Noah (a.s.) is the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, the first of the five Messengers of Allah to the people who were given the new Law. His name is often mentioned in the Quran, and his story is narrated by 71st Surah of the Quran, which is named after him. Noah (a.s.) was a descendant of Prophet Adam (a.s.) in the ninth generation and grandson of the Prophet Idris (a.s.).
According to history, the Prophet Noah (a.s.) lived among people who were stone-idol worshippers, in a society that was wicked and corrupt. The people worshiped idols called Wadd, Suwa’, Yaguth, Ya’uq, and Nasr. And after that Allah sent a new Prophet, Noah (a.s.). When he became a Prophet, he was 480 years old. In total, he lived for 950 years, and all these years he called people to worship Allah, and after the flood, Noah (a.s.) lived for another 350 years.
The Great Flood
The Prophet Noah (a.s.) endured for a long time when he called people to believe in Allah. He told the people: “Accept Islam, be submissive to the one Allah, and leave the idols that you worship”. But most people did not believe the Prophet (a.s.), and in response they mocked him, insulted him, and beat him.
After these trials, Noah (a.s.) asked Allah for strength and help, since even after many years of his preaching, the people had fallen even deeper into disbelief. Allah told Noah (a.s.) that the people had overstepped all bounds and would be punished as an example for future generations. Allah inspired Noah (a.s.) to build an Ark, which he completed despite great difficulty. Although Noah (a.s.) warned the people of the coming wrath, they mocked him for taking on such a useless task.
When the Ark was completed, Noah (a.s.) filled it with pairs of living creatures and he and his followers boarded. Soon, the land was drenched with rain and a flood destroyed everything on land. Noah (a.s.) and his followers were safe on the Ark, but his eldest son and his wife were among the disbelievers destroyed.
Life Lessons
1. It is faith, not blood, that bonds us together
Noah’s wife did not join him on the Ark, because she had never believed in the message Noah (a.s.) had been preaching for so long. Neither did his eldest son, an idol worshiper who preferred to climb the highest mountain, in order to escape the flood. Prophet Noah (a.s.) saw his son being overtaken by the waves of water and shouted out to him to embark the Ark. But his son refused, and drowned.
And so the Ark sailed with them through waves like mountains. Noah called out to his son, who stood apart, “O my dear son! Come aboard with us and do not be with the disbelievers. He replied, “I will take refuge on a mountain, which will protect me from the water.” Noah cried, “Today no one is protected from Allah’s decree except those to whom He shows mercy!” And the waves came between them, and his son was among the drowned.
(Quran, 11:42-43)
2. Patience
Prophet Noah (a.s.) preached to his people for 950 years, for Almost 10 centuries!
We (once) sent Noah to his people, and he tarried among them a thousand years less fifty: but the Deluge overwhelmed them while they sin.
(Quran, 29:14) Still very few people embraced faith.
3. Allah is always with us
The above story makes it abundantly clear for the seekers of the truth, what the Most Merciful Allah demands from us. It is: To believe that there is no God except Allah and to believe and act on the commandments brought by his Prophet (a.s.) to do virtuous deeds and refrain from cruelty, greed, immorality and evil acts.
Allah judge sins, but he is also merciful and loving. He will never leave us without a way to come back to Him. Even throughout deep sin and a worldwide flood, Allah provided a way for Noah (a.s.) and his family salvation. It’s never too late to get on a right path, because Allah is always with us.
