Stories of Prophets -2

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TOPIC TWO

THE MESSENGER: NOAH INVITATION BEFORE & AFTER THE

FLOOD



Learning Outcomes

After studying this topic, you should be able to:

Explain why Allah chooses to send men as Messengers and not Angels.

Explain why Noah was selected to be a messenger to his people.

Understand the arguments of Noah‟s people.

Understand why each of Noah and his people thinks that he is the one with the truth and

the other is misguided.

Explain the arguments of the rich people.

Understand how hard Noah went in calling his people to Allah.

Explain why Noah‟s people were mocking of him when he was constructing the ship.

Describe how Allah saved Noah and his followers and destroyed the disbelievers.

Understand that a Prophet‟s real family is the believers.



1. Introduction

The devil deceived the sons of Adam and drove them away from worshipping Allah alone to

worshipping idols - made by their own hands – they called them gods and believed that these

idols can harm them or bring them good. This state of pure idolatry and „shirk‟ went by for many

generations till the time of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). They gave their idols names such

as Waddan, Suwa‟an, Yagutha, Ya‟au ga, and Nasran which were, originally, the names of good

people who had lived among them. Ibn Khathir stated that “When idols were worshipped and

people sank in disbelief and delusion, Allah, Exalted be He, sent Noah as the first messenger to

the people of the earth. His people were called Banu Rasib (the sons of Rasib)

1

.

Noah was described in many books about “Stories of the Prophets” as a pious man,

generous, intelligent and forbearing, compassionate and sincere, truthful and trustworthy; know

for giving good counsel, an excellent speaker and a very patient man. He used all the means

available to him to invite his people to the Path of Allah and abandon worshiping idols. His

invitation was met with a strong opposition, especially from the rich, the elite and the ignorant

among his people. Eventually, he lost hope in their guidance and asked ALLAH to punish them

and it was the flood “Tuufaan”.

This topic covers the invitation of Noah to his people before and after the flood. The

invitation before the flood includes topics such as the messenger, a human being or angel?, Noah

the messenger, what his people reply to him, dialogue between Noah and his people, the lowest

followed you, the allegation of the rich people, and Noah‟s invitation. The second part, invitation

1 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans.

Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 24.



after the flood, comprises the ship, the flood, Noah‟s son, he is not from your family, and after

the flood.

2. The messenger

A messenger is a man of highly noble and spiritual character chosen by Allah the Almighty to

deliver to his people the commands of Allah revealed to him through an angel (Gabriel in most

of the cases). Angels are creatures of Allah and they could be seen or heard with Allah‟s

permission. Every messenger was sent to his own people except our beloved Prophet

Muhammad (Peace be upon him) who was sent to the entire world and who is the last Prophet

and Messenger of Allah to humankind.

Allah by His infinite wisdom choses to send human beings as His messengers to the

people so that they could speak to people and counsel them. He wanted to send to the

descendants of Adam one of them in order to guide them and call them to the Divine Path.

3. Man or angel?

Allah choses His messengers from mankind and they were sent to their own people for a number

of reasons. Two of these reasons were mentioned and explained by Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi as

follows: if the messenger is an angel, the people might say, “What has he got to do with us? He

is an angel and we are mortal human beings! We eat and drink and we have wives and children.

How can we worship as he does?” But since the messenger was man, he could answer them, “I

eat and drink as you do; I have a wife and children. But I worship ALLAH alone. Why don‟t you

worship Allah as I do?”2; and if the messengers were angels, the people might say to them, “You

2 Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1990. The Stories of the Prophets. UK ISLAMIC ACADEMY. PP. 13-14



do not get hungry or thirsty. You do not get ill or die. So you can worship Allah remember Him

always!” But because they were men, they could answer, “Well, I am just like you. I also get

hungry and thirsty. I get ill and will die when my day comes. But I worship Allah and remember

Him. So why you people do not do the same? Why don‟t you remember Allah and obey Him?

Consequently, their people would not be able to make up excuses.

Another is that the messengers were sent to their own people because they could

understand their language, their culture and customs. They have families and tribes in society to

which they were sent so that their people may know them very well. If the messengers were sent

to other people than theirs, the people might say, “Who are you? Where do you come from? We

even don‟t know you.” Thus the messengers may have difficulty to explain and introduce

themselves to people from societies they totally ignore. But since they were sent to their own

people, there are no excuses like this because their people know them very well.

