He was Noah Ibn Lamik, Ibn Mitoshilkh, Ibn Enoch, Ibn Yard, Ibn Mahlabeel, Ibn Qinan, Ibn Anoush, Ibn Seth, Ibn Adam the Father of Mankind.
According to the history of the People of the Book , ("People of the Book" refers to the Jews and Christians, so-called by Allah because they received Revealed Books, the Taurat, Zabur, and Injeel. These names are translated "Torah", "Psalms", and "Gospels", respectively, but the books that are extant are corrupt. Of the Revealed Books, only the Qur'an remains exactly as it was revealed) the period between the birth of Noah and the death of Adam was one hundred forty-six years (According to Genesis 5, New Revised Standard version, Noah was born one hundred twenty six years after the death of Adam).
Thn Abbas narrated that Prophet Muhammad said: "The period between Adam and Noah was ten centuries." (According to Genesis 5, New Revised Standard version, Noah was born 1056 years after Adam's creation, or after he left the Garden of Eden. Thus, this hadith does not contradict the previous statement from the People of the Book, as it may first appear to do. The reader should keep in mind, however, that any statements or narratives taken from the People of the Book are not necessarily credible.)
For many generations Noah's people had been worshipping
statues that they called gods. They believed that these gods would bring them
good, protect them from evil, and provide all their needs. They gave their
idols names such as Waddan, Suwaan, Yaghutha, Yaauga, and Nasran, according to
the power they thought these gods possessed.
Allah the Almighty revealed: And they Idolaters have said:
"You shall not leave your gods, nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa, nor
Yaghuth, nor Yauq nor Nasr (names of the idols). " Surah 71: 23
Originally these were the names of good people who had lived
among them. After their deaths, statues of them were erected to keep their
memories alive. After some time, however, people began to worship these
statues.
Later generations did not even know why they had been erected; they
only knew their parents had prayed to them. That is how idol worshipping
developed. Since they had no understanding of Allah the Almighty Who would
punish them for their evil deeds, they became cruel and immoral.
Into this environment Allah sent Noah with His message to his
people. Noah was the only intellectual not caught in the whirlpool of man's
destruction which was caused by polytheism.
Thn Abbas explained: "Following upon the death of those
righteous men, Satan inspired their people to erect statues in the places where
they used to sit. They did this, but these statues were not worshipped until
the coming generations deviated from the right way of life. Then they
worshipped them as their idols."
These idols represented, respectively, manly power;
mutability, beauty; brute strength; swiftness; sharp sight, insight. (Source:
A. Yusuf Ali, The Holy Quran: Translation and Commentary. Appendix XIII)
In his version, Ibn Jarir narrated: "There were
righteous people who lived in the period between Adam and Noah and who had
followers who held them as models. After their death, their friends who used to
emulate them said: 'If we make statues of them, it will be more pleasing to us
in our worship and will remind us of them.' So they built statues of them, and,
after they had died and others came after them, Iblis crept into their minds
saying: 'Your forefathers used to worship them, and through that worship they
got rain.' So they worshipped them."
Ibn Abi Hatim related this story: "Waddan was a
righteous man who was loved by his people. When he died, they withdrew to his
grave in the land of Babylonia and were overwhelmed by sadness. When Iblis saw
their sorrow caused by his death, he disguised himself in the form of a man
saying: 'I have seen your sorrow because of this man's death; can I make a
statue like him which could be put in your meeting place to make you remember
him?' They said: 'Yes.' So he made the statue like him. They put it in their
meeting place in order to be reminded of him. When Iblis saw their interest in
remembering him, he said: 'Can I build a statue of him in the home of each one
of you so that he would be in everyone's house and you could remember him?'
They agreed. Their children learned about and saw what they were doing. They
also learned about their remembrance of him, until they took him to be a deity
and worshipped him instead of Allah. So the first to be worshipped instead of
Allah was Waddan, the idol which they named thus."
