Prophet Nuh (Noah)

The Story of Prophet Noah

The story of Prophet Noah (Nuh) is a significant event in Islamic history, showing a proof of Allah’s power and the consequences of disobedience. It is also an account of the first instance of widespread blasphemy among humankind.

The First Blasphemy and Noah’s Mission

After the death of Prophet Enoch (Idris), a period of ignorance began that lasted for 1,000 years. During this time, the first blasphemy was committed among humans. There were five pious men whose names are mentioned in Surat Nuh, verse 23:

وَدًّۭا وَلَا سُوَاعًۭا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًۭا

(Surat Nuh, Ayah 23)

Wadd, Suwa’, Yaghuth, Ya’uq, and Nasr. After their death, Satan appeared to the people in the form of a man and instructed them to build statues of these five men to honor them. Initially, the statues were meant as a way to remember and honor these righteous individuals.

However, after a long period, ignorance had spread widely. Satan reappeared to a later generation and ordered them to worship the statues, falsely claiming that their ancestors had done the same.

At this point, Allah sent Prophet Noah to warn these people and call them back to Islam. He told them, “O my people, worship God, for He is the only One Who deserves to be worshipped.” He warned them of a severe punishment if they did not repent. Despite Noah’s constant reminders of the great rewards for being Muslims, most people did not respond to his call. Prophet Noah spent 950 years calling the people to Islam, but only about 80 individuals believed in him.

The people were extremely harsh to Prophet Noah, inflicting a great deal of harm on him. They once tried to strangle him until he fainted. Each century showed more enmity towards him and his followers than the last.

The Great Flood and the Ark

Prophet Noah told his people that his role was simply to convey the message, but only Allah could create guidance in the hearts of people. Although only a few people responded to his call, he did not despair. However, when Allah revealed to Prophet Noah that no one else among his people would believe, Noah supplicated to Allah to destroy all those who did not believe. This supplication was fulfilled by Allah.

Allah then ordered Prophet Noah to build an ark. Noah gathered the wood, tar, and iron for the ark. The people mocked him for building a ship on dry land, far from any water. Allah told Noah that a sign would appear when it was time to load the ark. This sign was water flowing from a stone oven that belonged to Lady Eve.

When the sign appeared, Allah sent rain from the sky, and beasts began to gather near the ark. Prophet Noah took a male and female pair of each kind of animal onto the ark, along with the believers. Water sprang from the Earth in large quantities, causing the ark to rise. The rain fell in great masses, described in the Qur’an as resembling mountains.

The End of the Flood and Noah’s Legacy

After six months, the rain stopped, and the Earth began to swallow the water. The ark finally came to rest on Mount al-Judiyy in Iraq. Allah protected Prophet Noah and his followers and inflicted punishment on the blasphemers. All the disbelievers drowned, including Noah’s son, Kan’an, who refused to believe in him

It is narrated that when Prophet Noah was about to die, the angels asked him how he felt about his long stay on Earth. Prophet Noah replied, “I saw this life on Earth like a house with two doors. I entered through one door and I left through the other.” He meant that life passed by very quickly.

It is also important to note that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) established a fast on the 10th day of Muharram. He realized that the Jews in Madinah were fasting this day because it was the day Allah rescued Prophet Moses and the Children of Israel from Pharaoh, and also the day Noah’s ark landed on Mount al-Judiyy. The Prophet said, “We associate with Moses more than others do,” and told his followers to fast on that day as well, in gratitude to Allah for the victory of these prophets.