In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

Historical accounts form the main part of this sūrah, but they are not independent of its theme. They are related to confirm the great truths it aims to establish. This is apparent from the sūrah’s very opening verses: “This is a book, with verses which have been perfected and distinctly spelled out, bestowed on you by One who is Wise, All- aware.

Worship none but God. I come to you from Him as a warner and a bearer of glad tidings. Seek forgiveness of your Lord, and then turn towards Him in repentance, and He will grant you a goodly enjoyment of life for an appointed term. He will grant everyone with merit a full reward for his merit. But if you turn away, I dread for you the suffering of a great Day. To God you shall all return, and He has power over all things.” (Verses 1-4)

The opening passage of the sūrah emphasizes these truths: it reflects on God’s creation of the heavens and earth, explains the wonders of human creation, and speaks about the Day of Judgement. Now the sūrah takes us back in history to tell us of earlier communities and how they received the message of truth. Thus it recounts the call to faith over many centuries, providing rather detailed accounts of earlier prophets. This is particularly true in the case of Noah and the great flood. These accounts include the arguments over the basic issues of faith as outlined at the sūrah’s opening, and asserted by every messenger. Those who deny the faith are the same throughout history: they share the same mentality and nature.

The historical accounts in this sūrah are given in chronological order, starting with Noah, then Hūd and Şāliĥ. We then move on to Abraham, Lot, Shu`ayb and Moses.

Thus they serve as a reminder to later generations of the fate of their predecessors.

“We sent forth Noah to his people: ‘I have come to you with a plain warning. Worship none but God. I certainly fear that suffering should befall you on a grievous day.” (Verses 25-26) These are practically the same words as used by Prophet Muĥammad (peace be upon him) and as outlined in the Qur’ān. This use of almost exactly the same wording to express the main theme is deliberate, as it emphasizes the unity of the message and the unity of the faith. We assume that what is given here is the meaning of what Noah said to his people, not the exact words, because we do not know what language was used by Noah and his community.

“We sent forth Noah to his people: I have come to you with a plain warning.” (Verse 25)

The text does not include any intervening clause such as ‘and he said to them’, because the Qur’ān paints the scene and we see it as if it is happening now, not as a part of ancient history.

Moreover, it gives a brief statement summing up the purpose of the message in one fundamental truth: “I have come to you with a plain warning.” This is much more emphatic.

This is followed by another brief statement summing up the central theme of the message: “Worship none but God.” (Verse 26) This is the main issue of faith and the subject matter of the warning. But what is the warning all about: “I certainly fear that suffering should befall you on a grievous day.” (Verse 26) Thus the message is conveyed and the warning given in a few brief statements. It should be noted here that the Arabic wording should give the meaning that the day itself is in grief, awe or pain, but it is naturally not so. It is simply described as such to indicate that it senses the pain suffered by people. How about the people themselves, then?

“The notables of his people who disbelieved said: ‘We see you but a mortal man like ourselves. Nor can we see anyone following you except the most abject among us; those who are rash and undiscerning. We do not consider that you are in any way superior to us: indeed we think you are liars.’” (Verse 27) This is the response of the elders who assume leadership of the community. It is practically the same response Prophet Muĥammad received from the Quraysh elders, his own tribesmen. They express the same doubts, utter the same accusations, show the same arrogance and give overall the same answer that betrays their ignorance and stupidity.

We find here the same doubt entertained by the ignorant who think that the human race is too low to be entrusted with God’s message. If God wants to send a message, then let it be delivered by an angel or some other creature. This ignorant misgiving stems from a lack of trust in the human race. It stands to reason that God would have given man adequate abilities and talents to fulfil his function as vicegerent. He has also enabled certain individuals to carry and deliver God’s message. These are chosen by God who knows best the special qualities with which He has equipped them.

Another mark of ignorance is what such people say about the choice of messenger.

They maintain that he should have been chosen from among the elders who exercise power and influence in the community. This betrays a total ignorance of the real values attached to human beings, the race assigned the task of building life on earth.

These values have nothing to do with wealth, position, or influence in society.

Instead, they have much to do with the soul and its purity, openness, the ability to receive revelations, a willingness to be true to one’s trust, perseverance in the face of difficulties and other such noble qualities. But the notables among Noah’s people, like the notables among every prophet’s community, are blinded by their worldly positions and unable to perceive these more subtle qualities. They cannot visualize what is noble.