In order to leave no excuses to people before Allah if they did not worship Him alone,

Allah choses His messengers from people of all call of life. Some of them were kings and rich

like Prophets Dawuud and Sulaiman (peace be upon them), some were poor like Prophet Jesus

(peace be upon him, some were very handsome like Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him), and

some were tested by illness like Prophet Ayyoob (Peace be upon him).

Thus, if people say in the Day of Judgment, “O Allah! We were rich and the wealth

prevents us from worshiping you.” They may be answered: “My Prophets Dawuud and Sulaiman

were king and rich but this does not prevent them worshiping Me and obeying My orders”. So

you have no valid excuses. And the same goes for the other categories of people. There had been



Prophets in the same conditions as theirs or worse and who despite these difficult conditions

worship Allah alone without associating anything with Him.

4. Noah the Messenger

Generations after generations Noah‟s people were worshipping idols which they believed would

bring them good and protect them from evil. They were in need for Divine Guidance and for a

messenger from Allah to bring them back to the right path, the path of pure monotheism

(Tawheed). They had many wealthy people and leaders among them but Allah chose to send

Noah to them.

Noah was truthful and trustworthy and known for his caring about other people. He was

an excellent speaker and a very patient man. Allah revealed to him, “Warn your people before a

painful punishment comes to them.” (Ch 71: 1). So Noah obeyed the order of his Lord and called

upon his people and told them, “ I am a faithful messenger to you.” (Ch 26: 107).

He eloquently drove their attention to the signs of the existence of One Unique God all

around them. From the various wonders of the universe, the cycle of day and night, to the sun

and the moon, to the earth and the sky, all these, Noah told his people, are clear evidence that

there is only one Divine Creator Who should be worshipped alone without any associate. He

explained to them that it is the devil who had misled them and that now is the time to come back

to the straight path. Since everything around them is created by Allah for their own benefit,

directing acts of worship to other things than Him is an act of injustice. Finally, he warned them

about Allah‟s punishment if they continued worshipping these man-made idols.



5. What answer did his people give to him?

When Noah began to tell his people, “ I am a faithful messenger to you,” (26: 107), he received

various replies from them. The only positive answer was from the weak, poor, and miserable

people who believed in his message and followed him without any hesitation. The hardships and

wounds found consolation in the mercy carried in Noah‟s words . Moreover, these weak and poor

are the ones who had strong need for a change in the social status quo. They expect and hope for

new prospects and opportunities that could transform their conditions for the better if things

changed in society according to Divine Wisdom and Justice.

At the extreme opposite are the rich, the strong, and the rulers in the society. They met the

new message brought by Prophet Noah with warning and distrust. These people have everything

to gain in maintaining the status quo. After all, “how could Allah send Noah to them?” they were

asking themselves. How could they follow a poor man from the common people like him?

Couldn‟t Allah find anyone to send to them except Noah?

Noah‟s message was negatively received even from his friends. For them it is not possible

that this man - with whom they used to play and sat together everyday - can become a Prophet.

When did he become a Prophet? They asked. Meaning we are always together, how could he

receive Allah‟s Revelation without our knowledge?

Near the response of Noah‟s friends is that of the ignorant among his people who were

saying to each other, “This is only a man like yourselves. If Allah had willed, He would have sent

down angels. We have never heard of this among our fathers, the ancients.” (23: 24)



Another group of the people argued that Noah only wanted to become a leader, a man of

power and position among them, by saying he was the messenger of Allah3. This issue of being

the messenger of Allah is a just a kind of short cut for him to reach prominence among us.

6. Noah and his people

For many generations, Noah‟s people were worshipping man-made idols and thinking that this

was the right thing to do. After all, their fathers and grandfathers worshipped these idols, so how

could this man (Noah) dare tell us to stop worshipping them. For Noah, their fathers and

grandfathers were in the wrong path. They had changed the true religion of Adam and his

descendants who worshiped Allah alone Who created them and everything in the universe.

