بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Nuhعليه السلام the Messenger
Allah Ta'ala chose to send Nuhعليه السلام to his people. There were
wealthy people and leaders among the children of Adamعليه السلام,
but Allah alone knew who should carry His message and who could
bear His trust.
Nuhعليه السلام was a pious and a generous man; he was intelligent and
forbearing, compassionate and sincere. He was truthful and trustworthy
and known for giving good counsel. Allah Ta'ala revealed to Nuhعليه السلام,
'Warn your people before a painful punishment comes to them.' (S71:1)
So Nuhعليه السلام stood up among his people and told them, 'I am a
faithful messenger to you.' (S26: 107)
What answer did his people give to him?
When Nuhعليه السلام began to say to say to his people, I am a faithful
messenger to you,' (S26: 107) some of them answered back, 'When
did this man become a Prophet? Yesterday he was one of us and today
he says, ''I am Allah's messenger to you''!'
Nuhعليه السلام's friends said, 'This man used to play with us when we
were young and he sat with us every day. When did he become a Prophet?
Was it during the day or the night?'
The rich and the proud said, 'Couldn't Allah find anyone except him? Has
everyone except else died? Couldn't He find anyone except a poor man
from among the common people?'
The ignorant ones said 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.'
(S23: 24)
Some of the people said that Nuhعليه السلام only wanted to become a leader,
a man of power and position among them, by saying he was the messenger
of Allah.
Nuhعليه السلام and his people
People had got used to thinking that worshipping idols was the truth and a
sensible thing to do. They thought that anyone who did not worship idols
was foolish. They would say, 'Our fathers worshipped idols, so why doesn't
this man worship them?'
Nuhعليه السلام thought that their fathers were in the wrong and unwise and
that Adamعليه السلام, who was the father of the fathers, did not worship idols.
He worshipped Allah alone. Nuhعليه السلام thought that the people were in
the wrong and foolish when they worshipped stones and did not worship
Allah who had created them.
Nuhعليه السلام stood up among his people, saying in his loudest voice, 'O
my people! Worship Allah! You have no god but Him. Truly I fear for you
the punishment of a dreadful day.'
The Council of his people said, 'We see that you are in clear error.'
He said, 'My people, there is no error in me. But I am a messenger
from the Lord of the worlds. I convey to you the message of my Lord
and I give you good advice, for I know from Allah what you do not
know.' (S7: 59-62)
'The lowliest follow you'
Nuhعليه السلام tried hard to make his people abandon idols and worship Allah
alone. But only a few of those people who worked with their hands and ate
lawful food, lawfully earned, believed in him.
The rich were too proud of being rich to believe. Their pride kept them from
listening to Nuhعليه السلام. Their property and children distracted them from
thinking about the Next World. They would say, 'We are nobles and those
people are lowly.' When Nuhعليه السلام called them to Allah, they
answered, 'How should we believe you when the lowliest follow you?'
(S26: 11)
They asked Nuhعليه السلام to drive the poor away. Nuhعليه السلام refused and
said, 'I cannot drive away the believers. My door is not a king's door.
I am only a clear warner.' (S26: 114-15)
Nuhعليه السلام knew that those poor people were sincere believers and that
Allah would be angry if he drove them away. Against the anger of Allah, no-
one would be able to help him. Nuhعليه السلام said, 'My people, who could
deliver me from Allah if I drive them away?' (S11: 30)
The argument of the rich
The rich said to the people: 'Listen to us. What Nuhعليه السلام is calling you
to is not true. It is not good. Why? Because we are the first to sample every
good thing. We have every sort of good food, every sort of beautiful clothes.
We set the fashion and people follow us. We have seen that we do not want
for any good thing, and nobody out-does us in anything in the city.'
They said about the poor people who had believed in Nuhعليه السلام : ''If there
had been any good in this religion, it would have come to us before
these paupers. If it had been any good, they would not be before us in
attaining it.' (S 46: 11)
Nuhعليه السلام's call
Nuhعليه السلام went on calling his people and trying hard to counsel them.
He said, 'O my people! I am a clear warner to you, saying ''Worship
Allah and fear Him and obey me that He may forgive you your sins
and defer you to a specified term. When Allah's term comes, it cannot
be deferred, if you only knew.'' (S71: 2-4)
Allah kept the rain from them and was angry with them. Their harvests were
small and they had few children. Nuhعليه السلام told them: 'My people! if you
believe, Allah will be pleased with you and remove this punishment.'
Then, when Allah sent the rain to them and blessed their crops and children,
Nuhعليه السلام called his people and said to them: 'Don't you recognize Allah?
These are the signs of Allah all around you. Can't you see them? Can't you
see the heavens and the earth? Can't you see the sun and the moon? Who
created the heavens? Who placed the moon in them as a light and made the
sun a lamp? He created you and laid the earth as a carpet for you.'
But the people of Nuhعليه السلام would not understand and would not believe.
When Nuhعليه السلام called them to Allah, they put their fingers in their ears.
Now, how can anyone who does not hear a message understand it? How
can anyone who does not want to hear, hear?