It was narrated that 'Umm Salmah and 'Umm Habibah told
Allah's Prophet Muhammad about the church called "Maria" which they
had seen in the land of Abyssinia. They described its beauty and the pictures
therein. He said: "Those are the people who build places of worship on the
grave of every dead man who was righteous and then make therein those pictures.
Those are the worst of creation unto Allah."
The essence of this point is that every idol from those
earlier mentioned was worshipped by a certain group of people. It was mentioned
that people made pictures and as the ages passed they made these pictures into
statues, so that their forms could be fully recognized; afterwards they were
worshipped instead of Allah.
Worshiping anything other than Allah is a tragedy that
results not only in the loss of freedom (by worshiping anything other than
Allah, man becomes enslaved to Satan, who is himself a creature, and becomes
harnessed to his own baser qualities);
its serious effect reaches man's mind
and destroys it as well. Almighty Allah created man and his mind with its
purpose set on achieving knowledge, the most important of which is that Allah
alone is the Creator and all the rest are worshipers (slaves). Therefore,
disbelief in Allah, or polytheism, results in the loss of freedom, the
destruction of the mind, and the absence of a noble target in life.
Allah in His mercy sent His messenger Noah to guide his
people. Noah was an excellent speaker and a very patient man. He pointed out to
his people the mysteries of life and the wonders of the universe. He pointed
out how the night is regularly followed by the day and that the balance between
these opposites was designed by Allah the Almighty for our good. The night
gives coolness and rest while the day gives warmth and awakens activity. The
sun encourages growth, keeping all plants and animals alive, while the moon and
stars assist in the reckoning of time, direction and seasons. He pointed out
that the ownership of the heavens and the earth belongs only to the Divine
Creator.
Therefore, he explained to his people, there cannot have been
more than one deity. He clarified to them how the devil had deceived them for
so long and that the time had come for this deceit to stop. Noah spoke to them
of Allah's glorification of man, how He had created him and provided him with
sustenance and the blessings of a mind.
He told them that idol worshipping was
a suffocating injustice to the mind. He warned them not to worship anyone but
Allah and described the terrible punishment Allah would mete out if they
continued in their evil ways.
The people listened to him in silence. His words were a shock
to their stagnating minds, as it is a shock to a person who is asleep under a
wall which is about to fall and who is vigorously awakened. This person may be
alarmed and may even become angry although the aim was to save him.
Noah's people were divided into two groups after his warning.
His words touched the hearts of the weak, the poor, and the miserable and
soothed their wounds with its mercy. As for the rich, the strong, the mighty
and the rulers, they looked upon the warning with cold distrust.
They believed
they would be better off if things stayed as they were. Therefore, they started
their war of words against Noah.
First they accused Noah of being only human like themselves.
The chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: "We see you but a
man like ourselves."1 He, however, had never said anything other than
that. He asserted that, indeed, he was only a human being: Allah had sent a
human messenger because the earth was inhabited by humans. If it had been
inhabited by angels Allah would have sent an angelic messenger.
The contest between the polytheists and Noah continued. The
rulers had thought at first that Noah's call would soon fade on its own. When
they found that his call attracted the poor, the helpless, and common laborers,
they started to verbally attack and taunt him: 'You are only followed by the
poor, the meek, and the worthless."
Allah the Almighty told us: And indeed We sent Noah to his
people (and he said): "I have come to you as a plain warner, that you
worship none but Allah, surely, I fear for you the torment of a painful
Day." The chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: "We see
you but a man like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanest
among us and they (too) followed you without thinking. And we do not see in you
any merit above us, in fact, we think you are liars." Surah 11: 27
Thus the conflict between Noah and the heads of his people
intensified. The disbelievers tried to bargain: "Listen, Noah, if you want
us to believe in you, then dismiss your believers. They are meek and poor,
while we are elite and rich; no faith can include us both." Noah listened
to the heathens of his community and realized they were being obstinate.
However, he was gentle in his response. He explained to his people that he
could not dismiss the believers, as they were not his guests but Allah's.
