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 beginning of the invitation of the prophet Noah
For beginning of prophet hood and the invitation of Noah to his people in order to accept religious belief and practice, the holy Qur’an says:
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ نُوحٍ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنْ كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَقَامِي وَتَذْكِيرِي بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ فَعَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ فَأَجْمِعُوا أَمْرَكُمْ وَشُرَكَاءَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُنْ أَمْرُكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ غُمَّةً ثُمَّ اقْضُوا إِلَيَّ وَلَا تُنْظِرُونِ؛ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَمَا سَأَلْتُكُمْ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
Relate to them the account of Noah when he said to his people, ‘O my people! If my stay [among you] be hard on you and [also] my reminding you of Allah’s signs, [for my part] I have put my trust in Allah. So conspire together, along with your partners, leaving nothing vague in your plan, then carry it out against me without giving me any respite. If you turn your back [on me], I do not ask any reward from you; my reward lies only with Allah and I have been commanded to be of those who submit [to Allah].’ (Younes: 71-72)
Stages of reaction of the people of Noah
According to the holy Qur’an, Noah’s opponents among the people opposed him and his invitation in several ways, and at every stage the prophet Noah responded calmly, without harshness and anger, and with logic and reasoning at the same time with love and affection. According to Noah’s answer to them, each of these methods is instructive:
1. Insult
The Qur’an says that in the first stage, Noah’s opponents insulted him and called him misguided: قَالَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ إِنَّا لَنَرَاكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ؛ “The elite of his people said, ‘Indeed we see you in manifest error.’” (A’raf: 60)
In response to this insult, Noah responds logically and with a respectful and loving tone: َالَ يَا قَوْمِ لَيْسَ بِي ضَلَالَةٌ وَلَكِنِّي رَسُولٌ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ؛ أُبَلِّغُكُمْ رِسَالَاتِ رَبِّي وَأَنْصَحُ لَكُمْ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ؛ أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَنْ جَاءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ لِيُنْذِرَكُمْ وَلِتَتَّقُوا وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ؛ “He said, ‘O my people, I am not in error. Rather, I am an apostle from the Lord of all the worlds. I communicate to you the messages of my Lord, and I am your well-wisher, and I know from Allah what you do not know. Do you consider it odd that a reminder from your Lord should come to you through a man from among yourselves, to warn you so that you may be Godwary and so that you may receive His mercy?’” (A’raf: 61 – 63)
2. Humiliation and denial
In the second stage, they despise him, calling Noah and his followers liars, calling them human beings like themselves (and not angels or superior beings), and those who believe in him are only human beings without social and scientific values: فَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ مَا نَرَاكَ إِلَّا بَشَرًا مِثْلَنَا وَمَا نَرَاكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلُنَا بَادِيَ الرَّأْيِ وَمَا نَرَى لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ فَضْلٍ بَلْ نَظُنُّكُمْ كَاذِبِينَ؛ “But the elite of the faithless from among his people said, ‘We do not see you to be anything but a human being like ourselves, and we do not see anyone following you except those who are simpleminded riffraff from our midst. Nor do we see that you have any merit over us. Indeed, we consider you to be liars.’” (Hood: 27)
In response to this humiliation and denial, which is very similar to the racist view of contemporary human beings, the prophet Noah gives several answers:
1. First, he gives an emotional, logical, and reasoning response to what he says about himself, who is a human being similar to them: قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّي وَآتَانِي رَحْمَةً مِنْ غعِنْدِهِ فَعُمِّيَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنُلْزِمُكُمُوهَا وَأَنْتُمْ لَهَا كَارِهُونَ؛ وَيَا قَوْمِ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مَالًا إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ “He said, ‘O my people! Tell me, should I stand on a manifest proof from my Lord, and He has granted me His own mercy—though it should be invisible to you—shall we force it upon you while you are averse to it? O my people! I do not ask you any material reward for it.” (Hood: 28-29)
2. Then, in response to their racist remarks about his followers, he says: مَا أَنَا بِطَارِدِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّهُمْ مُلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ وَلَكِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ قَوْمًا تَجْهَلُونَ؛ وَيَا قَوْمِ مَنْ يَنْصُرُنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ إِنْ طَرَدْتُهُمْ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ؛ “My reward lies only with Allah. But I will not drive away those who have faith: they will indeed encounter their Lord. But I see that you are an ignorant lot. O my people! Who would come to my help against Allah were I to drive them away? Will you not then take admonition? (Hood: 29-30)
3. And finally, in response to calling him and his followers liars, he says: وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِنْدِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلَا أَقُولُ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ وَلَا أَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ تَزْدَرِي أَعْيُنُكُمْ لَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ إِنِّي إِذًا لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ؛ “I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of Allah, neither do I know the Unseen. I do not claim to be an angel, neither do I say of those who are despicable in your eyes that Allah will not grant them any good—Allah knows best what is in their hearts—for then I would indeed be a wrongdoer.’” (Hood: 31)
3. Seeking divine punishment
The opponents of the prophet Noah, after not responding to his reasoning and logic, asked him to reveal the divine punishment that frightens them if he is right. In this way they showed that they did not believe in the truth of Noah’s words, and did not believe Noah’s claims about torment, and consequently his religious invitation: قَالُوا يَا نُوحُ قَدْ جَادَلْتَنَا فَأَكْثَرْتَ جِدَالَنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ؛ “They said, ‘O Noah, you have disputed with us already, and you have disputed with us exceedingly. Now bring us what you threaten us with, should you be truthful.” (Hood: 32)
In response to the punishment of the opponents, Noah states that the descent of punishment is in the hands of God and not in his hands, and thus reiterates his monotheistic belief: قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَأْتِيكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ إِنْ شَاءَ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ؛ وَلَا يَنْفَعُكُمْ نُصْحِي إِنْ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَنْصَحَ لَكُمْ إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُغْوِيَكُمْ هُوَ رَبُّكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ؛ “He said, ‘Allah will indeed bring it on you if He wishes, and you cannot frustrate [Him]. My exhorting will not benefit you, much as I may seek to exhort you, if Allah desires to consign you to perversity. He is your Lord, and to Him you shall be brought back.’” (Hood: 33-34)