who was righteous and thenmake therein those pictures. Those are the worst of creation untoAllah." (Sahih al Bukhari).
Worshipping anything other than Allah is a tragedythat results not only in the loss of freedom; its serious effect reachesman's mind and destroys it as well. Almighty Allah created man and hismind with its purpose set on achieving knowledge the most important ofwhich is that Allah alone is the Creator and all the rest areworshippers (slaves). Therefore, disbelief in Allah, or polytheism,results in the loss of freedom, the destruction of the mind, and theabsence of a noble target in life. (By worshipping anything other thanAllah, man becomes enslaved to Satan, who is himself a creature andbecomes harnessed to his own baser qualities).
Into this environment Allah sent Noah with His messageto his people. Noah was the only intellectual not caught in thewhirlpool of man's destruction which was caused by polytheism.
Allah is His Mercy sent His messenger Noah to guidehis people. Noah was an excellent speaker and a very patient man. Hepointed out to his people the mysteries of life and the wonders of theuniverse. He pointed out how the night is regularly followed by the dayand that the balance between these opposites were designed by Allah theAlmighty for our good. The night gives coolness and rest while the daygives warmth and awakens activity. The sun encourages growth, keepingall plants and animals alive, while the moon and stars assist in thereckoning of time, direction and seasons. He pointed out that theownership of the heavens and the earth belongs only to the DivineCreator.
Therefore, he explained to this people, there cannothave been more than one deity. He clarified to them how the devil haddeceived them for so long and that the time had come for this deceit tostop. Noah spoke to them of Allah's glorification of man, how HE hadcreated him and provided him with sustenance and the blessings of amind. He told them that idol worshipping was a suffocating injustice tothe mind. He warned them not to worship anyone but Allah and describedthe terrible punishment Allah would mete out if they continued in theirevil ways.
The people listened to him in silence. His words werea shock to their stagnating minds as it is a shock to a person who isasleep under a wall which is about to fall and who is vigorouslyawakened. This person may be alarmed and may even become angry althoughthe aim was to save him.
Noah's people were divided into two groups after hiswarning. His words touched the hearts of the weak, the poor, and themiserable and soothed their wounds with its mercy. As for the rich, thestrong, the mighty and the rulers they looked upon the warning withcold distrust. They believed they would be better off if things stayedas they were. Therefore they started their war of words against Noah.
First they accused Noah of being only human like themselves. 'The chiefs of the disbeliveers among his people said: "We see you but a man like ourselves."'(Ch 11:27 Quran) He, however, had never said anything other than that.He asserted that, indeed, he was only a human being; Allah had sent ahuman messenger because the earth winhabited by humans. If it had beeninhabited by angels Allah would have sent an angelic messenger.
The contest between the polytheists and Noahcontinued. the rulers had thought at first that Noah's call would soonfade on its own. When they found that his call attracted the poor, thehelpless and common laborers, they started to verbally attack and taunthim: 'You are only followed by the poor, the meek and the worthless.'
Allah the Almighty told us: "Indeed We sent Noah tohis people (he said): "I have come to you as a plain Warner that youworship none but Allah, surely, I fear for you the torment of a painfulDay." the chiefs of the disbeliveers among his people said: "We see youbut a man like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanestamong us and they too followed you without thinking. And we do not seein you any merit above us in fact we think you are liars." (CH 11:25-27).
Thus the conflict between Noah and the heads of hispeople intensified. The disbeliveers tried to bargain: "Listen Noah, ifyou want us to believe in you, then dismiss your believers. They aremeek and poor, while are elite and rich; no faith c an include us both."Noah listened to the heathens of his community and realized they werebeing obstinate. However, he was gentle in his response. He explainedto his people that he could not dismiss the believers as they were nothis guests but Allah's.