Noah called among his people, “O my people! Worship ALLAH! You have no god but

Him. Truly I fear for you the punishment of a dreadful day.” But the council of his people

answered, “We see that you are in clear error.” He answered back, “ My people, there is no error

in me. But I am a messenger from the Lord of all the worlds. I convey to you the messages of my

Lord and I give you good advice, for I know from ALLAH what you do not know.” (7: 59-62)

7. The lowest followed you

Noah tried hard to draw his people away from worshiping idols in order to worship ALLAH

alone. But only a few of those weak and poor people believed and followed him. Thus, the

conflict between Noah and the heads of his people intensified. For them, there is no single way

they could follow Noah and be together with these poor people. If this must happen, then Noah

has to dismiss his believers. They said to him, “Listen Noah, if you want us to believe in you,

3 Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1990. The Stories of the Prophets. UK ISLAMIC ACADEMY. PP. 15.



then dismiss your believers. They are weak and poor, while we are elite and rich; no faith can

include us both.”4

Noah listened to them but categorically rejected any possibility of him driving away his

followers. After all they are not his guests but Allah‟s and he himself by dismissing them will

encounter the anger of Allah. He, then, called his people:

“O my people! I ask of you no wealth for it, my reward is from none but ALLAH. I am not going

to going to drive away those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meet their Lord, but I

see that you are a people that are ignorant. O my people! Who will help me against ALLAH, if I

drove them away?” Will you not then give it a thought? And I do not say to you that with me are

the treasures of Allah nor that I know the unseen, nor do I say I am an angel, and I do not say of

those whom your eyes look down upon that Allah will not bestow any good on them. Allah knows

what is in their inner selves (regards to Belief). In that case, I should, indeed be one of the

wrongdoers, (Zdalimeen or oppressors etc.).” (Ch 11: 29-31)

In the above verses, Noah eloquently refuted all the allegations of his people: to the rich

people who were asking to dismiss his poor followers before they believe in him, he answered

par a question “Who will help me against ALLAH, if I drove them away?” Will you not then give

it a thought? To those who were reproaching him being poor, he said “ And I do not say to you

that with me are the treasures of Allah”; to those claiming he is a human like them, he answered

“nor do I say I am an angel”.

4 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans. Muhammad Mustapha,

Azhar Unversity. P. 24, From: www.islambasics.com

http://www.islambasics.com/






8. The allegation of the rich people

Noah continued calling his people to believe in ALLAH openly and in secret. He approached in

group and individually, day and night, promising success in this life and the hereafter if they

believe in Allah alone and warning them about Allah‟s severe punishment if they did not . But

whenever he called them to ALLAH, they ran away from him and whenever he urged them to

ask ALLAH to forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and became too proud to listen to

the truth5.

The rich people said to the people that what Noah is calling them to is not true and it

doesn‟t contain any good. Otherwise, it should be them, the rich people, who will attend to it

before anyone does. They said to the poor people who had believed in Noah that if there had

been any good in this religion, it would have come to them before these poor as mentioned in the

Holy Quran “ If it had been any good, they would not be before us in attaining it ”. (Ch 46: 11).

The rich people are considering things from their human corrupted and unjust

perspectives. They consider themselves as the privileged ones in the society who are entitled for

every single good coming to the society before anyone else, especially before the poor people.

They forgot that they are dealing a message from Allah the Lord of all the creatures for Whom

all the people and that the only criteria for being privileged unto Him is belief in Him and piety.

9.

Noah’s invitation

Noah went on calling his people and trying hard to counsel them. He continued to call them 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 thousand years less fifty years (inviting them to

believe in the Onenes s of ALLAH (Monotheism) and discard the false gods and other deities”.

(Ch 29: 14)

Allah tested them by scarcity of rain and harvests. Noah took advantage of the case and

tried to convince them to believe in Allah so that He may be pleased and remove the drought and

scarcity of food from them. But the people of Noah would not understand and would not believe.

It was narrated that every generation admonished the succeeding one not to believe Noah and to

wage war against him. The father taught his child about Noah and counseled him to reject his

call when he reached adulthood6. Noah saw the number of believers constant, while that of the

disbelievers was increasing. He was sad for his people, but he never reached the point of despair.

