- In surah 7, there is mention of Noah’s preaching to his people about worshiping of God reminding them that there is no god other than Him, but he was denied and God had saved him and who were with him in the Ark, while He drowned those who had denied His revelations being a blind people:
[7:59] Certainly, we had sent Noah to his people, then he said , “O my people, you shall worship God; there is no god for you other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you a punishment of a great day.”
[7:60] The leaders of his people said, “Indeed, we surely see you in a clear astray.”
[7:61] He said, “O my people, there has not been any error in me; but I am a messenger from Lord of the worlds.
[7:62] “I deliver to you the messages of my Lord, and I advise for you, and I know from God what you do not know.
[7:63] “Have you wondered that a reminder has come to you from your Lord through a man from you that he may warn you, and that you may fear, and that you may be given mercy?”
[7:64] Then they had denied him, so, we had saved him and those who were with him in the Ark, while we drowned those who had denied in our revelations; indeed, they had been a blind people.
- The most complete account of this event is found in surah 11 including Noah’s preaching to his people. It has been inspired to Noah that there will be no believers except those who have already believed. So, He has been inspired to build the Ark and was commanded to load in it a pair from every kind and his family who had believed except whoever preceded the punishment against him before the command had come and had overflowed the earth. When the command had come he was asked to embark in the Ark in the name of God. Then the waves came between them and the disbelieving people were drowned including Noah’s son. When the water had subsided the command had been fulfilled, the Ark rested on the Judi and it has been said to Noah to disembark with peace from God and blessings upon you and upon nations from whoever with you, but nations will be granted enjoyment, then a painful punishment will touch them from Him:
[11:25] We had sent Noah to his people. “Indeed, I am a clear warner to you.
[11:26] That you do not worship except God. Indeed, I fear for you a painful punishment on a day.”
[11:27] Then the leaders of those who had disbelieved from his people said, “We do not see you except a human being like us, and we do not see you have followed you except those – they are lower than us being incompetent of the opinion. And we do not see in you any worth over us. Nay, we think you are liars.”
[11:28] He said, “O my people, have you seen if I have been with a clear proof from my Lord, while He has given me mercy from Himself that it has been obscured from you? Should we compel it, while you have been averse to it?
[11:29] “And O my people, I do not ask you any wealth for it; my reward is not except from God. And I am not turning away those who have believed. Indeed, they will be meeting their Lord but I see you an ignorant people.
[11:30] “O my people, who would help me against God, if I have turned them away? Would you not then take heed?
[11:31] “And I do not say to you that with me there are treasures of God, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I say that I am an angel, nor do I say for those whom your eyes look down, God will never give them any good. God is best Knower of what is in their thoughts. Indeed, I then surely will be with the wrongdoers.”
[11:32] They said, “O Noah, certainly, you have disputed with us so long you have been in dispute with us. Then bring us of what you threaten us, if you have been with the truthful.”
[11:33] He said, “Only God can bring to you of it, if He wills, and you have no escape (from it).
[11:34] “My advice will not benefit you even I wish that I advise to you, if it has been God to will that you go astray. He is your Lord, and to Him you will be returned.”
[11:35] Or they may say, “He has invented it.” Say, “If I have invented it, then on me is my crime, but I am innocent of what a crime you commit.”
[11:36] And it has been inspired to Noah that there will not believe from your people except whoever has certainly believed. So, do not be distressed by what they have done to commit.
[11:37] “Build the ark on our eyes and our inspiration, and do not ask Me about those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be the drowned ones.”
[11:38] While he was building the ark, and every time passed by him the leaders of his people ridiculed of him. He said, “If you ridicule of us, then indeed, we ridicule of you like that you ridicule.
[11:39] “Then you will know to whom a punishment will come to disgrace him, and will descend on him a lasting punishment.”
[11:40] Until when our command had come and had overflowed the earth, we said, “Load in it a pair of two from every kind, and your family, except whoever has preceded the word against him, and whoever has believed,” and had not believed except a few with him.
[11:41] He said, “Embark in the name of God be its sailing and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.”
[11:42] And it sailed with them in waves like mountains, and Noah called his son, while he had been in apart, “O my son, embark with us, and do not be with the disbelievers.”
[11:43] He said, “I will take shelter to a mountain to save me from the water.” He said, “There is no protector today from God’s command, except on whom He has mercy.” The waves came between of them; so, he had been with the drowned.
[11:44] And it had been said, “O earth, swallow your water,” and “O sky, cease.” And the water had been subsided and the command had been fulfilled, and it had rested on the Judi and it had been said, “Away are the people of the wrongdoers.”
[11:45] Noah called his Lord and said, “My Lord; indeed, my son is of my family, and indeed, Your promise is the truth. You are the wisest Judge.”
[11:46] He said, “O Noah, indeed, he has not been of your family. Indeed, he has deed other than a righteous; so, do not ask Me for what has not been for you any knowledge of it. Indeed, I admonish you, lest you would be with the ignorant.”
[11:47] He said, “My Lord; indeed, I seek refuge in You that I ask You for what has not been for me any knowledge of it. And unless You forgive for me and You have mercy on me, I will be with the losers.”
[11:48] It had been said: “O Noah, disembark with peace from us and blessings upon you, and upon nations from whoever with you. And nations we will grant them enjoyment, then a painful punishment will touch them from us.”
[11:49] That is a news of the unseen we reveal to you. You had not been to know it you nor your people before this. So, you shall be patient; indeed, the end is for the righteous.