Noah appealed to them: "O my people! I ask of youno wealth for it, my reward is from none but Allah. I am not going todrive away those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meettheir Lord, but I see that you are a people that are ignorant. O mypeople! Who will help me against Allah, if I drove them away? Will younot then give a thought? And I do not say to you that with me are theTreasures of Allah nor that I know the unseen, nor do I say I am anangel, and I do not say of those whom your eyes look down upon thatAllah will not bestow any good on them. Allah knows what is in theirinner selves (regards to Belief). In that case, I should, indeed be oneof the Zalimeen (wrongdoers, oppressors etc)." (Ch 11:29-31 Quran)
Noah refuted the arguments of the disbeliveers with thenoble knowledge of the prophets. It is the logic of intellect that ridsitself of personal pride and interests.
The rulers were tired of Noah's arguments. Allah the Exalted related their attitude:They said: "O Noah! You have disputed with us and much have youprolonged the dispute with us, now bring upon us what you threaten uswith, if you are of the truthful." He said: "Only Allah will bring it(the punishment)on you, if He will, and then you will escape not. And myadvice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you counsel, ifAllah's Will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord! And to Him youshall return." (Ch 11:32-34 Quran)
The battle continued; the arguments between thedisbeliveers and Noah became prolonged. When all the refutations of thedisbeliveers collapsed and they had no more to say, they began to berude and insulted Allah's prophet: 'The leaders of his people said: "Verily, we see you in plain error." (Ch 7:60 Quran)
Noah responded in the manner of the prophets: "O mypeople! There is no error in me, but I am a Messenger from the Lord ofthe Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)! I convey unto you theMessages of my Lord and give sincere advice to you. And I know fromAllah what you know not." (CH 7:61-62 Quran)
Noah continued appealing to his people to believe inAllah hour after hour, day after day year after year. He admonished hispeople and called them to Allah day and night, in secret and openly.HE gave them examples, explained Allah's signs and illustrated Allah'sability in the formation of His creatures. But whenever he called themto Allah, they ran away from him. Whenever he urged them to ask Allah toforgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and became too proudto listen to the truth.
Allah the Almighty related what Noah faced: Verily, We sent Noah to his people saying: "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment."
He said: "O my people! Verily, I am a plain Warner toyou, that you should worship Allah alone, be dutiful to Him and obeyme, He (Allah) will forgive you of your sins and respite you to anappointed term. Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot bedelayed, if you but knew."
He said: "O my Lord! Verily, I have called my peoplenight and day (secretly and openly to accept the doctrine of IslamicMonotheism), but all my calling added nothing but to their flight fromthe truth. Verily! Everytime I called unto them that You might forgivethem, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves upwith their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnifiedthemselves in pride. Then verily, I called to them openly (aloud); thenverily, I proclaimed to them in public, and I have appealed to them inprivate, I said to them: 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord, Verily, He isOft Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, and give youincrease in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow onyou rivers."
What is the matter with you, that you fear notAllah (His Punishment), and you hope not for reward from Allah or youbelieve not in His Oneness. While He has created you in differentstages. (Ch 23:13-14 Quran)
See you not how Allah has created the seven heavensone above another, and has made the moon a light therein and made thesun a lamp? And Allah has brought you forth from the dust of earth.Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth(again on the Day of Resurrection) Allah has made for you the earth widespread (an expanse) that you may go about therein broad roads.
Noah said: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me, andfollowed one whose wealth and children give him no increase but onlyloss. They have plotted a mighty plot. They have said: 'you shall notleave your gods, nor shall you leave wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, norya'uq nor Nasr (names of the idols). Indeed they have led many astray.O Allah! Grant no increase to the Zalimeen (polytheists, wrongdoers,and disbeliveers etc) save error."
Because of their sins they were drowned, then were made to enter the Fire and they found none to help them instead of Allah. (Ch 71:1-25 Quran).
Noah continued to call his people to believe in Allah for nine hundred fifty years. Allah the Almighty said:Indeed We sent Noah to his people and he stayed among them a thousandyears less fifty years (inviting them to believe in the Oneness of Allah(Monotheism) and discard the false gods and other deities). (Ch 29:14 Quran)
It happened that every passing generation admonishedthe succeeding one not to believe Noah and to wage war against him. thefather used to teach his child about the matter that was betweenhimself and Noah and counsel him to reject his call when he reachedadulthood. Their natural disposition rejected believing and followingthe truth.
