Jewish and Christian traditions believe that Prophet Noah is the righteous in the era of sin and non-belief. The Qur’an and the Sunnah teach us that in the era of sin and evil oppressing mankind, the Prophet Noah symbolizes the beacon of national hope.
Human beings were once a community that recognized the Allah (God) and believing in the Oneness of Allah, but then chaos and divergence spread. Prophet Noah is a person who calms and patience. He calls on people to return to worship of God. He is an outstanding speaker, reminding people around him to give up idolatry and listen to his severe punishment for idolaters.
“I have indeed sent Noah to educate his clan. He said, ‘My clan! You should worship Allah, and you must not be worshipped except him. Are you not afraid?'” Qur’an 23:23)
Noah mentions the secret of life and the miracle of the universe. He describes the characteristics of day and night. It contains sunny and suitable daytime activities, a dark and suitable night for rest. He refers to the Creator who possesses everything in the universe, pointing out the breadth and beauty of the earth. Noah explained that the creation of the universe is most suitable for human life. Human beings are obliged to understand this knowledge, worship the true God Allah, and give up the false god. But when Noah began to mention the punishment of awaiting for the idolaters, his people were angry and crazy about this punishment.
How does idolatry appear?
The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah be upon him) tells us that there are ten generations between the prophet Adam (AS) and Prophet Noah (AS). We know that this period is very long, because Noah has lived for centuries, and his former people lived longer.
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During the period, people remembered the law taught by Adam and correctly worshipped Allah. As time passed, they gradually neglected and forgotten the Orthodox Church, and only a few devout people remembered their obligations to Allah. As time goes by, the devout people gradually die, and the Satan scorns those who respect the devout.
The Satan enchants the ignorant to set up a statue for the devout. The Satan said that they would remember these devout and remember to worship Allah. How ridiculous! Those who are ignorant set up statues in their meeting places and at home, and then the Satan leaves, until people forget the reason for the existence of the statue’s. Many years have passed, and the disappearing Satan appears again, telling people to worship this statue’s (idols) directly.
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With regard to the emergence of idols, the Prophet Muhammad summed up its approach. According to the disciple of Ibn Abbas, the Prophet Muhammad said:
“Those idols are the names of the sincere people of the Noah era. After their death, the devils confuse people to establish idols in places where they often commemorate God, and call these idols with their names. At that time people did, and idols were not worshipped. But after the creator died, the reasons for the appearance of idols became embarrassing, and people began to worship them.” (“Bukhari Hadith Record”)
Prophet Noah’s Call of Faith
The term “prophet” is derived from the Arabic word “Naibin” and means “message”. The prophet’s mission is to communicate the commands that Allah has previously issued between people. The messenger is a person with a special mission, usually conveying the new orders issued by Allah, which means that they have a new mission. The messengers are prophets, but the prophets are not necessarily messengers. The merciful Allah promised Adam that he would send more prophets and messengers to guide mankind. It is the first time that mankind has deviated from the teachings of the prophet Adam to worship Allah. Allah sent Noah to become the first messenger of Allah.
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According to Abu Hurairah (RA) , the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “On the day of Judgement, people will come to Noah and say, ‘Noah! You are the first messenger on the earth, and Allah calls you a servant of gratitude.'” (“Bukhari Hadith Record“)
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If you don’t worship Allah but worship other things, the result will be very serious. One is to lose your freedom, because the Satan will confuse people and destroy people’s will, so that people can’t distinguish between right and wrong. Noah reminded the public that if they did not give up idolatry, waiting for them would be a painful punishment, but his warning was like playing the piano. Noah debunked the Satan’s lies, but the people turned their faces and refused to listen to his advice. Noah Day advised people that he worked tirelessly or publicly or secretly, but refused to obey except for a few. In desperation, Noah prayed to Allah:
“My Lord! I have indeed summoned my clan day and night, but my call has made them more and more evasive. Whenever I summon them to you that you might forgive them, they always plug their ears with their fingers, Clothes cover their heads, they are stubborn and arrogant.” (The Qur’an 71:5-7)
Most of the people who responded to Noah’s call were those who were weak and poorest. The powerful and leaders people of Noah refused him arrogantly. They said: “Our confirmation is that you are in obvious confusion.” (The Qur’an 7:60)
Noah continued to appeal to his people publicly and secretly, day after day, year after year, he endured their ridicule and mockery for 950 years.