“We see you but a mortal man like ourselves.” (Verse 27) This is their first argument, but the second is much worse: “Nor can we see anyone following you except the most abject among us; those who are rash and undiscerning.” (Verse 27) They describe the poor among them as the most abject’. This is the way notables always look at the poor who have not been endowed with riches or power. Yet it is mainly such lowly folk who followed the earlier prophets. Such people are, by their nature, more likely to respond to a call which liberates the subjugated and establishes a bond between them and God Almighty. Their nature has not been corrupted by the power of wealth and luxury. Nor are they held back by their interests and social appearances. They have nothing to lose as a result of accepting the true faith. The faith based on God’s oneness is indeed the real message of liberating mankind at every stage in history.

Hence, it was opposed by tyrants everywhere who try to turn people away from it, levelling at it all sorts of false accusations.

“Nor can we see anyone following you except the most abject among us, those who are rash and undiscerning.” This is an accusation which those in power level at the believers, accusing them of being rash, unthinking. The implication being that they would not follow suit. It does not become them to go along the same way as the unthinking, unreflecting masses or to sit idle without trying to turn the believers away from their faith.

“We do not consider that you are in any way superior to us: indeed we think you are liars.” (Verse 27) Here they group together the messenger and those who follow him.

They see nothing in the believers that makes them more likely to be right or following proper guidance. Had the message being advocated been right and good, they would have seen it for what it is and accepted it, without allowing those who are ‘abject’ to beat them to it. They apply here the same erroneous standards that make honour commensurate with wealth, understanding with influence and position, and knowledge with power. Such standards and values gain the upper hand when the faith based on God’s oneness gives way to jāhiliyyah, and into some form of paganism, even though it may appear in bright attire. 18 This is definitely a setback for humanity. It reduces the importance of the values that equip man to fulfil the task God has assigned to him on earth, and make him worthy of receiving God’s message.

“Indeed we think you are liars.” (Verse 27) This is the last accusation levelled at the Prophet Noah and his followers. The accusation is expressed in a gentle way that befits their social standing in society. They say, ‘we think you,’ because an accusation made in absolute and clear terms is more suited to the unthinking masses. Such a form of expression and blatant accusation is beneath the ruling classes in their higher status.

The same type of argument and accusation has been repeated time and again, ever since the Prophet Noah. This is the attitude of people who have full pockets but empty hearts and minds. Their arrogance is limitless.

Kind and dignified, the Prophet Noah is full of confidence that his message is the message of truth. He trusts that it comes from God, and is fully aware that his path has been set clearly for him and that his method of operation is sound and honest. He remains unaffected by the false accusations, insolence and blind rejection with which his message has been received. He applies his own values and maintains his own standards. He does not make false claims or accusations as they have done. Nor does he try to give himself any false image or impart anything alien to his message.

“Noah said: ‘Think, my people! If take my stand on a clear evidence from my Lord, and He has favoured me with grace from Himself to which you have remained blind, can we force it upon you when you are averse to it? And, my people, I ask of you no money in return; my reward rests with none but God. Nor will I drive away those who believe; they will surely meet their Lord, whereas in you I see people with no awareness [of right and wrong]. And, my people, who would protect me from God were I to drive them away? Will you not reflect? I do not say to you that God’s treasures are with me, or that I know what lies beyond the reach of human perception.

Nor do I say: I am an angel. Nor do I say of those whom you eye with contempt that God will never grant them any good. God knows best what is in their hearts — for then I would indeed be a wrongdoer.’” (Verses 28-31)

He addresses people with kindness and friendliness stressing his relationship to them: ‘My people,’ you object to my message saying: ‘We see you but a mortal man like ourselves.’ Yet I have a relationship with my Lord which is absolutely clear to me and firmly established in my conscience. This is something that you have not been granted. What if God has bestowed on me His grace, selecting me to carry His message? This is indeed a great mercy He has shown me. Yet what if both conditions are true, but you remain blind to them, because you are not open minded enough?

