Prophet Nuh (Noah)

Nuh ibn Lamk ibn Mattushalakh (Noah, peace be upon him) is one of the five greatest prophets of Islam, holding the title Ulu al-Azm (Prophets of Firm Resolve). He is also called the second father of humanity because after the great flood all of humankind descends from his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. He was sent to his people when they had fallen into the worship of five idols — Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Yauq, and Nasr — which had begun as memorials to righteous men and gradually became objects of worship.

Allah says in the Quran (Surah Al-Ankabut 29:14): "And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years, and the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers." Nine hundred and fifty years of patient, persistent calling makes Nuh the most long-suffering of the prophets in terms of duration of mission. He called his people publicly and privately, by day and by night, using every method of persuasion: Surah Nuh (71:5-9): "He said, 'My Lord, indeed I invited my people night and day. But my invitation increased them not except in flight. And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with great arrogance.'"

Despite nearly a millennium of calling, only a small number believed — estimates range from eighty to a few hundred — while the vast majority rejected him, including his own wife and his son Yamm (Canaan). When Yamm refused to board the ark and claimed a mountain would protect him, Nuh watched the waves rise between them. Surah Hud (11:43): "He said, 'There is no protector today from the decree of Allah, except for whom He gives mercy. And the waves came between them, and he was among the drowned.'"

Allah commanded Nuh to build a great ark, and the people mocked him for building a ship far from the sea. When the command came, fountains of the earth burst open alongside the sky's torrents. The believers and pairs of every creature were saved on the ark while the entire disbelieving population of the earth perished. After the flood, the ark came to rest on Mount Judi, and Allah made a covenant of protection with Nuh. Surah Hud (11:48): "It was said, 'O Noah, disembark in security from Us and blessings upon you and upon nations [that will descend] from those with you.'"

An entire surah (Surah Nuh, chapter 71) is named after him and records his passionate supplications to his people and his heartfelt prayer to his Lord. The Prophet Muhammad ☪ described him as the first of the five resolute messengers, the sheikh of the prophets. His story teaches that the measure of prophetic success is not the number of converts but steadfastness, complete trust in Allah's promise, and the courage to maintain the truth across an entire lifetime — even a lifetime nearly ten centuries long.