Lesson 3 - Prophet Nuh/Noah AS نُوْحٌ

Lineage: Nuh AS is the son of Lamak son of Matshoolah son of Idreece AS son of Yared son of Mahaleel son of Qeenan son of Enos son of Sheeth (Seth) son of Aadam AS. His greatest grandfather is Aadam AS

His name is mentioned 43 times in the Quran in 28 surahs. He has a chapter in his name; Surah 71. This is a unique surah because from the first verse to the last verse, the whole subject is him. Nuh AS is from the top 5 Prophets (Top 5 are Aadam, Nuh, Musa, Esa and Muhammed SAW)

Evidences that Nuh AS is a Prophet

From Qur’an:

• Surah 71:1 - Indeed, We sent Noah to his people saying to him, “Warn your people before a painful punishment comes to them. - When Allah sends a  person to a nation to warn them, this is evidence that the person is a Prophet.  
• Surah 4:163 - Indeed, We have sent revelation to you O Prophet as We sent revelation to Noah and the Prophets after him. We also sent revelation to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants, as well as Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon. And to David We gave the Psalms. Allah says revelation was sent to Noah and Prophets after him. When a person is referenced in a list amongst other Prophets, we can deduce that Noah is a Prophet.
• Surah 7:61-62 - He replied, ‘My people, there is nothing astray about me! On the contrary, I am a messenger from the Lord of all the Worlds: I am delivering my Lord’s messages to you and giving you sincere advice. I know things from God that you do not. - in verse 59 Noah is mentioned, so we know verses 61-62 are in reference to him. Here Noah is saying that he is a messenger. Note lesson one where we speak about the differences of a prophet and messenger. 
• Surah 26:106-107 - Their brother Noah said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? I am a faithful messenger sent to you. This Surah is about the Prophets of the past, who also preached the same faith as Prophet Muhammad SAW. Allah mentions Noah is this surah, which means he must be a Prophet from the past. All the Prophets are referenced as brothers. 

Where can you find his story in the Quran?

• Surah 7:59-64 - see link
• Surah 11:25-49 - see link
• Surah 23:23-30 - see link
• Surah 26:105-122 - see link
• Surah 54:9-17 - see link
• Surah 71- see link 

From Sunnah:

• Hadith - The Great Intercession - Ash-shaft’ah al-uzma. Nuh AS has been described as a grateful slave to Allah. Aadam AS asks the people to go to Nuh AS. Reference  Sahih al-Bukhari 3340
• Hadith - On the day of Judgement, Allah will bring Nuh AS and all his people. The people will say they never received a message, Nuh AS will then bring the Ummah of Prophet Muhammed SAW as witness. Reference Sahih al-Bukhari 3339. The people will object and say the Muslim Ummah did not exist at the time so how can they give a testimony. The Ummah will say that they received an authentic report from the most reliable source being the Last Prophet SAW and the from the Last Book of Allah. In the Quran it is mentioned that they were warned and are a warning to us (Surah 2:143). Prophet Muhammed SAW himself would be called in as a witness, and he would confirm the testimony of his Ummah.
• Hadith - All the Prophets warned their nations of the Dajjal. Nuh AS warned his nation and Prophet Muhammad SAW is the only Prophet who told his Ummah that the Dijaal will have one eye. Reference - Sahih al-Bukhari 3337

Prophet (Nabi) or Messenger (Rasool)? Both, he is listed amongst other Prophets in the Quran, and the Quran states that he is a messenger.

Before birth

• Timespan: There is a difference of opinion on the time span between Adam AS and Nuh AS. Ibn Jareer states it was around 126 years, the Torah states around 146 years, we have a hadith that states ten Qarn, but we are not sure what is meant by Qarn as it could mean a period of time (century)  or a generation of people. We know each generation lived a long time so it could indicate more than 1000 years (which is 10 centuries), and if you look at the lineage above, there are nine links between Adam AS and Nuh AS. Unable to reference hadith but this hadith is mentioned in Ibn Kathir’s book on page 69 stating hadith by Imam Muslim. 
• The Five Scholars: After the time of Idris AS, people gradually started to deviate and neglect the guidance received. There were five scholars who used to teach, and their names were Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya’uq and Nasr, as mentioned in Surah 71 verse 23 - see link. When the five scholars died, Shaytan inspired the people to make idols at the places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by the scholars names. The people did so, as an act of remembrance, and the idols were not worshipped until those people (who initiated them) had died. After some generations, the tradition was still followed where people would go to visit the idols, but they didn’t fully understand why. Iblis then came to the people and told them that their forefathers used to worship those idols with Allah. Thus, they (the latter people) started idol worshipping. Reference Sahih al-Bukhari 4920

