Short Summary
Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) was a prophet and messenger sent by ALLAH to a people who had turned to idolatry. He called them to worship ALLAH alone for nearly a thousand years. Most rejected him. ALLAH then commanded him to build an ark and saved the believers from a great flood. His story in the Quran is among the richest accounts of patience in the face of rejection, and trust in ALLAH when circumstances seem impossible.
Who Was Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him)?
Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) is among the five greatest prophets in Islam — called Ulul Azm (Prophets of Firm Resolve), alongside Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad ﷺ (Peace Be Upon Them All). He was sent to a people who had abandoned the worship of ALLAH and turned to statues and idols.
لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ
“We sent Nuh to his people, and he said: O my people, worship ALLAH; you have no deity other than Him.”
This is the core message — not a new one, but the same message every prophet was sent with: worship ALLAH alone.
The Story
A Long and Difficult Mission
Most prophets preached for years or decades and faced rejection. Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) preached for nearly a thousand years and faced rejection.
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا
“And We certainly sent Nuh to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years.”
950 years. The Quran records that despite this extraordinary length of time, most of his people refused to respond. Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) describes his efforts:
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِي لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ دُعَائِي إِلَّا فِرَارًا
“He said: My Lord, indeed I invited my people night and day. But my invitation increased them in nothing but flight.”
He tried different approaches — direct address, private conversation, public preaching, offering hope in ALLAH's mercy:
فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا
“And I said: Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever Forgiving. He will send rain to you in abundance.”
And yet, they refused. They mocked him. They covered their ears. They told their children not to listen. The Quran records the depth of his exhaustion and perseverance.
What the People Rejected
The Quran records the response of the powerful and wealthy among his people:
فَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَوْمِهِ مَا نَرَاكَ إِلَّا بَشَرًا مِّثْلَنَا وَمَا نَرَاكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلُنَا
“So the eminent ones who disbelieved among his people said: We do not see you but as a man like ourselves, and we do not see you followed except by those who are the lowest of us.”
Two objections: He is just a man — why would a prophet be a regular person? And: only the lowly and weak follow him — the powerful reject him. The Quran shows these are timeless objections — raised against many prophets, addressed by ALLAH each time.
Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) responded with clarity:
وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلَا أَقُولُ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ
“And I do not say to you that I have the treasuries of ALLAH or that I know the unseen, nor do I say that I am an angel.”
He never claimed divinity or special powers. He claimed only what he was: a messenger, warning his people with truth.
ALLAH's Command: Build the Ark
When ALLAH revealed to Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) that no more people from his community would believe, a new command came:
وَأُوحِيَ إِلَىٰ نُوحٍ أَنَّهُ لَن يُؤْمِنَ مِن قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَن قَدْ آمَنَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا
“And it was revealed to Nuh that no one of your people will believe except those who have already believed, so do not be distressed by what they have been doing. And construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration.”
ALLAH told him: no more people from these would believe. Do not be distressed. And build the ship — under Our watching and guidance.
As he built, those who had mocked him continued to mock:
وَيَصْنَعُ الْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلَأٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُ
“And he would construct the ship, and whenever an assembly of the eminent of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him.”
He continued building.
The Flood — and ALLAH's Saving of the Believers
When the command came, ALLAH told Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) to load the ship with pairs of every species, and with the believers:
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ التَّنُّورُ قُلْنَا احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِن كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ وَمَنْ آمَنَ
“[So it was], until when Our command came and the oven overflowed, We said: Load upon it two of every species and your family, except those about whom the word has preceded, and those who have believed.”
The Quran says the waters rose from the sky and from the earth together:
فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَاءٍ مُّنْهَمِرٍ وَفَجَّرْنَا الْأَرْضَ عُيُونًا فَالْتَقَى الْمَاءُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَ
“And We opened the gates of the heaven with pouring rain. And caused the earth to burst with springs, and the waters met for a matter already predestined.”
The Quran does not specify the exact dimensions of the flood. It records that the believers on the ark were saved by ALLAH's mercy.
When it ended, the ship came to rest:
وَقِيلَ يَا أَرْضُ ابْلَعِي مَاءَكِ وَيَا سَمَاءُ أَقْلِعِي وَغِيضَ الْمَاءُ وَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ وَاسْتَوَتْ عَلَى الْجُودِيِّ
“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 it [the ship] came to rest on the mountain of Al-Judi.”
What the Quran specifies
The Quran names the mountain Al-Judi as where the ship came to rest (Quran 11:44). It does not give the ark's dimensions, the number of people on it, or other physical details found in some other traditions. This article presents only what the Quran states.
A Test Within the Story: Nuh's Son
Among the most painful passages in the Quran is Nuh's (Peace Be Upon Him) exchange with ALLAH about his son. His son had refused to board the ark:
وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ ابْنَهُ وَكَانَ فِي مَعْزِلٍ يَا بُنَيَّ ارْكَب مَّعَنَا وَلَا تَكُن مَّعَ الْكَافِرِينَ قَالَ سَآوِي إِلَىٰ جَبَلٍ يَعْصِمُنِي مِنَ الْمَاءِ
“And Nuh called to his son who was apart [from them]: O my son, come aboard with us and be not with the disbelievers. He said: I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the water.”
