اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
The Prophet Noah’s life
Noah was one of the great prophets of God and the first arch-prophet, and he had the first heavenly book and the first divine law for mankind. The story of Noah is mentioned in 14 chapters of the Qur’an due to its importance in guiding human beings, in addition to the fact that there is a surah named after him in the holy Qur’an.
Noah’s position to God
The prophet Noah has a high position with God. When God sends greetings and peace to the prophets, he says: سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ؛ “Peace be to Abraham!” (Safat: 109) and سَلَامٌ عَلَى مُوسَى وَهَارُونَ “Peace be to Moses and Aaron!” (Safat: 120).
And about the prophet Yahiya, when he enters the three spaces of the world, purgatory and resurrection, sends greetings and says: وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيّاً “Peace be to him, the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he is raised alive!” (Maryam: 15). Or there are words about Jesus in his own words in the Holy Qur’an: وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدْتُ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيّاً؛ “Peace to me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am raised alive.” (Maryam: 33).
But about the Prophet Noah, the holy Qur’an says: سَلَامٌ عَلَى نُوحٍ فِي الْعَالَمِينَ؛ “Peace to Noah, throughout the nations!” (Safat: 79). This way of sending greetings to God is a sign of Noah’s special place among the great prophets of God.
Noah was chosen by God
The Holy Qur’an refers to Noah being chosen and exalted by God, not only among all human beings, but also among all beings in all the universes: إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى آدَمَ وَنُوحاً وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ؛ “Indeed Allah chose Adam and Noah, and the progeny of Abraham and the progeny of Imran above all the nations;” (Al Omran: 33).
The attributes of the goodness of Noah in the Holy Qur’an
1. Righteous: امْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ؛ “the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of our righteous servants,” (Tahrim: 10)
2. Thankful: ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْداً شَكُوراً؛ “descendants of those whom We carried [in the ark] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful servant” (Osara:3).
3. Favorable: سَلَامٌ عَلَى نُوحٍ فِي الْعَالَمِينَ؛ إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ؛ “Peace to Noah, throughout the nations! Thus do We reward the virtuous” (Safat: 80).
Noah heads the line of the arch prophets (with the law)
The religion accepted by God is the same in all ages and all nations, which is to submit to the command of God. The holy Qur’an states this fact in a positive way: إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ “Indeed, with Allah religion is Islam,” (Al Omran: 19); And he says in a negative way: وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِيناً فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ؛ “Should anyone follow a religion other than Islam, it shall never be accepted from him, and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter” (Al Omran: 85).
At the same time, religion is one and unique, but the laws and Shari’a are different, because gradually as man grew, the possibilities and way of life evolved, and human knowledge progressed, the divine laws and commands evolved accordingly, and finally with the Shari’a of the last prophet the religion of Islam was completed; God has said at the end of the mission of the holy prophet: الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِيناً “Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion” (Ma’ede: 3).
The beginning of the divine laws is with the law that the prophet Noah brought from God. The holy Qur’an, when it mentions the names of the arch prophets who brought a new law to the people, begins it with the name of Noah and says:
شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحاً وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى
He has prescribed for you the religion which He had enjoined upon Noah and which We have [also] revealed to you, and which We had enjoined upon Abraham, Moses and Jesus, declaring, (Shora: 13)
Noah’s divine message to his people
The divine message of Noah and the religion he advised his people to believe in is monotheism and worship of God:
إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَى قَوْمِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ؛ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ؛ أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ؛ يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَاءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ؛
Indeed We sent Noah to his people, [saying,] ‘Warn your people before a painful punishment overtakes them.’ He said, ‘O my people! Indeed, I am a manifest warner to you. Worship Allah and be wary of Him, and obey me, that He may forgive you some of your sins and respite you until a specified time. Indeed when Allah’s [appointed] time comes, it cannot be deferred, if you know.’ (Noah: 1-4)
This is the divine religion, which is the acceptance of monotheistic belief, and piety and submission to God, along with the promise of divine forgiveness and forgiveness of sins. And of course, because it is at the beginning of the divine law and the social relations of the people and the public lifestyle are very simple, of course the divine laws and the law of Noah are also very simple. The Holy Qur’an says in the same verse that refers to the mission of the first prophets:
شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ، وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى، أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ؛
He has prescribed for you the religion which He had enjoined upon Noah and which We have [also] revealed to you, and which We had enjoined upon Abraham, Moses and Jesus, declaring, ‘Maintain the religion, and do not be divided in it.’ Hard on the polytheists is that to which you summon them. Allah chooses for it whomever He wishes, and He guides to it whomever returns penitently [to Him]. (Shora: 13)