As a Prophet

• Limited information exists regarding Nuh AS life before Prophethood. 
• We know he had two wives; Omrah and Waliya. With Omrah, he had 6 children, 3 daughters and 3 sons named Sam, Haam and Yafuth. From the second wife, Waliya, he had a son called Kanan. Both son and mother were disbelievers. 
• The area where he lived is present day Iraq, known as Babylon.
• Nuh AS rejected idol worship and distracted himself from the people. He was initially a shepherd and then became a carpenter. At the age of 50 he became a Prophet and was instructed by Allah to convey the message to the people (Surah 71:1)
• He approached his people inviting them to worship Allah with no partners and that he is a messenger. They responded with violence and carried him to the King, who dismissed him as majnoon (crazy). 
• Despite the physical abuse, Nuh AS persisted in his message, but they didn’t believe him, citing that he was a human (Surah 11:27). They argued that Allah would send an Angel, not a human, as a messenger. 
• He continued with his dawah and made dua for his people, asking Allah to forgive them because they did not know. 
• He spoke of the favours of Allah on the people. He spoke of the moon as a lantern in the sky, the sun to give light and heat, the signs of stages in life from baby, to child, to young adult to adulthood. He would give dawah openly, privately, day and night. 
• The poor people started to follow Nuh AS. The rich people started to mock them and Nuh AS saying that only the weak follow you. They suggested that he expel the poor followers and then maybe they would consider following him. He was gentle in his response where he explained “My people, I take no reward for it from you; my reward comes only from Allah. I will not drive away the faithful: they are sure to meet their Lord. (Surah 11:29) 
• The argument continued for a long time with his people. “They said, "Shall we believe in you while you are followed by the lowest people?” (Surah 26:111) Reflection: At the time of the Prophet SAW, the disbelievers from Quraysh asked him to expel the low and weak Muslims who believed in him. Allah forbade him from doing this. 
• Whenever a generation passed away, they would advise the succeeding one to not believe in Nuh AS, to disagree and fight him. It became the nature of the people to advise their children at the age of maturity to never follow Nuh AS. 

Building of the Ark

• After 950 years of dawah, the people said “O Nuh, certainly you have disputed with us, and have prolonged our disputation. So bring that which you have threatened us with….” (Surah 11:32-33) 
• Nuh AS prayed to Allah to send them His punishment and rescue him along with his believers. Allah accepted his prayer and Told him that “...none of your people will believe except those who already have. So do not be distressed by what they have been doing. (Surah 11:36). In the next verse (Surah 11:37), He then advised him to start the construction of the Ark.
• He didn’t know how to build this so Allah sent Angel Jibreel AS. The Ark had 3 levels, which is described in the Torah. The bottom deck was for animals and cattle, the middle deck for humans, and the top deck for the birds. Allah commanded Nuh AS to put Tar around the side, a cover and the door in the middle of the ark. This is the first ever construction of a ship in history through Divine revelation. 
• Whilst constructing the Ark, people used to mock him, saying you used to be a Prophet but now you’re a carpenter. They didn’t believe a punishment was coming.
• Allah informed Nuh AS that because he made dua to punish the people, and when that punishment comes, to not change his mind. Allah promised Nuh AS that he would save his family and all of those who believed in him. 
• Approximately 80 individuals believed in Nuh AS, including his wife Omrah and their three daughters and three sons—Sam, Haam, and Yafuth. 
• Allah commanded Nuh AS that when the time comes, water will gush from the ovens. He should then load a pair (both male and female) of every kind on the Ark along with his family and the believers (Surah 11:40)
• There is a difference of opinion on what is meant by the word ‘oven’ in this verse. Some say it is referring to a clay oven, some say a spring of water in India, and majority say it means the face of the earth. 

The Flood

• After some time, the wife of Nuh AS, Omrah, attempted to cook and noticed water in the oven. Allah sent down a rain from the sky, the like of which the people of earth had never witnessed before. The ground also gushed forth its waters from its springs causing a massive flood. 
• Despite witnessing the approaching calamity, the disbelievers remained stubborn, assuming they could survive by climbing a mountain. 
• As the floods intensified, the Ark of Nuh AS ascended higher up. From a distance Nuh AS spotted his disbelieving son, Kanan, and called out to him, urging him to board the boat. His son replied “I will betake myself to the mountain that will protect me from the water”, Nuh AS  explained that “There is no protector today from Allah’s punishment” and the waves came and the son “was among the drowned.” (Surah 11:43)
• Nur AS spoke to Allah, he said “You promised me that You will save my family along with me, and my son is one of my family, and despite that, he is drowned?” This was his mistake. Allah explained in Surah 11:46 - “he was not one of your family. What he did was not right. Do not ask Me for things you know nothing about. I am warning you not to be foolish”. In the next verse, Nuh AS repents. 
• When no other disbelievers remained, Allah commanded the earth to swallow up the water and commanded the sky to stop sending down rain. 
• It is estimated that there were nine metres of water on top of the mountain. The Ark of Nuh AS went up and sat on the surface of the water. 

