Prophet Nuh (AS) and the Ark

This is a true story from the Quran about patience, and about a very big boat.

Long, long ago, Allah sent Prophet Nuh (AS) to his people. He told them: “Worship only Allah. I am here to warn you clearly.” He asked them to say sorry to Allah, because Allah is always ready to forgive.

Prophet Nuh stayed with his people for nine hundred and fifty years! He called them night and day, again and again, patiently. But most of them did not listen. Only a few people believed.

Then Allah told Prophet Nuh to build a ship, a big ark, with Allah watching over him and guiding him. So Prophet Nuh built the ark from wooden planks and nails. Whenever important people from his town walked past, they laughed at him. But Prophet Nuh did not stop. He kept on doing what Allah asked.

When Allah’s command came, Allah told him to take on board two of every kind of animal, a pair of each. He took his family, except those who did not believe, and he took all the believers. Prophet Nuh said: “Get on board! In the name of Allah it sails and in the name of Allah it stops. My Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.”

Rain poured down from the sky, water burst up from the earth, and the ark sailed through waves as big as mountains. Prophet Nuh lovingly called to one of his sons to come on board. But his son would not listen. He said he would climb a mountain to keep safe from the water. Prophet Nuh told him that on that day, nothing could protect anyone from Allah’s command, except Allah’s own mercy. And the waves came between them.

Then Allah said: “O earth, swallow your water! O sky, hold back your rain!” The water went down, and the ark came to rest on a mountain called Judi. Allah told Prophet Nuh to come down from the ark with peace and blessings from Allah.

Prophet Nuh was patient for a very long time, and he trusted Allah, even when people laughed. And Allah kept him and the believers safe on the ark.