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Nuhعليه السلام the Messenger
Allah Ta'ala chose to send Nuhعليه السلام to his people. There were
wealthy people and leaders among the children of Adamعليه السلام,
but Allah alone knew who should carry His message and who could
bear His trust.
Nuhعليه السلام was a pious and a generous man; he was intelligent and
forbearing, compassionate and sincere. He was truthful and trustworthy
and known for giving good counsel. Allah Ta'ala revealed to Nuhعليه السلام,
'Warn your people before a painful punishment comes to them.' (S71:1)
So Nuhعليه السلام stood up among his people and told them, 'I am a
faithful messenger to you.' (S26: 107)
What answer did his people give to him?
When Nuhعليه السلام began to say to say to his people, I am a faithful
messenger to you,' (S26: 107) some of them answered back, 'When
did this man become a Prophet? Yesterday he was one of us and today
he says, ''I am Allah's messenger to you''!'
Nuhعليه السلام's friends said, 'This man used to play with us when we
were young and he sat with us every day. When did he become a Prophet?
Was it during the day or the night?'
The rich and the proud said, 'Couldn't Allah find anyone except him? Has
everyone except else died? Couldn't He find anyone except a poor man
from among the common people?'
The ignorant ones said 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.'
(S23: 24)
Some of the people said that Nuhعليه السلام only wanted to become a leader,
a man of power and position among them, by saying he was the messenger
of Allah.
Nuhعليه السلام and his people
People had got used to thinking that worshipping idols was the truth and a
sensible thing to do. They thought that anyone who did not worship idols
was foolish. They would say, 'Our fathers worshipped idols, so why doesn't
this man worship them?'
Nuhعليه السلام thought that their fathers were in the wrong and unwise and
that Adamعليه السلام, who was the father of the fathers, did not worship idols.
He worshipped Allah alone. Nuhعليه السلام thought that the people were in
the wrong and foolish when they worshipped stones and did not worship
Allah who had created them.
Nuhعليه السلام stood up among his people, saying in his loudest voice, 'O
my people! Worship Allah! You have no god but Him. Truly I fear for you
the punishment of a dreadful day.'
The Council of his people said, 'We see that you are in clear error.'
He said, 'My people, there is no error in me. But I am a messenger
from the Lord of the worlds. I convey to you the message of my Lord
and I give you good advice, for I know from Allah what you do not
know.' (S7: 59-62)
'The lowliest follow you'
Nuhعليه السلام tried hard to make his people abandon idols and worship Allah
alone. But only a few of those people who worked with their hands and ate
lawful food, lawfully earned, believed in him.
The rich were too proud of being rich to believe. Their pride kept them from
listening to Nuhعليه السلام. Their property and children distracted them from
thinking about the Next World. They would say, 'We are nobles and those
people are lowly.' When Nuhعليه السلام called them to Allah, they
answered, 'How should we believe you when the lowliest follow you?'
(S26: 11)
They asked Nuhعليه السلام to drive the poor away. Nuhعليه السلام refused and
said, 'I cannot drive away the believers. My door is not a king's door.
I am only a clear warner.' (S26: 114-15)
Nuhعليه السلام knew that those poor people were sincere believers and that
Allah would be angry if he drove them away. Against the anger of Allah, no-
one would be able to help him. Nuhعليه السلام said, 'My people, who could
deliver me from Allah if I drive them away?' (S11: 30)
The argument of the rich
The rich said to the people: 'Listen to us. What Nuhعليه السلام is calling you
to is not true. It is not good. Why? Because we are the first to sample every
good thing. We have every sort of good food, every sort of beautiful clothes.
We set the fashion and people follow us. We have seen that we do not want
for any good thing, and nobody out-does us in anything in the city.'
They said about the poor people who had believed in Nuhعليه السلام : ''If there
had been any good in this religion, it would have come to us before
these paupers. If it had been any good, they would not be before us in
attaining it.' (S 46: 11)
Nuhعليه السلام's call
Nuhعليه السلام went on calling his people and trying hard to counsel them.
He said, 'O my people! I am a clear warner to you, saying ''Worship
Allah and fear Him and obey me that He may forgive you your sins
and defer you to a specified term. When Allah's term comes, it cannot
be deferred, if you only knew.'' (S71: 2-4)
Allah kept the rain from them and was angry with them. Their harvests were
small and they had few children. Nuhعليه السلام told them: 'My people! if you
believe, Allah will be pleased with you and remove this punishment.'
Then, when Allah sent the rain to them and blessed their crops and children,
Nuhعليه السلام called his people and said to them: 'Don't you recognize Allah?
These are the signs of Allah all around you. Can't you see them? Can't you
see the heavens and the earth? Can't you see the sun and the moon? Who
created the heavens? Who placed the moon in them as a light and made the
sun a lamp? He created you and laid the earth as a carpet for you.'
But the people of Nuhعليه السلام would not understand and would not believe.
When Nuhعليه السلام called them to Allah, they put their fingers in their ears.
Now, how can anyone who does not hear a message understand it? How
can anyone who does not want to hear, hear?
Stories of the Prophets
by Sayyed Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi
