Class 2 – Stories of Prophets Shiith, Idris and Nuh (A.S.)

Class 2

Prophets Shiith, Idris & Nuh (A.S.)

Prophet Shiith, Successor After Adam

After Adam’s death, his son Seth (Shiith) took over the responsibilities of prophethood, according to a hadith narrated by Abu Dhar. Abu Dhar narrated that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

Allah sent down one hundred and four psalms, of which fifty were sent down to Seth.” (Sahih al Bukhari)

When the time of his death came Seth’s son Anoush succeeded him. He in turn, was succeeded by his son Qinan, who was succeeded by Mahlabeel. The Persians claim that Mahlabeel was the King of the Seven Regions, that he was the first one to cut down trees to build cities and large forts and that he built the cities of Babylonia. He reigned for a period of forty years. When he died his duties were taken ov er by his son Yard, who on his death, bequeathed them to his son Khonoukh, who is Idris (pbuh) according to the majority of the scholars.

Prophet Idris (Idris)

Allah has praised Idris, describing him as being a prophet and truthful:

Mention in the Book (Quran) Idris (Idris). Verily! He was a man of truth (and) a prophet. We raised him to a high station“. (19:56-57).

Birth and Teachings

Idris was born and raised in Babylon following the teachings and religion of Prophet Adam (pbuh) and his son Seth (pbuh). Idris was the 5th generation of the Prophet Adam. He called the people back to his forefathers religion, but only a few listened to him, while the majority turned away.

Prophet Idris and his followers left Babylon for Egypt. There he carried on his mission, calling people to what is just and fair, teaching them certain prayers and instructing them to fast on certain days and to give a portion of their wealth to the poor. It is reported that he was the 1st to invent the basic form of writing.

Prophet Nuh (Noah)

Variation on the Birth of Nuh

He was Nuh Ibn Lamik, Ibn Mitoshilkh, Ibn Enoch, Ibn yard, Ibn Mahlabeel, Ibn Qinan, Ibn Anoush, Ibn Seth, Ibn Adam the Father of Mankind (PBUH).

Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The period between Adam and Noah was ten centuries.” (Sahih Bukhari, Noah was born 1056 years after Adam’s creation (or after he left the Garden of Eden).

Nuh’s People – Idolaters

For many generations Nuh’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.

Allah the Almighty revealed: “They (idolaters) have said: “You shall not leave your gods nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Ya uq nor Nasr (names of the idols).” (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 sometime, 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.

Ibn 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 worshiped until the coming generations deviated from the right way of life. Then they worshipped them as their idols.”

Nuh’s Reasoning with his People

Allah in His Mercy sent His messenger Nuh to guide his people. Nuh 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 were 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 this people, there cannot have been more than one deity.

Division Among Nuh’s People

The people listened to him in silence. His words were a shock to their stagnating minds. Nuh’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.

The Disbelievers’ Arguments

First they accused Nuh of being only human like themselves.The chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: “We see you but a man like ourselves.” (11:27)

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: Indeed We sent Noah to his people (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.” (11:25-27).

The Disbelievers Attempt to Bargain

Thus the conflict between Nuh and the heads of his people intensified. The disbeliveers tried to bargain: “Listen Nuh, if you want us to believe in you, then dismiss your believers. They are meek and poor, while are elite and rich; no faith can include us both. Noah explained to his people that he could not dismiss the believers as they were not his guests but Allah’s. Nuh appealed to them: O 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. O 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 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 (regards to Belief). In that case, I should, indeed be one of the Zalimeen (wrongdoers, oppressors etc).” (11:29-31)

The Disbelievers Remain Ignorant

The rulers were tired of Noah’s arguments. Allah the Exalted related their attitude: They said: “O 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.” (11:32-34)

When all the refutations of the disbeliveers 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.” (7:60)

Noah responded in the manner of the prophets: O 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.” (7:61-62)

The Length of Nuh’s Preaching

Nuh continued to call his people to believe in Allah for nine hundred fifty years. Allah the Almighty said: Indeed We sent Noah to his people and he stayed among them a thousand years less fifty years (inviting them to believe in the Oneness of Allah (Monotheism) and discard the false gods and other deities). (29:14)

It happened that every passing generation admonished the succeeding one not to believe Noah and to wage war against him. the father used to teach his child about the matter that was between himself and Noah and counsel him to reject his call when he reached adulthood. Their natural disposition rejected believing and following the truth.

Nuh saw that the number of believers was not increasing, while that of the disbelievers was. He was sad for his people, but he never reached the point of despair.