“Can we force it upon you?” (Verse 28) It is not for me to try to force you to accept it “when you are averse to it.” (Verse 28)

Here we see Noah trying gently to awaken their consciences, making them feel the importance of the values to which they have been blind and making them aware of the characteristics they tend to overlook when it comes to the message and the person selected to carry it. He explains to them that these matters are not decided on the basis of their superficial criteria. At the same time he establishes the right principle that faith must be based on conviction, and that conviction is the result of study and reflection. Compulsion, arbitrary authority and conceit have no bearing on faith and conviction.

“And, my people, I ask of you no money in return; my reward rests with none but God.

Nor will I drive away those who believe; they will surely meet their Lord, whereas in you I see people with no awareness [of right and wrong].” (Verse 29) Those whom you describe as the most abject among you, Noah explains, have responded positively to my call and accepted the faith. I seek no financial gain for my call, and as such, I cannot favour the rich over the poor. All my people are equal as far as I am concerned. He who does not seek pecuniary reward from people cannot make any distinction on the basis of wealth. “My reward rests with none but God.” He is the only One from whom reward may be forthcoming.

“Nor will drive away those who believe.” (Verse 29) This statement implies that Noah’s people either demanded or hinted that if he drove them away, they might consider accepting his faith. They claim that they cannot degrade themselves by meeting with such abject people or take the same route as they. Noah’s statement though is very emphatic: I am not going to drive them away. I cannot bring myself to do so when they have believed. Their fate is decided by their Lord, not by me: “They will surely meet their Lord, whereas in you I see people with no awareness.” (Verse 29) You are unaware of the true values by which people achieve their status with God. You are also unaware that all people shall return to Him.

“My people, who would protect me from God, were I to drive them away?” (Verse 30)

Who will shield me from God if I contravene His rules and treat the believers among His servants unjustly, when they enjoy His pleasure? Who will protect me from Him if I confirm the false, worldly values which He sent me to change: “Will you not reflect?” (Verse 30) Your methods and conditions have certainly caused you to neglect the standards of a true and upright nature.

He then introduces himself and his message. His presentation is simple, devoid of any ornament and decoration, free of all false standards and values. He reminds them of the true values, looking with contempt on all superficial ones. He disowns all superficiality and states his message as it is, pure and simple, with no false claims.

He who wants it, let him take it as it is: as pure as God made it.

“I do not say to you that God’s treasures are with me.” I do not claim that I am rich or that I can make any of you rich. “Or that I know what lies beyond the reach of human perception.” (Verse 31) I do not make any claim of any super-human status or allege that my relationship with God exceeds the fact that I have been entrusted with this message. “Nor do I say: I am an angel.” (Verse 31) I do not claim to have a position which you think to be higher than that of man, so that I may gain favour or high position from you. “Nor do Ray of those whom you eye with contempt that God will never grant them any good,” so that I satisfy your pride or accommodate your standards and values. “God knows best what is in their hearts.” (Verse 31) I have to go by what I see.

To me, they appear deserving of honour and hope that God will grant them of His bounty. “For then I would indeed be a wrongdoer.” (Verse 31) If I made such false claims I would be unjust to the very truth I have come to convey. I would also be unjust to myself, exposed to God’s wrath, and I would be unjust to other people to whom I gave a status other than that given them by God.

Thus Noah (peace be upon him) disowns all false values and assumed pretences.

He presents his message clearly: real, great, free of all falsehood. He faces them with the clarity and strength of the truth. At the same time he makes a gentle and friendly exposition of the simple truth so that they may look it in the face and decide upon their line of action. No pretence, no flattery, no attempt to win any favour with anyone at the expense of the message and its simple nature. In this Noah sets an example for all advocates of the Islamic message in all generations and provides them with a lesson in how to confront the people of authority with the simple truth, without any attempt to compromise, or flatter, but with the sort of friendliness which is not associated with submission.

At this point, it was clear to the notables that they had no chance of winning the argument. They stiffened their attitude, became determined not to accept any proof of Noah’s case, logical and natural as it certainly was. Then they finally rallied themselves in order to deliver a challenge to Noah.

“’Noah,’ they replied, ‘you have argued with us, and argued to excess. Bring upon us that with which you have been threatening us, if you are a man of truth.’” (Verse 32) This is nothing short of deceit, an attempt to cover up their weakness by putting on a display of strength. It is a challenge made in order to mask their dread of the truth’s strength.

