The Story of Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him) and the Ark

The rain was tapping softly on the window: tap... tap... tap. Yazan, a five-year-old boy, was playing with his little wooden boat on the rug. He put a plastic giraffe in it, a little elephant and two birds. Then he looked at his mother and said, "Mama, my boat has lots of animals!"

His mother smiled, sat beside him and said, "Did you know, Yazan, that there was a great, real ship with lots of animals in it, and Allah told us about it in the Quran?" Yazan opened his eyes wide and said, "Really? Tell me!" His mother said, "It's the ark of Allah's prophet Nuh, peace be upon him."

His mother said, "A very long time ago, long after our father Adam, peace be upon him, many people forgot to worship Allah. They made statues out of stone and started worshipping them, thinking they could help them. But statues can't hear, can't see and can't help anyone." Yazan said, "Stones don't talk!" His mother said, "That's right. So Allah sent them a good prophet named Nuh, peace be upon him, to tell them: worship Allah alone."

Then she said, "The Quran tells us what Nuh said to his people: 'O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him' [al-A'raf 7:59]. He called them gently and lovingly, because he loved them and was worried about them."

Yazan asked, "Did they listen to him?" His mother said, "Only a few of them. Most of them put their fingers in their ears so they wouldn't hear, and covered their faces with their clothes. The Quran tells us that Nuh, peace be upon him, called them by night and by day, in private and in public."

Yazan said, "Night and day? Didn't he get tired?" His mother said, "He was very patient, Yazan. The Quran says he stayed among his people 'a thousand years minus fifty years' [al-'Ankabut 29:14]. Nine hundred and fifty years! Calling them to good and never giving up."

Yazan whistled and said, "That's so much! Much more than Grandpa's age!" His mother laughed and said, "Yes. And Nuh, peace be upon him, also told them: ask Allah's forgiveness, ask Him to pardon you, and He will send you rain and give you wealth and children, gardens and rivers. The Quran says: 'And said, Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver' [Nuh 71:10]."

Yazan asked, "Why didn't they listen?" His mother said, "Because their hearts were stubborn. They made fun of him and said bad things about him. But he stayed patient and kind."

Then his mother said, "After very many years, Allah told Nuh that no more of his people would believe except those who already had. And He commanded him to build a big ship. The Quran says: 'And construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration' [Hud 11:37]. That means: build it while Allah sees you, looks after you and teaches you how to build it."

Yazan said, "A ship? Was there a sea nearby?" His mother smiled and said, "Clever question! No, there was no sea nearby. It was dry land. So Nuh, peace be upon him, and the believers with him began gathering wood, cutting it, fixing it with nails, and building the ship day after day."

Then she said, "His people would walk past and laugh at him, saying: a ship on land with no water? The Quran says: 'And whenever an assembly of the eminent of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him' [Hud 11:38]. But Nuh didn't stop working, because he trusted Allah."

Yazan said, "I don't like it when someone laughs at me." His mother said, "Nobody likes that. But Nuh, peace be upon him, teaches us to keep doing what's right, even if people laugh at us."

Then the promised day came. Allah commanded Nuh to take onto the ship two of every kind of animal, a male and a female, and to take his family and the believers with him. The Quran says: 'We said, Load upon it of each creature two mates and your family, except those about whom the word has preceded, and whoever has believed. And none had believed with him, except a few' [Hud 11:40]."

Yazan shouted, "Like my boat! Two giraffes, two elephants and two birds!" His mother laughed and said, "Yes! Two of every kind. Imagine the animals going into the ship: lions, sheep, camels, birds, cats... all going in by Allah's permission."

And Nuh, peace be upon him, said to the believers, as the Quran tells us: "Embark therein; in the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful" [Hud 11:41]. That means: in Allah's name the ship sails, and in Allah's name it stops.

Yazan said, "Bismillah! Like we say when we get in the car!" His mother said, "Exactly, Yazan. We learn from the prophets to begin everything in the name of Allah."

Then very heavy rain came down from the sky, and water burst from the earth, until there was water everywhere and the waves rose like mountains. The Quran says: "And it sailed with them through waves like mountains" [Hud 11:42]. But the ship sailed on safely, because Allah was protecting it.

Yazan asked quietly, "And the people who laughed?" His mother said gently, "For a very, very long time they chose not to listen to Nuh's advice, and they refused to get on the ship. So they drowned in the water. But Allah saved those who believed. This teaches us, Yazan, to listen to good advice and to obey Allah."

Then his mother said, "After some days, Allah commanded the earth to swallow its water and the sky to stop raining. The water went down little by little, until the ship came to rest on a mountain called al-Judi. The Quran says: 'And it was said, O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, withhold your rain. And the water subsided, and the matter was accomplished, and the ship came to rest on al-Judi' [Hud 11:44]."

Yazan asked, "And did the animals come out?" His mother said, "Yes! Nuh, peace be upon him, the believers and the animals came down from the ship in peace. The earth turned green again, the sun came out, and they began a new life worshipping Allah alone and thanking Him for saving them."

Yazan looked at his wooden boat, took the animals out one by one, put them on the rug and said, "Come out in peace!" Then he asked, "Mama, what do we learn from the story of Nuh, peace be upon him?"

Then his mother said, "Did you know, Yazan, that Allah described Nuh with a beautiful quality? Allah says: 'Indeed, he was a grateful servant' [al-Isra 17:3]. He thanked Allah for every blessing: his food, his drink and his clothing. And the Prophet ﷺ told us, in Sahih al-Bukhari, that on the Day of Resurrection Nuh will be called, and Allah will ask him: Did you convey the message? He will say: Yes, my Lord. Then his people will be asked: Did he convey it to you? They will say: No warner came to us. So Allah will say to Nuh: Who will testify for you? He will say: Muhammad and his nation. And we will testify that he did convey it." Yazan said happily, "So I'll testify for Nuh, peace be upon him?" His mother said, "Yes. Every Muslim who believes in the Quran testifies that Nuh conveyed his Lord's message."

His mother said, "We learn many things. We learn patience: Nuh called his people for many long years and never gave up. We learn to trust Allah and obey Him, even when we don't understand everything, like building a ship on dry land. We learn to always ask Allah's forgiveness. And we learn to say Bismillah whenever we start something."

Before bed, Yazan held his little boat and said, "In the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage." Then he looked out of the window at the gentle rain and said, "Mama, this rain is a mercy, isn't it?" His mother said, "Yes, my love. Rain is a mercy from Allah. It waters the earth, the trees and the people. When the rain falls we say: O Allah, let it be a beneficial rain." Yazan repeated it and fell asleep dreaming of a big ship sailing safely over the waves.