Let's continue with the Story of Nuh (AS)!
Last week we left off where Nuh (AS) was very disappointed in his people. After centuries of preaching the words of Allah, most people still refused to listen to him.
Finally, Allah SWT told him no others would believe. He then commanded Nuh (AS) to build an ark on top of a mountain.
So, Nuh (AS) started building the ark in order to fulfill Allah's command. He would go down to the flat land and cut a tree and carry the wood to the mountain to build the ark. No ark like this had ever been made. Whenever Nuh (AS) would run out of wood, Allah SWT would make a new tree appear with wood in exactly the shape he needed — along with nails to secure it. It was like completing a huge jigsaw puzzle.
If Allah SWT had willed He would have just created the ark for Nuh AS without him ever having to put in any effort. But He didn't. While Allah SWT will always help us when we try to follow His commands, we must still put in the effort required to accomplish them. And with that effort there is so much reward, in sha Allah.
While Nuh (AS) was building the ark, the chiefs would pass by and make fun of him. They would ask him if he was a carpenter now instead of a prophet and would taunt him about making a ship on top of a mountain rather than down at the shore — but Nuh (AS) kept quiet.
Once the ark was complete, Allah SWT told Nuh (AS) to go into the ark with the believers when he saw water coming from the earth. It is said Nuh (AS) had somewhere between 11 and 80 followers, and as soon as they saw the water seeping through the earth they all got on the boat.
This is a reminder to us that the majority is not always correct. Just because a lot of people believe in something, or act a certain way, does not mean it's the right thing to do.
Allah SWT also commanded Nuh (AS) to take pairs of all the animals and birds so that they may continue to live on. Once all the believers were on the ark, they made a dua that we still say to this day when traveling: "Bismillah mujraha wa mursaha" — In the name of Allah, it moves and stops.
Then Nuh (AS) saw his own son from the ark. He asked him to join him, but the son refused — saying he would climb to the tallest mountain and be safe from the flood. A huge wave came and swallowed the boy, and he drowned right in front of his father's eyes.
Finally, Allah SWT commanded the earth to swallow up its water once more, and the sky to hold its water. The earth once again became habitable, and the ark landed on a mountain known as Al-Judi.
The Qur'an mentions that Nuh (AS) preached to his people for 950 years. So while it is true that every single person on the planet is a descendant of Adam AS, the same can also be said about Nuh (AS). We are all the children of Adam and Nuh (AS).
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