Noah saw that the number of believers was notincreasing, while that of the disbeliveers was. He was sad for hispeople, but he never reached the point of despair.
There came a day when Allah revealed to Noah that noothers would believe. Allah inspired him not to grieve for them atwhich point Noah prayed that the disbeliveers be destroyed. He said:"My Lord! Leave not one of the disbeliveers on the earth. If youleave them, they will mislead Your slaves and they will beget none butwicked disbeliveers." (Ch 71:27 Quran)
Allah accepted Noah's prayer. The case was closed,and He passed His judgment on the disbeliveers in the form of a flood.Allah the Exalted ordered His worshipper Noah to build an ark with Hisknowledge and instructions and with the help of angels. Almighty Allahcommanded: "And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with OurInspiration and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; theyare surely to be drowned." (Ch 11:37 Quran)
Noah chose a place outside the city, far from the sea.HE collected wood and tools and began to day and night to build theark. The people's mockery continued: "O Noah! Does carpentry appeal toyou more than prophethood? Why are you building an ark so far from thesea? Are you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going tocarry it for you?" Noah replied: "You will come to know who will be putto shame and suffer."
Allah the Almighty narrated: As he was constructingthe ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they made amockery of him. He said : "If you mock at us, so do we mock at youlikewise for your mocking. And you will know who it is on whom willcome a torment that will cover him with disgrace and on whom will fall alasting torment." (Ch 11:38-39 Quran)
The ship was constructed, and Noah sat waiting Allah'scommand. Allah revealed to him that when water miraculously gushedforth from the oven at Noah's house, that would be the sign of the startof the flood, and the sign for Noah to act.
The terrible day arrived when the oven at Noah's houseoverflowed. Noah hurried to open the ark and summon the believers. Healso took with him a pair, male and female, of every type of animal,bird and insect. Seeing him taking these creatures to the ark, thepeople laughed loudly: "Noah must have gone out of his head! What is hegoing to do with the animals?"
Almighty Allah narrated: So it was till then therecame Our Command and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains fromthe earth). We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two (male andfemale), and your family, except him against whom the Word has alreadygone forth, and those who believe." And none believed him except a few. (Ch 11:40 Quran)
Noah's wife was not a believer with him so she did notjoin him; neither did one of Noah's sons, who was secretly adisbeliever but had pretended faith in front of Noah. Likewise most ofthe people were disbeliveers and did not go on board.
The scholars hold different opinions on the number ofthose who were with Noah on the ship. Ibn Abbas stated that there were80 believers while Ka ab al Ahbar held that there were 72 believers.Others claimed that there were 10 believers with Noah.
Water rose from the cracks in the earth; there was nota crack from which water did not rise. rain poured from the sky inquantities never seen before on earth. Water continued pouring from thesky rising from the cracks; hour after hour the level rose. The seasand waves invaded the land. The interior of the earth moved in astrange way, and the ocean floors lifted suddenly, flooding the dryland. The earth, for the first time was submerged.
Allah told the story thus: He (Noah) said: "Embarktherein in the Name of Allah will be its moving course and its restinganchorage. Surely, my Lord is Oft Forgiving, most Merciful." so it(the ship) sailed with them amidst the waves like mountains, and Noahcalled out to his son, who had separated himself (apart), "O my son!Embark with us and be not with the disbeliveers." The son replied, "Iwill betake myself to a mountain, it will save me from the water." Noahsaid: "This day there is no savior from the Decree of Allah except himon whom He has mercy." And a wave came in between them so he (the son)was among the drowned.
It was said: "O Earth! Swallow up your water, and Osky! Withhold (your rain)." The water was diminished (made to subside)and the Decree (of Allah) was fulfilled (the destruction of the peopleof Noah). And it (the ship) rested on Mount Judi, and it was said:"Away with the people who are Zalimeen (polytheists, and wrongdoing)!"