Noah, however, remains unaffected by their outright rejection and challenge. He maintains the noble attitude befitting a noble prophet. He continues to explain to them the truth and the facts which they have ignored when they invite him to bring on the suffering he has warned against. He restates the fact that he is only a messenger whose task is to deliver a message. Their punishment is left to God who has absolute control over their destiny. He alone decides, at His own discretion, whether it is appropriate to punish them here and now or to delay their punishment until a later date. God’s will must come to pass, and Noah has no power over it. As a messenger, he has to continue to explain the truth to his people until the last moment. Their rejection and challenge must not deter him from fulfilling his task.

Hence, he says to them: “Only God can bring it upon you, if He so wills. You cannot be immune. Nor will my counsel benefit you, much as I desire to give you good counsel, if it is God’s will to let you remain in error. He is your Lord and to Him you shall return.” (Verses 33-34)

If God’s law determines that you will perish because of your rejection of the truth, His law will be fulfilled, regardless of my advice. It is not that God will deprive you of benefiting by my advice. It is what you do with yourselves that will, according to God’s law, take you away from the right path. You cannot defy God or make yourselves immune from Him. You are always within His reach. He has absolute power over you and over your lives. You cannot escape meeting Him when He brings you to account and decides your reward: “He is your Lord and to Him you shall return.” (Verse 34)

At this juncture in Noah’s story we have a remarkable pause. The sūrah makes brief reference to the reception of a similar message by the Quraysh unbelievers.

There is a remarkable similarity of attitudes, as the Quraysh claim that Muĥammad too invented these stories. The sūrah quickly refutes their claims before returning to Noah: “Do they claim that he (i.e. Muĥammad] has invented it? Say: ‘If I have invented it, upon me be this crime of mine, but I am innocent of the crimes you perpetrate.’” (Verse 35)

To fabricate a falsehood is to commit a crime. Hence, the Prophet is instructed to tell the Quraysh: if I have made any such fabrication, I will bear the responsibility for it.

Since I am aware that it is a crime to make such fabrications, it is highly unlikely that I would do so. I am, however, innocent of all your crimes, including your false allegations, your rejection of God’s message and your associating partners with God.

This interjection however does not interrupt the Qur’ānic story, rather it serves the purpose of the sūrah.

In the next scene we see Noah receiving God’s revelations and commandments.

“Noah received this revelation: None of your people will believe now apart from those who have already accepted the faith. Do not be in distress over anything they may do. Build the ark under Our eyes, and according to Our inspiration. Do not appeal to Me on behalf of the wrongdoers. They shall be drowned.’” (Verses 36-37)

Everything has come to an end: the advocacy of God’s message, the warning, and the argument. “None of your people will believe now apart from those who have already accepted the faith.” (Verse 36) Those who are susceptible to faith have already accepted it. The others are hopeless. God, who knows best what is feasible and what is not, and knows His servants well, has informed Noah of this. Hence, it is pointless to continue with the argument. He is told not to grieve at their rejection or their mockery. “Do not be in distress over anything they may do.” (Verse 36) God’s will has come to pass.

“Build the ark under Our eyes, and according to Our inspiration.” (Verse 37) We will look after you and give you instructions as you do so. “Do not appeal to Me on behalf of the wrongdoers. They shall be drowned.” (Verse 37) Their destiny has been decided and you are not to plead their case. You can neither pray for them to be guided to the truth, nor can you pray for their punishment. Prayers are to no avail when God’s will comes to pass. It is mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’ān19 that he prayed for their destruction. It is understood that his despair came only after he received this revelation.

The next scene shows Noah building the ark, having given up arguing with his people and calling on them to accept the faith: “So he set himself on building the ark.

And whenever a group of his people passed by him they scoffed at him. He said: ‘If you are scoffing at us, we are indeed scoffing at you, just as you are scoffing at us.’” (Verse 38)

The present tense is used here to portray the scene. This brings the scene to life.

We see everything happening in front of us now. Noah builds the ark and group after group of his insolent people pass by and scoff at him. They scoff at the man who said he was a messenger from God and argued long with them, but who now busies himself making a boat. They mock him because they can only see what appears to them. Noah, on the other hand, is full of confidence as he tells them that their mockery will rebound: “If you are scoffing at us, we are indeed scoffing at you, just as you are scoffing at us.” (Verse 38) We will scoff at you because you cannot visualize that God has a definite purpose beyond all this, and you cannot imagine what awaits you:

“You will surely come to know who it is that will be visited by suffering that will cover him with ignominy, and who will be afflicted by long-lasting suffering.” (Verse 39) Will this apply to us or to you when everything will be revealed?