Noah’s invitation – After the flood

10. Noah’s invitation (Noah’s prayer)

Despite all the efforts put and all the means used by Noah, his people refused to believe. They

would not stop worshiping idols. They would not return to ALLAH. Then came a day when

ALLAH revealed to him that no others would believe, “ None of your people will believe except

those who have already believed.” (11: 36)

Nonetheless, Noah called his people again and they answered, “ Noah! You have disputed

with us and you have disputed often with us, so bring us what you promised us if you are

speaking the truth.” (Ch 11: 32). He lost hope and realized that his people were beyond reform

He, then, became angry for ALLAH and despaired of those people. He said, “O ALLAH, do not









leave even one of the disbelievers on the earth. If you leave them, they will mislead your slaves

and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers.” (Ch 71: 27).

Noah‟s prayer was accepted. Allah decided to destroy all the disbelievers by a flood

known as “Tuufaan” in Islamic literature. He ordered His Prophet Noah to build an ark when He

said to him as mentioned in the Holy Quran “ And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with

Our Inspiration and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; they are surely to be

drowned.” (Ch 11: 37). Glory be to Allah! Despite all what Noah had suffered from his people,

Allah the Almighty knew by His Infinite Knowledge that Noah will try to intercede for them.

How caring is this noble Prophet about his people?

In addition to the disbelief of Noah‟s people in this life, they even denied that a

messenger was sent to them. Al-Bukhari reports, on the authority of Abu Sa‟eed Al-Khudri, that

the Messenger of ALLAH, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “ Noah will come along with

his people (on the Day of Resurrection). ALLAH will say to them, „Has not he (Noah) delivered

the message to you?‟ They will reply, „No. No Prophet came to us.‟ ALLAH will then say to

Noah, „Who is your witness (that you have conveyed the message to them)?‟ Noah will say

Muhmmad and his people.‟ We (the Prophet talks himself and his people) will bear witness to

that. This is in accordance to ALLAH‟s saying, “Thus have we made of you an Ummat justly

balanced, that ye might be witness over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over

yourselves.” (Ch 2: 143). Thus the people of Prophet Muhammad will bear witness with him,

that Noah was to convey the truth, and that he delivered ALLAH‟s message to his people as

perfectly as it should be. Everything beneficial to them regarding their creed he ordered them to

do, and everything harmful to them he warned them against. This is the case with all the



Prophets. He (Noah) warned his people against Antichrist, though he expected that they would

not be contemporaneous with him (Antichrist), because he cared about them.”7

11. The ship

Noah began implementing Allah‟s command straightaway. He started constructing the ship. He

gathered wood and the necessary tools and began working day and night. However, people

mockery continued in various ways. Some were asking him if he has given up prophethood and

opted for carpentry. They were wondering why building an ark so far from the sea and how Noah

is going to carry to the water.

Others were asking him since when he became a carpenter. They reminded him that they

had warned about sitting with the poor people like carpenters. And this is the end result: he has

become a carpenter himself! Furthermore, another group of his people said, “Where is this ship

going, Noah? Everything about you is unbelievable! Is it going to sail in the sand or climb up the

mountains? The sea is a long way from here. Will the jinn carry it or will oxen pull it?”8

Noah heard all that and was patient. He had heard worse things and had been patient. But

sometimes he would say to them, “ If you mock us, we will mock as you mock.” (Ch 11: 38).

ALLAH the Almighty narrated to us their mockery: “As he was constructing the ship, whenever

the chiefs of his people passed by him, they made a mockery of him. He said: “ If you mock at us,

so do we mock at you likewise fro your mocking. And you will know who it is on whom will come

7 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans. Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu

A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 31.

8 Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1990. The Stories of the Prophets. UK ISLAMIC ACADEMY. PP. 19.



a torment that will cover him with disgrace and on whom will fall a lasting torment .” (Ch 11: 38-

39).

Ibn Kathir reported that the Exegetes of the Qur‟an differ as to the length and width of the

ark. It is mentioned in the Torah (The Old Testament) that it was 300 cubit long and 50 cubit

wide. There are many other opinions as well. As for its height, it is claimed that the ark was 30

cubit high. It consisted of three floors, of 10 cubit high each. The lower floor was assigned to

animals and beasts, the middle floor to people and the upper floor to birds. The door, which was

on the side of the ark, was covered from top to bottom. The ark was built from Saj wood. It is

also claimed that it was made from pine wood, according to the Torah. Yet, ALLAH knows

best.9

12. The flood

Noah finished building the ship and waited for Allah‟s authorization. The came of Allah arrived.