- In surah 23, Noah asked God for help, then He inspired him to build the Ark and told him and who were with him on the Ark to praise Him to save them from the disbelieving people and also to let them land on a blessed landing place:
[23:23] And that certainly, we had sent Noah to his people and he said, “O my people, you shall worship God; there is no god other than Him. Will you not then fear?”
[23:24] Then the leaders of those who had disbelieved from his people said, “This is not but a human being like you, he wants to make superior over you. If God had willed, surely, He would have sent down angels. We have not heard of this from our forefathers of the previous people.
[23:25] “He is not but a man with him there is madness. So, wait with him until for a while.
[23:26] He said, “My Lord, help me, for what they have denied me.”
[23:27] So, we had inspired to him that build the ark on our eyes and our inspiration. Then when our command had come and had overflowed the earth, then you shall put in it a pair of two from every kind, and your family, except whom has preceded the word against him from them. And do not ask Me about those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be the drowned ones.
[23:28] Then when you have embarked you, and whoever with you on the Ark, then say, “Praise to God Who has saved us from the people of the wrongdoers.
[23:29] And say, “My Lord, let me land on a blessed landing place; You are the best landing giver. ”
[23:30] Indeed, in that surely there are signs for you, and indeed, we have been surely testers.
- In surah 25, it has been mentioned that the people of Noah who had denied the messengers were drowned, which was a complete destruction and was made it a sign for the people, while there is also mention about a complete destruction of other communities, and each was set forth as the example:
[25:35] And certainly, we had given Moses the scripture, and had appointed his brother Aaron as an assistant with him.
[25:36] Then we said, “Go both with our signs to the people of those who have denied,” then we had destroyed them a complete destruction.
[25:37] And a people of Noah when had denied the messengers, we drowned them and we made them a sign for the people, and we have prepared a painful punishment (in the Hereafter) for the wrongdoers.
[25:38] And Ad, and Thamud, and the inhabitants of al-Russ, and many generations between that.
[25:39] And each we have set forth for it the examples and each we have destroyed a complete destruction.
- In surah 29, it has been mentioned that Noah stayed with his people for longer period of time but still they were wicked, eventually the flood overtook them:
[29:14] And certainly, we had sent Noah to his people, so he stayed among them one thousand years less fifty years. Then the flood seized them as they were wrongdoers.
[29:15] Then we had saved him and the people on the ship, and we have made it a sign for the people of the world.
- In surah 54, it has been mentioned that the people of Noah were drowned upon reaching the predestined water level pouring down from the sky and gushing out of springs from the earth:
[54:9] There had denied before of them a people of Noah that they denied our servant and said, “A madman,” and he had been repelled.
[54:10] So he called his Lord, “I am oppressed, so help me.”
[54:11] So, we had opened the gates of the sky with water.
[54:12] And we had caused to gush out springs of the earth. So, the water had met to a command certainly had been predestined.
- In surah 71, Noah preached his people but they had disobeyed him and their leaders plotted and insisted not to abandon their gods, but they were drowned for their sins, while he called his Lord not to leave any disbelievers as inhabitants on the earth as they will mislead Your servants and will not give birth except a disbelieving wicked:
[71:21] Noah said, “My Lord, indeed, they have disobeyed me and have followed whoever does not increase him his wealth and his children except loss.
[71:22] And they have plotted a terrible plot.
[71:23] And they said, “You do not abandon your gods, nor do you abandon Wadd, nor Suwa`a, nor Yaghuth, and Ya`uq, and Nasr.
[71:24] And certainly, they have misled many, and do not increase the wrongdoers except in error.”
[71:25] Because of their sins they had been drowned, then had been made to enter the Fire, then they do not find any helpers for them other than God.
[71:26] And Noah said, “My Lord, do not leave on the earth any of the disbelievers as an inhabitant.
[71:27] Indeed You, if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and will not give birth except a disbelieving wicked.
In brief, Noah was sent to his people and he preached his people to worship God letting them know that there is no god other than Him. But they disobeyed him, while their leaders misled them not to abandon their gods. There were a few believers from his people. When there were no possibility of any more believers Noah had been inspired to build the Ark and was commanded to load in it a pair from every kind and his family who had believed with him. When the command had come he was asked to embark in the Ark in the name of God. Then the waves came between them and the disbelieving people were drowned including Noah’s son. The disbelieving people of Noah were drowned upon reaching the predestined water level pouring down from the sky and gushing out of springs from the earth, and when the water had subsided, the command had been fulfilled and the Ark rested on the Judi. Thus, the disbelieving people of Noah were punished inflicted upon the flood like a complete destruction of many other communities and was made it a sign for the people of the world.
In fact, the description of flood in the Quran is very general, which is different from that contained in the Bible. The first basic difference between the two is about the cataclysm of the flood. The Quran presents it a punishment inflicted upon the disbelieving people of Noah, while the Bible presents it as a universal leaving no disbelievers in any parts of the earth. There is also mention of time when it occurred and the duration the flood lasted for in the previous scriptures, while there is no mention of time and duration of flood in the Quran. In addition, according to the Bible the Ark rested on the mountain of Arafat but the Quran says ii rested on the Judi.
Since the Quran is a complete scripture without any human manipulation having the accurate information being total agreement with modern knowledge, the narration of flood in the Quran is free from anything which might give rise to objective criticism, even there is mention of Noah’s call not to leave any disbeliever on the earth as an inhabitant may confuse us the flood to be a universal.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (08/30/2024)