A scene of mobilization follows as the awaited moment draws near: “Until, when Our will came to pass and the fountains of the earth gushed forth, We said [to Noah]: ‘Take into it a pair of every species, as well as your family, except those against whom Our word has passed, and all those who have accepted the faith.’ None believed with him except a few.” (Verse 40)

The Arabic phrase translated here as ‘the fountains of the earth gushed forth’ could also be literally translated as ‘the oven boiled’. There are varying reports about the meaning of this phrase. To pursue each one in an attempt to determine the precise meaning is to go into a maze without guidance. Hence, we confine ourselves to the limits of the text adding nothing to it. The most that we can say is that this phrase may be a reference to a certain signal from God to Noah. It might, on the other hand, have accompanied the execution of God’s will as water started to gush forth from the earth and rain poured down in torrents.

When this took place, God said to Noah: “Take into it a pair of every species, as well as your family, except those against whom Our word has passed, and all those who have accepted the faith.” (Verse 40) It appears that the whole process was revealed to Noah step by step at the right moment. He first received orders to build the ark and he did.

The sūrah does not tell us at the beginning why the ark was built, nor does it tell us that Noah was informed of the purpose, until “when Our will came to pass and the fountains of the earth gushed forth,” then, he received his instructions for the following stage: “Take into it a pair of every species, as well as your family, except those against whom Our word has passed, and all those who have accepted the faith.” (Verse 40)

Again the reports we have vary as to the meaning of the expression, ‘a pair of every species.’ They smack of much exaggeration. We, however, will not let imagination carry us away in order to give this statement a precise interpretation. We will only say that Noah was ordered to take into the ark a pair of all such living species as he could take.

“As well as your family, except those against whom Our word has passed,” that is, those who deserved to be punished by God in accordance with the law He has laid down.

“And all those who have accepted the faith,” meaning those who did not belong to his family. These, however, were very few as the Qur’ānic statement makes very clear.

Noah carried out his instructions as they were given to him. “He said to them:

‘Embark in it. In the name of God be its course and its riding at anchor. My Lord indeed is Much-Forgiving, Merciful.’” (Verse 41) This statement indicates that he put himself and the ark in God’s hands and trusted in Him. The ark would float and anchor under God’s watchful eyes. For, what could Noah and his people do to steer the ark to safety in such a deluge?

We then have the very awesome scene of the flood. “And it sailed with them amid waves towering like mountains. Noah cried out to a son of his who stood apart [from the rest]:

‘Embark with us, my child, and do not stay with the unbelievers.’ He answered: I shall seek refuge in a mountain, which will afford me protection from the water’ Said (Noah): ‘Today there is no protection for anyone from God’s judgement, except those who shall enjoy His mercy.’ Thereupon waves rose up between them and he was among those who were drowned.” (Verses 42-43)

Two elements of fear are at work here: one emanates from nature, stormy but silent as it is; and the other is felt in one’s innermost soul. Both converge as the ark moves on amidst waves as high as mountains. At this terrible, decisive moment, Noah looks in a certain direction and sees one of his sons who has not joined them in the ark. Paternal emotion is roused in Noah and he calls out to his stray child:

“Embark with us, my child, and do not stay with the unbelievers.” (Verse 42)

Disobedient as he is, the son does not respond to his loving father. A conceited youth, he does not realize the extent of the terrible event which is taking place. He says: “I shall seek refuge in a mountain, which will afford me protection from the water.” (Verse 43) Aware of the terrible reality, the father pleads with him for the last time:

“Today there is no protection for anyone from God’s judgement, except those who shall enjoy His mercy.” (Verse 43) In an instant, the scene changes and the towering waves swallow everything up: “Thereupon waves rose up between them and he was among those who were drowned.” (Verse 43)

Today as we read this account it is as if we see these events happening now before our very own eyes. The ark is sailing amid huge waves, Noah, the worried father makes one plea after another; his conceited young son insolently turns his back, and then suddenly a towering wave settles the issue. Everything is over as if the dialogue did not take place.