Noah called upon his Lord and said, "O my Lord!Verily, my son is of my family! Certainly, Your Promise is true, andYou are the Most Just of the judges." HE said: "O Noah! Surely, he isnot of your family; verily, his work is unrighteous, so ask not of Methat of which you have no knowledge! I admonish you, lest you be one ofthe ignorants."
Noah said: "O my Lord! I seek refuge with You fromasking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive meand have Mercy on me, I would indeed be one of the losers."
It was said: "O Noah! Come down (from theship) with peace from Us and blessings on you and on the people o\whoare with you(and on some of their offspring), but (there will be other)people to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in theend a painful torment will reach them from Us." (Ch 11:41-48 Quran)
With the issue of the divine command, calm returned toearth, the water retreated, and the dry land shone once again in therays of the sun. The flood had cleansed the earth of the disbeliveersand polytheists.
Noah released the birds, and the beats which scatteredover the earth. After that the believers disembarked. Noah put hisforehead to the ground in prostration. The survivors kindled a fire andsat around it. Lighting a fire had been prohibited on board so as notto ignite the ship's wood and burn it up. None of them had eaten hotfood during the entire period of the floor. Following thedisembarkation there was a day of fasting in thanks to Allah.
The Quran draws the curtain on Noah's story. We donot know how his affairs with his people continued. All we know or canascertain is that on his deathbed he requested his son to worship Allahalone, Noah then passed away.
Abdullah Ibn Amru Ibn Al as narrated that the ProphetMuhammad (PBUH) said: "When the death of the Messenger of Allah Noahapproached, the admonished his sons: 'Indeed I would give you farreaching advice, commanding you to do 2 things, and warning you againstdoing 2 things as well. I charge you to believe that there is no godbut Allah and that if the seven heavens and the seven earths were put onone side of a scale and the words "there is no god but Allah" were puton the other, the latter would outweigh the former. I warn you againstassociating partners with Allah and against pride." (Sahih al Bukhari)
Some traditions said that his grave is in the ScaredMosque in Mecca, while others said that he was buried in Baalabak, acity in Iraq.
He was Noah Ibn Lamik, Ibn Mitoshilkh, Ibn Enoch, Ibnyard, Ibn Mahlabeel, Ibn Qinan, Ibn Anoush, Ibn Seth, Ibn Adam theFather of Mankind (PBUH).
According to the history of the People of the Book,(refers to the Jews, and Christians, so called by Allah because theyreceived Revealed Books, Taurat, Zabur and Injeel. These names aretranslated 'Torah, Psalms, and Gospels' respectively, but the books thatare extent are corrupt. Of the Revealed Books, ONLY the Quran remainsexactly as it was revealed).
the period between the birth of Noah and the death ofAdam was 146 years. (According to Genesis 5 (new Revised StandardVersion), Noah was born one hundred and twenty six years after the deathof Adam. Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:"The period between Adam and Noah was ten centuries." (Sahih Bukhari,Noah was born 1056 years after Adam's creation (or after he left theGarden of Eden). Thus, this hadith does not contradict the previousstatement from the People of the Book as it may first appear to do. Thereader should keep in mind, however that any statement or narrativestaken from the People of the Book are not necessarily credible. This wastaken from Genesis 5).
For many generations Noah's people had been worshippingstatues that they called gods. They believed that these gods wouldbring them good, protect them from evil and provide all their needs.They gave their idols names such as Waddan, Suwa'an, Yaghutha, Ya'auga,and Nasran, (These idols represented, respectively, manly power;mutability, beauty; brute strength, swiftness, sharp sight, insight)according to the power they thought these gods possessed.
Allah the Almighty revealed: "They (idolaters) havesaid: "You shall not leave your gods nor shall you leave Wadd, norSuwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Ya uq nor Nasr (names of the idols)." (CH 71:23 Quran).
Originally these were the names of good people who hadlived among them. After their deaths, statues of them were erected tokeep their memories alive. After sometime, however, people began toworship these statues. Later generations did not even know why they hadbeen erected; they only knew their parents had prayed to them. That ishow idol worshipping developed. Since they had no understanding ofAllah the Almighty Who would punish them for their evil deeds, theybecame cruel and immoral.
