Despite all these tortures and persecutions, he would still supplicate, 1
0 my Rab ! Forgive my people and guide them, as they do not know who I am!’
The state of affairs was such that every aged father would advise his children before dying that (Sayyiduna) Nuh is an insane person since a very long time. Therefore, no one should listen to him and pay attention to what he says. Their mischief increased to such an extent that one day, Divine revelation was descended upon Sayyiduna Nuh that: ‘O Nuh! No one else will embrace the faith except for those who have become the believers until now.’ After this, Sayyiduna Nuh lost the hope of embracing faith by his people and supplicated for their destruction.
Allah commanded him to prepare an ark. Therefore, the teakwood trees that Sayyiduna Nuh had planted grew up tall in one hundred years. He made an ark out of the wood of these trees that was 80 yards in length and 50 yards in width. Moreover, it had three levels. In the lower level, there were wild animals, birds and insects etc. In the middle level, there were cattle, and the upper level was for the believers. This is how Sayyiduna Nuh built that wonderful ark and it took one hundred years for this splendid historical ark to be built which was the result of the hard work and craftsmanship of the believers and Sayyiduna Nuh .
When he was busy building the ark, his people used to make fun of him. Some used to say, ‘O Nuh!
Have you become a carpenter now whereas, you used to say before that you are the Nabi of Allah !’ Some used to say, ‘O Nuh! Why are you building an ark on this dry land? Have you gone insane?’ In short, they used to make fun of him and would taunt and use foul language persistently. In response, he would only reply, ‘Today, you make fun of us but do not worry. The day when the torment from Allah will come in the form of flood, then we will make fun of you.’ Upon the onset of the flood, Sayyiduna Nuh boarded a pair of a male and female of wild and grazing animals, birds and various insects.
Moreover, he boarded himself with his believing wife along with his three sons: Haam, Saam and Yaafis and their wives; and other 72 believing men and women. So, total 80 people boarded that ark. One of the wives of Sayyiduna Nuh named Waa’ilah, who was an unbeliever and one of his sons named Kin’ aan, did not embark and were consequently destroyed and drowned in the flood. It is reported that when the scorpion and the snake were getting onto the ark, Sayyiduna Nuh prevented them. Then both of them said: 0 Nabi of Allah, please let us embark. We promise that we will not harm the one who would recite:
(Part 23, Surah As-Saffaat, Ayah 79)
At this, he let them board the ark. All the people and the entire creatures were drowned and destroyed in the flood except for those boarded the ark. The ark of Sayyiduna Nuh then parked at a hill called ‘Mount Joodi’. After the flood subsided, he landed on the ground along with all others. A lot of blessings were bestowed in his progeny and his progeny spread all over the face of the earth. That is why, he was entitled as ‘Aadam-e-Saani’.
(Iafseer As-Saawi; part 12; Surah Hood, Ayah 36-39)
In the Holy Quran, Allah has mentioned this parable in the following words:
And it was revealed to Nuh that, ‘None of your people will (now) become Muslims, except those who have already accepted faith, therefore do not grieve over what they do.’ (Allah said to Nuh), ‘And build the Ark under our observation, and by Our command, and do not request to Me regarding the iforgiveness for the) unjust; they will surely be drowned.’ And Nuh builds the Ark; and whenever the chiefs of his people would pass by, they would laugh at him. He (Nuh) said, ‘If you laugh at us, then in a time we will laugh at you just as you laugh (now).’ So you will now come to know, upon whom comes that punishment which will disgrace him (i.e. the disbeliever), and punishment comes down which is to last forever.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 12, Surah Hood, Ayah 36-39)