The element of fear and worry in this scene is measured by its depth in the human soul, in the exchange between father and son. It is also measured by its extent in nature, as the waves rise high to submerge the tops of the mountains. Both elements are equal. This is a distinctive feature of artistic imagery in the Qur’ān.

The storm subsides, an air of calmness spreads, the matter is settled and God’s will is done. The words used here give the impression of something coming to a complete standstill. “And the word was spoken: ‘Earth, swallow up your waters. Heaven, cease (your rain).’ Thus the waters sank into the earth, and God’s will was done, and the ark came to rest on Mount Jūdī. The word was spoken: Away with these evil-doing folk.’” (Verse 44) The earth and the heavens are addressed as if they were human beings. Both comply with the commandment. The earth swallows up its water and the heaven stops raining. Furthermore, the earth’s surface was soon dry, as excess waters penetrated deep underground.

“God’s will was done and the ark came to rest on Mount Jūdī.” (Verse 44) That was its final stop. “The word was spoken: ‘Away with these evil-doing folk.’” (Verse 44) We are not told who said this, but it generates the impression that the whole affair need not be considered again. Let the evil-doers disappear beyond God’s mercy for they deserve to be expelled; let them be banished from memory, for they do not deserve to be remembered.

Now that the storm has subsided and the ark has come to rest, the paternal love of a distressed father is once again felt by Noah. He makes this appeal to God: “Noah called out to his Lord, saying: ‘Lord, my son is of my family. Surely Your promise always comes true, and You are the most just of judges.’” (Verse 45) Noah makes clear that he has absolutely no doubt that God is just and wise. Nothing He does is without reason. Yet he has been promised that his family will be safe and now he requests that God fulfil the promise He made to spare his family. God’s answer states the fact which Noah has overlooked. By God’s standards and according to His principles, one’s family are not necessarily one’s blood relations. The true relationship is that of faith. This son was not a believer, and as such he was not a member of the family of Noah, the Prophet.

The answer is firm and emphatic. Indeed there is an element of reproach and warning in the answer: “‘Noah,’ He answered, ‘he was not of your family; his was an unrighteous conduct. Do not question Me about matters of which you have no knowledge. I admonish you lest you become one of the ignorant.” (Verse 46) A great principle of this religion states that the paramount relationship that exists between individuals is not one based on family affinity: “He was not of your family; his was an unrighteous conduct.” Your relationship with him is thus severed despite the fact that he was your own son. Since the basic tie between the two of you does not exist, no other tie has any significance.

Since Noah’s prayer requested the fulfilment of a promise which he felt had not happened, the answer includes an implicit reproach and warning: “Do not question Me about matters of which you have no knowledge. I admonish you lest you become one of the ignorant.” (Verse 46) The admonition is needed lest Noah become one of those who are ignorant of the real ties and relationships, or unaware of God’s promise and its interpretation. For God’s promise has been done and Noah’s true family has been saved. Noah, a true believer and God’s humble servant, trembles with fear that he may have erred in what he said to his Lord. He, therefore, appeals to Him, praying for His forgiveness: “My Lord, I do indeed seek refuge with You from ever questioning You about anything of which I have no knowledge. Unless You grant me forgiveness and have mercy on me I shall be among the losers.” (Verse 47)

God has mercy on Noah and he is reassured. He is given blessings which are also extended to the good people of his offspring. The others, however, will receive severe punishment: “The word was spoken: ‘Noah, disembark in peace from Us, and with Our blessings upon you as well as upon generations from those who are with you. As for other folk, We shall let them have enjoyment, and then there will befall them grievous suffering from Us.” (Verse 48) The end is clear: he and those who believe of his offspring will be saved and will enjoy a magnificent reward. Those who prefer the enjoyment of this worldly life, however, will have it for a while but will then be overtaken by severe punishment. The same glad tidings and the same warnings which were made at the opening of the sūrah are confirmed by the story in order to make them much more real to those whom the Qur’ān addresses.

The commentary on this history is summarized in one verse: “These accounts of things that have passed We now reveal to you. Neither you nor your people knew them before this. Be, then, patient in adversity; for the future belongs to those who are God-fearing.” (Verse 49) This sums up the objectives of relating such stories in the Qur’ān:

• It establishes the fact of revelation denied by the unbelievers. These stories were unknown to the Prophet and to his people. It was part of God’s knowledge and the Prophet could not have known about it except through revelation from the One who knows all.