Ibn Abbas explained: "Following upon the death ofthose righteous men, Satan inspired their people to erect statues in theplaces where they used to sit. They did this, but these statues werenot worshiped until the coming generations deviated from the right wayof life. Then they worshipped them as their idols."
In his version, Ibn Jarir narrated: "There wererighteous people who lived in the period between Adam and Noah and whohad followers who held them as models. After their death, their friendswho used to emulate them said: 'If we make statues of them, it will bemore pleasing to us in our worship and will remind us of them.' So theybuilt statues of them, and , after they had died and others came afterthem, Iblis crept into their minds saying:'Your forefathers used toworship them, and through that worship they got rain.' So theyworshipped them."
Ibn Abi Hatim related this story: "Waddan was arighteous man who was loved by his people. When he died, they withdrewto his grave in the land of Babylonia and were overwhelmed by sadness.When Iblis saw their sorrow caused by his death, he disguised himself inthe form of a man saying: 'I have seen your sorrow because of thisman's death; can I make a statue like him which could be put in yourmeeting place to make you remember him?' They said: 'Yes.'
So he made the statue like him. They put it in theirmeeting place in order to be reminded of him. When Iblis saw theirinterest in remembering him, he said: 'Can I build a statue of him inthe home of each one of you so that he would be in everyone's house andyou could remember him?'
They agreed. Their children learned about and saw whatthey were doing. They also learned about their remembrance of himinstead of Allah. So the first to be worshipped instead of Allah wasWaddan, the idol which they named thus."
The essence of this point is that every idol from thoseearlier mentioned was worshipped by a certain group of people. It wasmentioned that people made picture sand as the ages passed they madethese pictures into statues, so that their forms could be fullyrecognized; afterwards they were worshipped instead of Allah.
It was narrated that Umm Salmah and Umm Habibah toldAllah's Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about the church called "Maria" whichthey had seen in the land of Abyssinia. They described its beauty andthe pictures therein. He said: "Those are the people who build placesof worship on the grave of every dead man who was righteous and thenmake therein those pictures. Those are the worst of creation untoAllah." (Sahih al Bukhari).
Worshipping anything other than Allah is a tragedythat results not only in the loss of freedom; its serious effect reachesman's mind and destroys it as well. Almighty Allah created man and hismind with its purpose set on achieving knowledge the most important ofwhich is that Allah alone is the Creator and all the rest areworshippers (slaves). Therefore, disbelief in Allah, or polytheism,results in the loss of freedom, the destruction of the mind, and theabsence of a noble target in life. (By worshipping anything other thanAllah, man becomes enslaved to Satan, who is himself a creature andbecomes harnessed to his own baser qualities).
Into this environment Allah sent Noah with His messageto his people. Noah was the only intellectual not caught in thewhirlpool of man's destruction which was caused by polytheism.
Allah is His Mercy sent His messenger Noah to guidehis people. Noah was an excellent speaker and a very patient man. Hepointed out to his people the mysteries of life and the wonders of theuniverse. He pointed out how the night is regularly followed by the dayand that the balance between these opposites were designed by Allah theAlmighty for our good. The night gives coolness and rest while the daygives warmth and awakens activity. The sun encourages growth, keepingall plants and animals alive, while the moon and stars assist in thereckoning of time, direction and seasons. He pointed out that theownership of the heavens and the earth belongs only to the DivineCreator.
Therefore, he explained to this people, there cannothave been more than one deity. He clarified to them how the devil haddeceived them for so long and that the time had come for this deceit tostop. Noah spoke to them of Allah's glorification of man, how HE hadcreated him and provided him with sustenance and the blessings of amind. He told them that idol worshipping was a suffocating injustice tothe mind. He warned them not to worship anyone but Allah and describedthe terrible punishment Allah would mete out if they continued in theirevil ways.
The people listened to him in silence. His words werea shock to their stagnating minds as it is a shock to a person who isasleep under a wall which is about to fall and who is vigorouslyawakened. This person may be alarmed and may even become angry althoughthe aim was to save him.