Noah appealed to them: "And 0 my people! I ask of you no
wealth for it, my reward is from none but Allah. I am not going to drive away
those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meet their Lord, but I see
that you are a people that are ignorant. And 0 my people! Who will help me
against Allah, if I drove them away? Will you not then give a thought? And I do
not say to you that with me are the Treasures of Allah nor that I know the
Ghaib (unseen); nor do I say I am an angel, and I do not say of those whom your
eyes look down upon that Allah will not bestow any good on them. Allah knows
what is in their inner-selves (as regards Belief etc.). In that case, I should,
indeed be one of the Zalimeen (wrong-doers, oppressors, etc.). " Surah 11:
29-31
Noah refuted the arguments of the disbelievers with the noble
knowledge of the prophets. It is the logic of intellect that rids itself of
personal pride and interests.
The rulers were tired of Noah's arguments. Allah the Exalted
related their attitude: They said: "0 Noah! You have disputed with us and
much have you prolonged the dispute with us, now bring upon us what you
threaten us with, if you are of the truthful." He said: "Only Allah
will bring it (the punishment) on you, if He will, and then you will escape
not. And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you counsel, if
Allah's Will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord! And to Him you shall
return." Surah 7: 32-32
The battle continued; the arguments between the disbelievers
and Noah became prolonged. When all the refutations of the disbelievers
collapsed and they had no more to say, they began to be rude and insulted
Allah's prophet: The leaders of his people said: "Verily, we see you in
plain error. " Surah 7: 60
Noah responded in the manner of the prophets: "0 my
people! There is no error in me, but I am a Messenger from the Lord of the
Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)! I convey unto you the Messages of
my Lord and give sincere advice to you. And I know from Allah what you know
not. " Surah 7: 61-62
Noah continued appealing to his people to believe in Allah
hour after hour, day after day, year after year. He admonished his people and
called them to Allah day and night, in secret and openly. He gave them
examples, explained Allah's signs and illustrated Allah's ability in the
formation of His creatures. But whenever he called them to Allah, they ran away
from him. Whenever he urged them to ask Allah to forgive them, they put their
fingers in their ears and became too proud to listen to the truth.
Allah the Almighty related what Noah faced: "Verily, We
sent Noah to his people (saying): "Warn your people before there comes to
them a painful torment."
He said: "0 my people! Verily, I am a plain warner to
you, that you should worship Allah (Alone), be dutiful to Him, and obey me. He
(Allah) will forgive you of your sins and respite you to an appointed term.
Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you but
knew."
He said: "0 my Lord! Verily, I have called my people
night and day (i.e. secretly and openly to accept the doctrine of Islamic
Monotheism), but all my calling added nothing but to (their) flight (from the
truth). And verily! Every time I called unto them that You might forgive them,
they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their
garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in pride.
Then verily, I called to them openly (aloud); then verily, I proclaimed to them
in public, and I have appealed to them in private, I said (to them): 'Ask
forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to
you in abundance; and give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on
you gardens and bestow on you rivers.
What is the matter with you, that you fear not Allah (His
Punishment), and you hope not for reward (from Allah or you believe not in His
Oneness). While He has created you in (different) stages (first Nutfah, then
Alaqa, and then Mudgha -see Surah 23: 13-14)
See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above
another, and has made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp? And
Allah has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth. Afterwards He will return
you into it (the earth), and bring you forth (again on the Day of Resurrection)
And Allah has made for you the earth wide spread (an expanse) that you may go
about therein in broad roads."
Noah said: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me, and
followed one whose wealth and children give him no increase but only loss. And
they have plotted a mighty plot. And they have said: 'You shall not leave your
gods, nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Yauq nor Nasr (names
of the idols). And indeed they have led many astray. And (0 Allah)! Grant no
increase to the Zalimeen (polytheists, wrong-doers, and disbelievers, etc.)
save error."
Because of their sins they were drowned, then were made to
enter the Fire, and they found none to help them instead of Allah. Surah 71:
1-25
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