• It also establishes the fact that the true faith has always been the same, ever since Noah, the second father of mankind. The message of the Prophet uses almost the same expressions as Noah.

• The objections and the accusations made by those who denied the message of the Prophet are always the same. Furthermore, the glad tidings and the warnings made by the Prophet will surely come to pass. This story is then a testimony from history.

• Another fact which is established by this comment is that God’s laws will not fail. They do not favour anyone: “The future belongs to those who are God- fearing.” They are the ones who will prosper and who will be given power.

• It also establishes the true tie that exists between individuals and generations.

It is the tie of faith, the same faith which holds together all believers in God, the only Lord of the universe. All generations of believers have in common the fact that they submit themselves to Him alone and ascribe divinity to no one else.

People often wonder whether the great flood engulfed the whole earth or just the area where Noah and his people lived. What were the boundaries of that area in the ancient world or in the new one? We simply have no definite answer for any of these questions. But then the significance of the story is in no way affected by our lack of knowledge on this point. Taken at face value, the Qur’ānic text suggests that the people of Noah constituted all mankind at that particular time. Their land was the only inhabited area of the earth. Secondly, the floods must have swept through this whole area, drowning all living creatures, except those saved in the ark.

This is sufficient for us to understand that great event which undoubtedly happened, since no lesser source than the Qur’ān tells us about it. Our history books, on the other hand, record nothing about that ancient period. The writing of history is a relatively modern art that has recorded only a fraction of the events witnessed by mankind. Besides, whatever is recorded by history is subject to error, falsification and distortion. Hence, we need not seek history’s confirmation for anything which we are certain has happened, since we are told about it by God who revealed the Qur’ān.

The legends of different communities often speak of a flood far back in their history, one caused by the erring ways of their ancestors. The stories related in the Old Testament also mention the flood that overwhelmed Noah’s people. None of this, however, should be discussed in conjunction with the Qur’ānic account of the flood, because that would mix the true and accurate account of the Qur’ān with myths of unknown origin and poor authenticity. However, the fact that such myths exist and are told in different communities suggests that the floods covered the lands of these communities, or that its memory travelled with the offspring of those who were saved.

We should also remember that neither the Old Testament, which includes Jewish Scriptures, nor the New Testament with its Christian Scriptures is the text revealed by God. All copies of the Torah that God revealed to Moses were burnt by the Babylonians when they enslaved the Jews. It was rewritten several centuries later by Ezra — who is probably the one mentioned in Sūrah 9 as Uzayr — about five centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. He recorded what remained of the original Torah, but the rest is of human authorship. The Gospels, on the other hand, include only what Christ’s disciples and their students could remember one century after Christ’s life on earth had ended. Numerous stories and legends were subsequently added to them. Hence, we cannot rely on these Scriptures to establish certainty on any matter.

This is anyway a side issue. What we need to do is try to understand the moral of this great event. Indeed, the story drives home several lessons which we will now briefly discuss.

As we have seen, Noah’s people were immersed in jāhiliyyah. Hardened in their evil ways, they stubbornly rejected his message based on God’s oneness and the need for all people to submit themselves to Him only. Noah’s people were Adam’s progeny, and we know from Adam’s history related in Sūrahs 7 and 2, The Heights and The Cow, that his fall was the prelude for him and his offspring to be charged with the task of building the earth. This was the purpose behind his creation. God gave him the qualities and abilities necessary to perform this task after He had told him how to repent and seek forgiveness for his error. Adam received certain commandments from his Lord and God forgave him his sin. He then pledged to God, along with his wife and offspring, that they would always follow God’s guidance and never listen to Satan, their eternal enemy.

Adam, then, descended to earth with the right faith: submitting himself to God, following His guidance. He did, no doubt, teach his children the meaning of Islam, i.e. submission to God. Hence, this submission, or Islam in the general sense of the word, was the first faith ever known to man on earth. There was no other faith alongside it. Hence, if Noah’s people, a later generation, were so immersed in the type of ignorance, or jāhiliyyah, described in this sūrah we can state, in all certainty, that such jāhiliyyah, with all that it entailed of paganism, legends, idols, false concepts and traditions, is something more recent than the pure faith of Islam with which human life on earth started. Man’s deviation from the monotheistic faith based on submission to God, i.e. Islam, in its broader sense, took place as a result of Satan’s machinations. As the enemy of both God and man, Satan always exploits people’s weaknesses whenever they become lax in their observance of God’s commandments and deviate from His guidance. God has created man and granted him a measure of free choice, by which he is tested. With this measure he can choose to hold fast to God’s guidance, fortifying himself against his enemy. Or he can deviate from God’s guidance and follow any other way. When he deviates, even slightly, Satan overpowers him, eventually, pushing him to that state of ignorance experienced by Adam’s offspring. Yet Adam was a prophet who taught the faith based on submission to God.