It rained heavily until the sky seems a sieve that could not hold water. Water flowed and

surrounded people and everything: it reached every area on the earth so that none of the existing

creatures survived. ALLAH revealed to Noah to take with him a pair of every animal and bird, a

male and a female, as well as the people who believed in him, because the flood could cover the

earth and neither man nor beast would survive.


A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 46.



Seeing him taking these creatures to the ark, his people again laughed loudly: “Noah must

have gone out of his head! What is he going to do with the animals?”10

Almighty ALLAH

narrated to us:

“So it was till then there came Our Command and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains

from the earth). We said: “Embark therein, of each kind two (male and female), and your family,

except him against whom the Word ha s gone forth, and those who believe,” And none believed

him except a few.” (Ch 11: 40).

The ark carried Noah, the believers, and animals safe from the flood. However, the

disbelievers outside the ark were trying, everyone on his manner, to escape from Allah‟s

punishment ignorant of the fact that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him.

Ibn Kathir reported that Islamic scholars differ concerning the number of survivors on

board. According to Ibn Abbas, there were eighty men and women. Ka‟b Al-Ahabar, however,

claims that they were seventy-two. They also differ concerning the destiny of Noah‟s wife. Some

of them maintain that she died before the deluge. Others postulate that she was among those who

drowned due to her disbelief. She bore all of Noah‟s son s: Ham, Sam, Yafith, Yam (Biblical

Can‟an), and „Abir.11

13. Noah’s son

Noah had a son who was with the disbelievers and when he saw him in the flood, he called upon

him, “ My son, embark with us and d o not be with the disbelievers.”


Azhar Unversity. P. 27, From: www.islambasics.com.


A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 35









Wisdom to make every single individual responsible for his own actions and deeds, good or bad,

regardless of the family, the society, or the country to which he belongs. In this regard, all human

beings are equal before Allah and it is their actions that will raise them or put them down.

15. After the flood

When all the people on earth were ruined except those who worshipped ALLAH alone, explains

Ibn Kathir, ALLAH ordered the earth to swallow up its water and the sky to stop raining, „and

the water abated,‟ meaning rainfall almost ceased, „and the matter was ended,‟ meaning the

destiny of the disbelievers was precisely what ALLAH has predestined, „and the word went

forth: „Away with those who do wrong!‟ They were called upon and informed that they will be

deprived of ALLAH‟s mercy and forgiveness.12

After the flood was over and that all the disbelievers were destroyed, Allah ordered Noah

to land the ark on the “Mount Judi”. Noah and the believers got out of the ark and walked in

peace on an earth purified of any idol-worshipper. His descendants spread and established

themselves in different parts of the earth. Noah lived with his people for 950 years after the

mission. As for his exact age, only Allah knows how many years he lived before and after the

mission.

The Holy Quran ended Noah‟s story with the end of the flood and the punishment of the

disbelievers of his people. Not much is known about his life and that of his people thereafter.

However, it was narrated that at his death he requested his sons to worship ALLAH alone.

Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al as narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon

him) said: “When the death of the Messenger of ALLAH Noah approached, he admonished his


A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 38



sons: „Indeed I would give you far reaching advice, commanding you to do two things, and

warning you against two things as well. I charge you to believe that there is no god but ALLAH

and that if the seven heavens and the seven earths were put on one side of a scale and the words

“there is no god but ALLAH” were put on the other, the later would outweigh the former. I warn

you against associating partners with ALLAH and against pride.” (Sahih al Bukhari).13

Ibn Kathir reported that Ibn Jareer and other followers stated that the grave of Noah is the

Mosque in Mecca. He (Ibn Kathir) further maintained that this report is stronger and more

authentic than reports narrated by late scholars who are of the opinion that Noah‟s grave is

located Beqa‟, presently known as “ Karak Noah” in Iraq. Allah knows best.









REFERENCES

Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans.Muhammad Mustapha, Azhar Unversity. From: www.islambasics.com

bn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans.Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah.

Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1990. The Stories of the Prophets. UK ISLAMIC ACADEMY.

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Stories of Prophets -2