Noah's people were divided into two groups after hiswarning. His words touched the hearts of the weak, the poor, and themiserable and soothed their wounds with its mercy. As for the rich, thestrong, the mighty and the rulers they looked upon the warning withcold distrust. They believed they would be better off if things stayedas they were. Therefore they started their war of words against Noah.
First they accused Noah of being only human like themselves. 'The chiefs of the disbeliveers among his people said: "We see you but a man like ourselves."'(Ch 11:27 Quran) He, however, had never said anything other than that.He asserted that, indeed, he was only a human being; Allah had sent ahuman messenger because the earth winhabited by humans. If it had beeninhabited by angels Allah would have sent an angelic messenger.
The contest between the polytheists and Noahcontinued. the rulers had thought at first that Noah's call would soonfade on its own. When they found that his call attracted the poor, thehelpless and common laborers, they started to verbally attack and taunthim: 'You are only followed by the poor, the meek and the worthless.'
Allah the Almighty told us: "Indeed We sent Noah tohis people (he said): "I have come to you as a plain Warner that youworship none but Allah, surely, I fear for you the torment of a painfulDay." the chiefs of the disbeliveers among his people said: "We see youbut a man like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanestamong us and they too followed you without thinking. And we do not seein you any merit above us in fact we think you are liars." (CH 11:25-27).
Thus the conflict between Noah and the heads of hispeople intensified. The disbeliveers tried to bargain: "Listen Noah, ifyou want us to believe in you, then dismiss your believers. They aremeek and poor, while are elite and rich; no faith c an include us both."Noah listened to the heathens of his community and realized they werebeing obstinate. However, he was gentle in his response. He explainedto his people that he could not dismiss the believers as they were nothis guests but Allah's.
Noah appealed to them: "O my people! I ask of youno wealth for it, my reward is from none but Allah. I am not going todrive away those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meettheir Lord, but I see that you are a people that are ignorant. O mypeople! Who will help me against Allah, if I drove them away? Will younot then give a thought? And I do not say to you that with me are theTreasures of Allah nor that I know the unseen, nor do I say I am anangel, and I do not say of those whom your eyes look down upon thatAllah will not bestow any good on them. Allah knows what is in theirinner selves (regards to Belief). In that case, I should, indeed be oneof the Zalimeen (wrongdoers, oppressors etc)." (Ch 11:29-31 Quran)
Noah refuted the arguments of the disbeliveers with thenoble knowledge of the prophets. It is the logic of intellect that ridsitself of personal pride and interests.
The rulers were tired of Noah's arguments. Allah the Exalted related their attitude:They said: "O Noah! You have disputed with us and much have youprolonged the dispute with us, now bring upon us what you threaten uswith, if you are of the truthful." He said: "Only Allah will bring it(the punishment)on you, if He will, and then you will escape not. And myadvice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you counsel, ifAllah's Will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord! And to Him youshall return." (Ch 11:32-34 Quran)
The battle continued; the arguments between thedisbeliveers and Noah became prolonged. When all the refutations of thedisbeliveers collapsed and they had no more to say, they began to berude and insulted Allah's prophet: 'The leaders of his people said: "Verily, we see you in plain error." (Ch 7:60 Quran)
Noah responded in the manner of the prophets: "O mypeople! There is no error in me, but I am a Messenger from the Lord ofthe Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)! I convey unto you theMessages of my Lord and give sincere advice to you. And I know fromAllah what you know not." (CH 7:61-62 Quran)
Noah continued appealing to his people to believe inAllah hour after hour, day after day year after year. He admonished hispeople and called them to Allah day and night, in secret and openly.HE gave them examples, explained Allah's signs and illustrated Allah'sability in the formation of His creatures. But whenever he called themto Allah, they ran away from him. Whenever he urged them to ask Allah toforgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and became too proudto listen to the truth.
Allah the Almighty related what Noah faced: Verily, We sent Noah to his people saying: "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment."