Discussion: 

The extent of the flood - there are two opinions:

1. It covered the whole earth and wiped out all humans

• This evidence is from the Israelite, from the Torah that the flood covered the entire earth to the top of the mountains. We can take from the Torah provided it doesn’t contradict the Quran. 
• Nuh AS in his dua said “‘Lord, do not leave any of the disbelievers on the earth”. (Surah 71:26) note there are different translations that do not use the word ‘earth’, they instead translate as inhabitants or land. So, based on the interpretation you agree with, we’re not certain this verse supports the Israelites.
• Surah 37:33 “We let his offsprings remain on the earth” - one of the meanings indicates that the whole human race was extinct, and only Prophets Nuh AS progeny was allowed to inhabit the earth after that. 

1. Only the area of Iraq. 

• Nuh AS was sent to the people of Iraq. The only Prophet to address the whole of mankind was Prophet Muhammed SAW. 
• The People of Idris went to Egypt so why would Allah punish those descendants if no message of Nuh AS reached them?
• Surah 37:33 “We let his offsprings remain on the earth” - the other meaning indicates that the progeny of the people who were opposing Nuh AS were extinct and Nuh AS progeny alone was allowed to survive. 
• Some argue that when the believers disembarked from the Ark, only the bloodline of Nur could reproduce, the other 80 could not have children. Nuh AS is called the second Aadam because all the descendants go back to him. Can not authenticate this
• Imam Ahmad reported on the authority of Samrah that the Prophet SAW said: “Sam is the father of the Arabs, Ham is the father of the Abyssinia and Yafuth is the father of Rome” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3231 - hadith is considered weak and not one that should be relied on. 

The believers disembark the Ark

• The ark arrived to the North of Iraq and “settled on Mount Judi, and it was said ‘Gone are those evildoing people!’ ” (Surah 11:44). The flood lasted for around 6 months. 
• Nuh AS sent a crow to see if he could find water, to see if they could disembark the Ark. The crow didn’t return because he saw the dead bodies, and stayed there eating them. 
• Nuh AS decided to send another animal, he chose a dove. The dove returned with an olive branch, his leg was clean with no mud, signalling the land was dry. 
• This is where the saying ‘extend the olive branch’ comes from - a sign of peace. When the dove returned with an olive branch, it signalled that the calamity had ended.
• Nuh AS decided to wait another seven days, sent another sign and then led his people to the base of a mountain, where they built a village. 
• The believers descended from the ark on the 10th of Muharram, the day of Ashura.
• He stayed with his people and gave them devine law on matters of interaction (how to deal with each other), prayer, fasting and zakat. Nuh AS lived for around 300 years with his followers until his death. 
• He used to fast every single day apart from the 5 days - including the 2 Eids. 
• Nuh AS went to do hajj, the Kaaba had already been constructed by Adam AS. 

The death of Nuh AS

• Before he thought he was going to die, he called his eldest son Sam and gave him a will. He commanded him to do two things and forbade him from doing two things. 

1. Command - to witness ‘la ilaha illallah’ and always says ‘Subannah wa bi hamdi’ Reference Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 548
2. Forbade - him from shirk and arrogance. 

• Angel of Death was sent to Nuh AS, who felt worried and became fearful. The Angel of Death was surprised and assumed that he would be happy when he saw him, because he lived a long life, more than anyone else. Nuh AS replied with his feeling on his long life, he said he felt as if he entered from one door to another room and then left through another door.
• Some say he lived for 1350 years with his burial in Mecca. There is a city in Lebanon that claims he is buried there with a grave that is very long. 

Side talk

• Hadith on the Great Intercession - People will go to Nuh AS but he will mention his mistake - Surah 11:46
• Lessons to learn from his dawah and the duration - 950 years. How much ikhlas and sincerity he had to do dawah for that long. He was also known for being very gentle and this is something we can mirror when giving dawah ourselves.
• Nuh AS dua - in the name of Allah will be its moving and resting - Surah 11:41 - this dua is good to say when travelling by sea.
• The day of Ashura holds multiple historical events, including Ark’s settling on Mount Judy, the day Allah accepted the repentance of Adam AS, Idris AS ascension to the heaven, Ibrahim AS saved from the fire, Yousef AS released from prison and meets his father, Yunus AS saved in the tummy of the whale, Allah accepted the repentance of David AS, the day Allah freed Musa AS and the children of Israel from Pharoah and Prophet Mohammed SAW recommended fasting on this day for the forgiveness of sins.
• Surah 66:10 - God has given examples of disbelievers: the wives of Noah and Lot who married two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them. Their husbands could not help them against God: it was said, ‘Both of you enter the Fire with the others.’ - This verse is reference to the disbelieving wife - Waliya. 

Next week - Prophet Hud AS