Long time ago, there lived a very pious Prophet Nuh (pbuh). Prophet Nuh (pbuh) lived in a village were most of the people did not believe in Allah, they began to stray to the wrong evil path and worshipped idols.
Allah Commanded Prophet Noah to warn his people, Allah said:
“Warn your people before there comes upon them a grievous penalty.” –57:61
Nuh (pbuh) tried his best that people mend their ways, he spoke to them in public and preached them in private. (pause 5s)
As per the Quran, Prophet Nuh (pbuh) lived to the age of almost 950 years, but throughout his long prophecy, only a handful of people accepted Islam. (pause)
He warned his people of grievous consequences which would follow if they continued to worship the false gods and lead an immoral life.
Assuring them that he was not seeking any wealth or power or favours from them, as in Holy Quran, he said:
“And O my people! I ask you for no wealth in return: my reward is from none but Allah.” —, 11:29
Each time he urged them to ask for Allah’s pardon, they would thrust their fingers in their ears, and draw their cloaks over their heads and told him to leave them alone.
They use to mock him that he was just being followed by the poor and weak, at times they use to threaten to stone him, he was called mad and crazy. (pause)
The chiefs would then turn in anger towards the Prophet and challenged him arrogantly:
“O Noah! Indeed you have disputed with us and you have prolonged the dispute: now bring upon us what you have threatened us with, if you are of the Truthful Ones.” —( Holy Qur’an, 11:32)
This made Nuh (pbuh) very sad.
Prophet Noah re-doubled his efforts but all to no avail. (pause)
Eventually, Nuh (pbuh) gave up. He cried out to his Lord:
“O my Lord! I have called to my people by night and by day, but they have increased in their transgression
He asked for Allah’s help, in saving the believers and punishing the disbelievers. Allah ordered Nuh(pbuh) to construct the ark with His guidance.
Joking that the ark was far from sea, being made on land, the chiefs of his people use to moak at Nuh(pbuh). The pagans dared Nuh (pbuh) ,”bring Allah’s doom” joking about the flood. They didn’t realize that the stormy waves would soon wash them away.
After a very long period of hard tiring work, the ark was finally ready. Then Nuh (pbuh) said: “Embark! In the name of Allah, it shall set sail and cast anchor. My Lord is forgiving and merciful.”
Allah asked Nuh (pbuh) to take aboard with him a pair of every living creature along with his faithful believers. As soon they all come on board the rain began to fall, more and more rain fell each day. The rivers overflowed. It was as if the skies had drained all their water, and the seas and earth vomited out the water in their bellies.
The disbelievers didn’t want to go with Nuh (pbuh). Initially they said,” we are not scared of the rain!” But later the disbelievers who had ignored Allah’s guidance were in a grievous state. All was lost to them. The heavy downpour of rain, the strong winds, the deafening thunder and the blinding lightning created confusion in their minds and fear in their hearts. They ran helter-skelter in search for safety. They climbed the roof-tops and the trees but nothing could save them now as the waters rose higher and higher.
Amongst the disbelievers was one of Nuh’s (pbuh) own son. Prophet Nuh’s Ark was sailing safely on the waters and when the Prophet saw his son he called out to him and said:
‘O my son! Embark with us and be not with the disbelievers’. The son replied: ‘I will climb some mountain, it will save me from the flood’. And Nuh said: ‘This day nothing can save you from what Allah has decreed, for only those on whom He has Mercy will be saved’. And the waves came between them, and the son was among the drowned ones.” — Holy Qur’an, 11:42-43
There was water everywhere, no land could be seen, The ark rolled to and fro and everybody was very scared, but Allah was watching over them.
Suddenly the rain stopped and the clouds moved away and the sun began to shine, the water started to dry up. The ark came to rest on a dry mountain.
The prophet Nuh(pbuh) and his companions thanked Allah SWT for saving them from such a devastating flood. Everyone happily came out of the ark.
As in the holy Quran, Prophet Noah prayed:
“O my Lord! Let my landing from the ark be blessed, for you alone can make me land in safety.” — 23:29
In this way Allah made the flood and the ark of Nuh (pbuh) a sign and a warning for the future generations.
It was from the children of Nuh (pbuh) that mankind spread on the earth. Before he died, he advised his three sons, Ham, Yapeth, and Sham to worship Allah without shirk, and stay on the right path.