He said: "O my people! Verily, I am a plain Warner toyou, that you should worship Allah alone, be dutiful to Him and obeyme, He (Allah) will forgive you of your sins and respite you to anappointed term. Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot bedelayed, if you but knew."
He said: "O my Lord! Verily, I have called my peoplenight and day (secretly and openly to accept the doctrine of IslamicMonotheism), but all my calling added nothing but to their flight fromthe truth. Verily! Everytime I called unto them that You might forgivethem, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves upwith their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnifiedthemselves in pride. Then verily, I called to them openly (aloud); thenverily, I proclaimed to them in public, and I have appealed to them inprivate, I said to them: 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord, Verily, He isOft Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, and give youincrease in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow onyou rivers."
What is the matter with you, that you fear notAllah (His Punishment), and you hope not for reward from Allah or youbelieve not in His Oneness. While He has created you in differentstages. (Ch 23:13-14 Quran)
See you not how Allah has created the seven heavensone above another, and has made the moon a light therein and made thesun a lamp? And Allah has brought you forth from the dust of earth.Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth(again on the Day of Resurrection) Allah has made for you the earth widespread (an expanse) that you may go about therein broad roads.
Noah said: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me, andfollowed one whose wealth and children give him no increase but onlyloss. They have plotted a mighty plot. They have said: 'you shall notleave your gods, nor shall you leave wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, norya'uq nor Nasr (names of the idols). Indeed they have led many astray.O Allah! Grant no increase to the Zalimeen (polytheists, wrongdoers,and disbeliveers etc) save error."
Because of their sins they were drowned, then were made to enter the Fire and they found none to help them instead of Allah. (Ch 71:1-25 Quran).
Noah continued to call his people to believe in Allah for nine hundred fifty years. Allah the Almighty said:Indeed We sent Noah to his people and he stayed among them a thousandyears less fifty years (inviting them to believe in the Oneness of Allah(Monotheism) and discard the false gods and other deities). (Ch 29:14 Quran)
It happened that every passing generation admonishedthe succeeding one not to believe Noah and to wage war against him. thefather used to teach his child about the matter that was betweenhimself and Noah and counsel him to reject his call when he reachedadulthood. Their natural disposition rejected believing and followingthe truth.
Noah saw that the number of believers was notincreasing, while that of the disbeliveers was. He was sad for hispeople, but he never reached the point of despair.
There came a day when Allah revealed to Noah that noothers would believe. Allah inspired him not to grieve for them atwhich point Noah prayed that the disbeliveers be destroyed. He said:"My Lord! Leave not one of the disbeliveers on the earth. If youleave them, they will mislead Your slaves and they will beget none butwicked disbeliveers." (Ch 71:27 Quran)
Allah accepted Noah's prayer. The case was closed,and He passed His judgment on the disbeliveers in the form of a flood.Allah the Exalted ordered His worshipper Noah to build an ark with Hisknowledge and instructions and with the help of angels. Almighty Allahcommanded: "And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with OurInspiration and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; theyare surely to be drowned." (Ch 11:37 Quran)
Noah chose a place outside the city, far from the sea.HE collected wood and tools and began to day and night to build theark. The people's mockery continued: "O Noah! Does carpentry appeal toyou more than prophethood? Why are you building an ark so far from thesea? Are you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going tocarry it for you?" Noah replied: "You will come to know who will be putto shame and suffer."
Allah the Almighty narrated: As he was constructingthe ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they made amockery of him. He said : "If you mock at us, so do we mock at youlikewise for your mocking. And you will know who it is on whom willcome a torment that will cover him with disgrace and on whom will fall alasting torment." (Ch 11:38-39 Quran)
The ship was constructed, and Noah sat waiting Allah'scommand. Allah revealed to him that when water miraculously gushedforth from the oven at Noah's house, that would be the sign of the startof the flood, and the sign for Noah to act.
The terrible day arrived when the oven at Noah's houseoverflowed. Noah hurried to open the ark and summon the believers. Healso took with him a pair, male and female, of every type of animal,bird and insect. Seeing him taking these creatures to the ark, thepeople laughed loudly: "Noah must have gone out of his head! What is hegoing to do with the animals?"