His son drowned. And Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) — as any father would — appealed to ALLAH:
وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ رَّبَّهُ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ ابْنِي مِنْ أَهْلِي وَإِنَّ وَعْدَكَ الْحَقُّ
“And Nuh called to his Lord and said: My Lord, indeed my son is of my family; and indeed, Your promise is true.”
ALLAH's response was direct and gentle:
قَالَ يَا نُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَالِحٍ
“He said: O Nuh, indeed he is not of your family; indeed, he is [one whose] work was unrighteous.”
The family of ALLAH's prophets — the family that matters — is a family of faith and righteousness. Blood alone does not determine it. The Quran returns to this principle throughout.
What the Quran Emphasizes
The Quran tells the story of Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) in multiple surahs: Al-A'raf (7), Hud (11), Al-Mu'minun (23), Ash-Shu'ara (26), Al-Ankabut (29), Nuh (71), and others. The consistent themes are:
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Tawheed is the message — Worship ALLAH alone. This is the message Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) carried for nearly a thousand years. It did not change.
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Guidance belongs to ALLAH — Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) could not force belief. He could only convey the message. ALLAH guides whom He wills.
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Patience in dawah — He did not give up after years, decades, or centuries. His example is the supreme model of perseverance in conveying the truth.
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Family is not enough — His own son refused faith and drowned. Faith is a personal choice. No family connection, no matter how close, automatically grants salvation.
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ALLAH saves the believers — When the command came, ALLAH protected those who believed. His promise is true.
Lessons for Us Today
Dawah requires patience. Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) preached for 950 years and did not stop. No person calling others to truth should be discouraged by slow results. The outcome belongs to ALLAH.
Guidance cannot be forced. Even a prophet — the most qualified person to guide others — could not change his own son's heart. Guidance is ALLAH's gift, not something anyone can manufacture.
Faith is personal. The Quran uses Nuh's (Peace Be Upon Him) wife and son as examples of those who rejected despite proximity to prophethood. And it uses them as a warning: closeness to believers does not automatically confer belief.
ALLAH's promise is true. When Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) said to ALLAH: "Your promise is true" — he affirmed this even in grief. The promise of ALLAH that believers will not be abandoned is one the Quran returns to again and again.
What This Story Does Not Claim
On unsupported details
This article does not include:
- Specific dimensions or physical description of the ark beyond what the Quran states
- Names of Nuh's (Peace Be Upon Him) children beyond what is in the Quran
- The exact number of people saved
- The precise geographic location of the flood beyond the Quranic mention of Al-Judi
- Details from Biblical or other traditions not confirmed in the Quran or authentic hadith
These details exist in various historical and religious traditions but are not verified in the Quran or Sahih hadith. They are not included here.
Common Questions
The Quran describes a severe flood that punished Nuh's (Peace Be Upon Him) people and from which ALLAH saved the believers on the ark. The Quran does not explicitly describe its geographic scope in terms of a global vs. regional flood. Scholars have differed on this question. This article presents the Quranic account as it is, without adding a position the Quran itself does not take explicitly.
Yes — the Quran explicitly states this: "And We certainly sent Nuh to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years." (Quran 29:14) That is 950 years. This is from the Quran itself and is affirmed in Islamic faith as part of belief in the prophets.
Yes — Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) in Islam is the same prophet as Noah in the Bible. Both describe a prophet who built an ark and was saved from a great flood along with believers. The Islamic understanding comes from Quranic revelation. Where details differ between the Quran and other traditions, Muslims follow the Quran. The Quran does not include every detail found in the Biblical account, and vice versa — and Muslims do not add those unconfirmed details.
The Quran records that Nuh's (Peace Be Upon Him) son refused to board the ark and drowned in the flood. Nuh (Peace Be Upon Him) appealed to ALLAH, calling his son part of his family. ALLAH responded by clarifying that faith — not blood — defines the family of the prophets (Quran 11:45–46). This is one of the most moving passages in the Quran.
Key Takeaways
- Nuh (Noah) (Peace Be Upon Him) was sent to his people with the same message as all prophets: worship ALLAH alone
- He preached for 950 years — the Quran's supreme example of patient dawah
- He tried every approach: night and day, private and public, offering hope in ALLAH's mercy
- Most rejected him; ALLAH revealed that no more would believe and commanded him to build the ark
- ALLAH saved the believers on the ark; those who rejected — including Nuh's own son — were lost
- Guidance belongs to ALLAH alone; proximity to truth does not guarantee accepting it
- The ark rested on the mountain of Al-Judi (Quran 11:44)
Related Topics
- Prophet Adam (Peace Be Upon Him)
- Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Peace Be Upon Him)
- Tawheed — The Oneness of ALLAH
- Common Questions About Islam
Next Recommended Step
→ The Story of Ibrahim (Abraham) (Peace Be Upon Him)
References
Quran
- Quran 7:59–64 — Nuh sent to his people; his message and their rejection
- Quran 11:25–49 — The detailed account: the mission, the ark, the flood, Nuh's son
- Quran 11:44 — The ark resting on Al-Judi
- Quran 23:23–30 — Nuh's mission and the ark
- Quran 26:105–122 — The account in Surah Ash-Shu'ara
- Quran 29:14 — 950 years among his people
- Quran 54:11–12 — The opening of the sky and the earth
- Quran 71:1–28 — Surah Nuh: his du'a and his people's rejection in full detail
All Quran translations in this article require verification against a standard scholarly translation before final publication.