NOAH (NUH)
Noah (Nuh) was born to Lamak in the tenth generation of Adam. He was a grandson of Enoch. He preached oneness of God but the people turned to idolatry. They laughed at Noah and ridiculed his preaching. They tortured him and his family. Their hearts had hardened and they had shut their ears to his words. Yet he remained patient and continued preaching. When he got tired of the obstinacy and hostility of his people towards him, his family and his teachings, he complained to God about them. God told Noah that they had transgressed His limits and would get His punishment which would serve as a lesson for generations to come. He told Noah that he would send an enormous flood that will engulf and destroy all non- believers and their dwellings along with their false gods.
The Deluge
God instructed Noah to build a large boat and bring on board all believers and a pair of each species of animals before He unleashed His floods. Noah carried out the instructions of God and started building an enormous ark. Since there was no sea or gulf but only a meager river, people laughed at him for onstructing a boat of such large dimeations. Upon completion of his task, Noah invited people to come on board, but they ridiculed him. The family of the prophet, three of his four sons and a handful of true believers along with a pair of each species of animals boarded the ark.
As soon as Noah entered the ark, thunderous rain started to pour from the sky and springs bursted from the bottom of the Earth. As the waters rose higher and higher, people climbed up the tallest trees and headed towards high grounds. The waters began to engulf these refuges too. Some people repented and wanted to board the ark, but alas it was too late. The ark had been sealed to protect against the downpour and the turbulence of the roaring waters. The floods spread far and wide, covering
the entire terrain, destroyed all living things except those who had believed in the prophet and heeded his warning and had boarded with him.
It is said that the flooding lasted one hundred and fifty days. When the waters receded, the ark came to rest over Mount Ararat. The occupants of the ark came out and thanked the Lord for their miraculous survival. They then spread out to inhabit the Earth again with the blessings of their Lord.
Noah is known in Torah. He lived for nine hundred and fifty years and left a large progeny after him. His eldest surviving son Japheth (Yaffath) went northwest towards Europe. and settled there. His descendents are known as the Japhetic race. His middle son Shem (Sam) remained with his father in the Middle East. His descendents are known as the Semitic race. The youngest son Ham went southwest and settled in northern Africa. His descendents are called the Hemetic race.
References: The Qur’an: Ale Imran, An’am, A’araf, Yunus,, Hud, Ibraim, Bani Israel, Anbiya’, Momenoon, Furqan, Shu’ra’, A’nkaboot, Zariyat, Najam, Qamar, Hadeed, Tahreem, Ha ‘qah
and Nuh.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 