Almighty Allah narrated: So it was till then therecame Our Command and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains fromthe earth). We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two (male andfemale), and your family, except him against whom the Word has alreadygone forth, and those who believe." And none believed him except a few. (Ch 11:40 Quran)
Noah's wife was not a believer with him so she did notjoin him; neither did one of Noah's sons, who was secretly adisbeliever but had pretended faith in front of Noah. Likewise most ofthe people were disbeliveers and did not go on board.
The scholars hold different opinions on the number ofthose who were with Noah on the ship. Ibn Abbas stated that there were80 believers while Ka ab al Ahbar held that there were 72 believers.Others claimed that there were 10 believers with Noah.
Water rose from the cracks in the earth; there was nota crack from which water did not rise. rain poured from the sky inquantities never seen before on earth. Water continued pouring from thesky rising from the cracks; hour after hour the level rose. The seasand waves invaded the land. The interior of the earth moved in astrange way, and the ocean floors lifted suddenly, flooding the dryland. The earth, for the first time was submerged.
Allah told the story thus: He (Noah) said: "Embarktherein in the Name of Allah will be its moving course and its restinganchorage. Surely, my Lord is Oft Forgiving, most Merciful." so it(the ship) sailed with them amidst the waves like mountains, and Noahcalled out to his son, who had separated himself (apart), "O my son!Embark with us and be not with the disbeliveers." The son replied, "Iwill betake myself to a mountain, it will save me from the water." Noahsaid: "This day there is no savior from the Decree of Allah except himon whom He has mercy." And a wave came in between them so he (the son)was among the drowned.
It was said: "O Earth! Swallow up your water, and Osky! Withhold (your rain)." The water was diminished (made to subside)and the Decree (of Allah) was fulfilled (the destruction of the peopleof Noah). And it (the ship) rested on Mount Judi, and it was said:"Away with the people who are Zalimeen (polytheists, and wrongdoing)!"
Noah called upon his Lord and said, "O my Lord!Verily, my son is of my family! Certainly, Your Promise is true, andYou are the Most Just of the judges." HE said: "O Noah! Surely, he isnot of your family; verily, his work is unrighteous, so ask not of Methat of which you have no knowledge! I admonish you, lest you be one ofthe ignorants."
Noah said: "O my Lord! I seek refuge with You fromasking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive meand have Mercy on me, I would indeed be one of the losers."
It was said: "O Noah! Come down (from theship) with peace from Us and blessings on you and on the people o\whoare with you(and on some of their offspring), but (there will be other)people to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in theend a painful torment will reach them from Us." (Ch 11:41-48 Quran)
With the issue of the divine command, calm returned toearth, the water retreated, and the dry land shone once again in therays of the sun. The flood had cleansed the earth of the disbeliveersand polytheists.
Noah released the birds, and the beats which scatteredover the earth. After that the believers disembarked. Noah put hisforehead to the ground in prostration. The survivors kindled a fire andsat around it. Lighting a fire had been prohibited on board so as notto ignite the ship's wood and burn it up. None of them had eaten hotfood during the entire period of the floor. Following thedisembarkation there was a day of fasting in thanks to Allah.
The Quran draws the curtain on Noah's story. We donot know how his affairs with his people continued. All we know or canascertain is that on his deathbed he requested his son to worship Allahalone, Noah then passed away.
Abdullah Ibn Amru Ibn Al as narrated that the ProphetMuhammad (PBUH) said: "When the death of the Messenger of Allah Noahapproached, the admonished his sons: 'Indeed I would give you farreaching advice, commanding you to do 2 things, and warning you againstdoing 2 things as well. I charge you to believe that there is no godbut Allah and that if the seven heavens and the seven earths were put onone side of a scale and the words "there is no god but Allah" were puton the other, the latter would outweigh the former. I warn you againstassociating partners with Allah and against pride." (Sahih al Bukhari)
Some traditions said that his grave is in the ScaredMosque in Mecca, while others said that he was buried in Baalabak, acity in Iraq.
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