Nuh Prays for the Disbeliever’s End

There came a day when Allah revealed to Nuh that no others would believe. Allah inspired him not to grieve for them at which point Nuh prayed that the disbelievers be destroyed. He said: My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers on the earth. If you leave them, they will mislead Your slaves and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers.” (71:27)

Allah accepted Noah’s prayer. The case was closed, and He passed His judgment on the disbeliveers in the form of a flood. Allah the Exalted ordered His worshipper Noah to build an ark with His knowledge and instructions and with the help of angels. Almighty Allah commanded: And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with Our Inspiration and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; they are surely to be drowned.” (11:37)

Nuh Builds the Ark

Nuh chose a place outside the city, far from the sea. HE collected wood and tools and began to day and night to build the ark. The people’s mockery continued: “O Nuh! Does carpentry appeal to you more than prophethood? Why are you building an ark so far from the sea? Are you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going to carry it for you?” Nuh replied: “You will come to know who will be put to shame and suffer.”

Allah the Almighty narrated: As he was constructing the ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they made amockery of him. He said : “If you mock at us, so do we mock at you likewise for your mocking.And you will know who it is on whom will come a torment that will cover him with disgrace and on whom will fall a lasting torment.” (11:38-39)

The Flood begins

The ship was constructed, and Noah sat waiting Allah’s command. Allah revealed to him that when water miraculously gushed forth from the oven at Noah’s house that would be the sign of the start of the flood, and the sign for Noah to act.

The terrible day arrived when the oven at Noah’s house overflowed. Noah hurried to open the ark and summon the believers. He also took with him a pair, male and female, of every type of animal, bird and insect. Seeing him taking these creatures to the ark, the people laughed loudly: “Noah must have gone out of his head! What is he going to do with the animals?” Almighty Allah narrated: So it was till then there came Our Command and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains from the earth). We said: “Embark therein, of each kind two (male and female), and your family, except him against whom the Word has already gone forth, and those who believe.” And none believed him except a few. (11:40)

Nuh’s wife was not a believer with him so she did not join him; neither did one of Noah’s sons, who was secretly a disbeliever but had pretended faith in front of Nuh.

Description of the Flood

Water rose from the cracks in the earth; there was not a crack from which water did not rise. Rain poured from the sky in quantities never seen before on earth. Water continued pouring from the sky rising from the cracks; hour after hour the level rose. The seas and waves invaded the land. The interior of the earth moved in a strange way, and the ocean floors lifted suddenly, flooding the dry land. The earth, for the first time was submerged.

Nuh Appeals to his Son

Allah told the story thus: He (Nuh) said: “Embark therein in the Name of Allah will be its moving course and its resting anchorage. Surely, my Lord is Oft Forgiving, most Merciful.” So it (the ship) sailed with them amidst the waves like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (apart), “O my son! Embark with us and be not with the disbelievers.” The son replied, “I will betake myself to a mountain, it will save me from the water.” Noah said: “This day there is no savior from the Decree of Allah except him on whom He has mercy.” And a wave came in between them so he (the son) was among the drowned.” (11: 41-43)

The Flood Ends

It was said: O Nuh! Come down (from the ship) with peace from Us and blessings on you and on the people o\who are with you(and on some of their offspring), but (there will be other) people to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in the end a painful torment will reach them from Us.” (11:41-48)

With the issue of the divine command, calm returned to earth, the water retreated, and the dry land shone once again in the rays of the sun. The flood had cleansed the earth of the disbelievers and polytheists.

The Believers Disembark

Nuh released the birds, and the beasts which scattered over the earth. After that the believers disembarked. Nuh put his forehead to the ground in prostration. The survivors kindled a fire and sat around it. Lighting a fire had been prohibited on board so as not to ignite the ship’s wood and burn it up. None of them had eaten hot food during the entire period of the floor. Following the disembarkation there was a day of fasting in thanks to Allah.

Nuh’s Death

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “When the death of the Messenger of Allah Noah approached, he admonished his sons: ‘Indeed I would give you far reaching advice, commanding you to do two things, and warning you against doing two things as well. I charge you to believe that there is no god but Allah and that if the seven heavens and the seven earths were put on one side of a scale and the words “there is no god but Allah” were put on the other, the latter would outweigh the former. I warn you against associating partners with Allah and against pride.” (Sahih al Bukhari)

Lessons from story of Nuh A.S.

  • No person is too rich or too posh to not follow Allah and his commands.
  • Do not stray away from the deen for your livelihood. Allah is the provider.
  • Like shirk, every sin starts with a seemingly harmless act, thats one of the trciks of Shaitaan, he doesnt make us do the sin right away he builds it on us to eventually do it.
  • The fact that your ancestors has been doing something doesn’t make the wrong, right.
  • Nothing can be added to the Deen of Allah, it is perfect as it is any additions will eventually lead us astray.
  • Let us not think that if we are enjoying life then it means Allah is happy with us. Allah Almighty allowed the people of Nuh AS to enjoy themselves for almost a 1000 years before punishing them.
  • Guidance is only in the hands of Allah. If a family member or a closed one of a pious man is on the wrong path, it does not decrease his rank or status.