Noah (peace be upon him)
Ten centuries were between Noah and Adam. Allah Almighty sent him to his people after they had gone astray and turned to the worship of false gods. They used to worship idols, stones, and graves. Among their best- known deities were Wadd, Suwā‘, Yaghūth, Ya‘ūq, and Nasr. So, Allah sent him to return them to the worship of Allah alone as revealed in the Qur’an:{Indeed, we sent Noah to his people. He said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him. I fear for you the punishment of a momentous Day.”}[Surat al-A‘rāf: 59]He continued to call his people for a long time, but only a few believed in him. So, he supplicated Allah saying:{He said, “My Lord, I have surely called my people night and day, but my call only drove them further away. Every time I call them so that You may forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears and cover their faces with their garments and persist in obstinacy and grow extremely arrogant. Then I called them openly, then I addressed them in public and in private, I said, ‘Seek forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed, He is Most Forgiving. He will shower you with abundant rain from the sky, and He will give you wealth and children, and bestow upon you gardens and rivers. What is the matter with you that you do not fear the Majesty of Allah, when He has created you in stages?’”}[Surat Nūh: 5-14]Despite his ongoing effort and amazing keenness to guide his people, they denied and mocked him and accused him of insanity. So, Allah revealed to him that:{None of your people will ever believe except those who have already believed. So do not grieve over what they do.}[Surat Hūd: 36]And He commanded him to build an ark in which he would carry all those who had believed.{So he started constructing the Ark, and every time some chiefs of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He said, “If you ridicule us now, we will soon ridicule you as you are ridiculing us. You will come to know who will be afflicted with a disgracing punishment, and upon whom will descend an everlasting punishment. «When Our command came and the oven overflowed, we said, “Take on board a pair from every species and your family – except those who have already been decreed [to drown] – and those who believe.” But none believed with him except a few. Noah said, “Board it; in the name of Allah, it sails and anchors. My Lord is All- Forgiving, Most Merciful. «As it sailed with them through waves like mountains, Noah called out to his son, who had kept himself apart, “O my son, come aboard with us, and do not be with the disbelievers. «He said, “I will take shelter on a mountain which will save me from the water.” Noah said, “Today no one will be saved from Allah’s punishment except those on whom He may have mercy.” Thereupon the waves came between them, and he was among those who were drowned. And it was said, “O earth, swallow up your water. O sky, withhold [your rain]!” The water subsided and the command was fulfilled, and the Ark settled on Mount Judi, and it was said, “Away with the wrongdoing people! «Noah called out to his Lord, saying, “My Lord, my son is one of my family, and Your promise is true, and You are the Most Just of all judges! «Allah said, “O Noah, he is not of your family, for he was not righteous in his conduct. So do not ask Me of what you have no knowledge. I admonish you, so you
do not be among the ignorant. Noah said, “My Lord, I seek refuge with You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge. Unless You forgive me and have mercy upon me, I will be among the losers. «It was said, “O Noah, disembark with peace from Us, and with blessings upon you and upon some nations [descending] from those who are with you. As for other nations, we will grant them enjoyment for a while, then they will be afflicted with a painful punishment from Us.”}[Surat Hūd: 38-48]
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