The fact that the first faith ever known on earth was Islam, or submission to God alone, makes it imperative for us to reject as conjecture the theses advanced by the masters of Comparative Religion and other evolutionists. These claim that monotheism is a recent development in human religion, preceded by several stages and forms of polytheism and dualism, worship of natural forces, spirits, planets, etc.

Whatever research is made in this connection follows a particular methodology predetermined by historical, psychological and political factors. This methodology destroys the basis of divine religions, and the very concept of revelation and divine messages, in order to establish that all religions are a human product. Once this is established it can easily be claimed that religions developed as human thought advanced.

Some of those who write in defence of Islam err, unwittingly endorsing the theories of specialists in the history of religion who conduct their research along such predetermined lines. While defending Islam so enthusiastically they unwittingly destroy the basis of the Islamic faith as stated in the Qur’ān with absolute clarity. The Qur’ān states that Adam (peace be upon him) descended on earth with the faith of Islam. It also states that Noah (peace be upon him) faced a later generation that had installed ignorance in place of Islam. He advocated basically the same faith based on the absolute oneness of God; i.e. the Islamic faith in its broader sense. The same cycle repeated itself after Noah with mankind abandoning Islam to adopt different jāhiliyyah doctrines. All prophets were sent with the same message of God’s oneness, calling on mankind to submit themselves to God alone. At no point was there any development in the divine faith in as much as it relates to the basics of faith.

Evolution, expansion and advancement addressed only the laws that accompanied the same faith. An enlightened study of the development of jāhiliyyah doctrines does not lead to the conclusion that people progressed to monotheism. It rather shows that the monotheistic faith, preached by successive prophets and messengers, left more traces in succeeding generations, even after they had deviated from true faith, to make their doctrines nearer to the monotheistic origins. Belief in God’s oneness dates back much further than all pagan religions. This faith was complete right from the start, because it was not the result of human thinking or increased human knowledge. It was given to man by God, and as such it was true and complete from the outset.

This is clearly established in the Qur’ān. It is not for any Muslim scholar either to depart from what is stated so clearly in the Qur’ān or to follow professors of Comparative Religion as they grope for a coherent theory.

Devoting a chapter to the origins of faith in his book, Allah, or God, `Abbās Maĥmood al-`Aqqād, writes:

Human beliefs developed in parallel to human development in scientific knowledge and other skills. Thus, early beliefs fit with the standards of early human life, as did human scientific knowledge and skills. This means that such early knowledge in the scientific field was no more advanced than early beliefs and worship. Neither field reflects a clearer grasp of the truth.

Moreover, human efforts to formulate a true concept of religion must have been harder and longer lasting than those related to science and industry. The greatest truth in the universe must be harder to achieve than the truth of different areas addressed at times by science and at others by industry.

People remained ignorant of how the sun functions, although it is the clearest thing our eyes see and our bodies feel. For a long time, the common belief was that it was the sun that orbited the earth. They explained its movement and other aspects in much the same way as they sought to explain mysteries and interpret dreams. People’s ignorance of the nature of the sun, which may be true even today, never prompted anyone to deny its existence.

This means that our reference to the origins of religion in the early periods of jāhiliyyah does not indicate that religiosity was false, or that it meant a search for the impossible. All that it shows is that the greatest truth is too momentous to be comprehended in full in one generation. People must gather it in stages, one generation after another, in the same way as they do with smaller truths of which their senses are more cognizant. However, the greatest truth requires them to put more toil and effort into the process.

Studies in Comparative Religion have unravelled a multitude of myths and superstitions in which early humanity believed. Traces of these continue to be found among primitive communities or nations of ancient civilization. It was never presumed that such studies could make any different discoveries, or that early beliefs could be anything other than such myths. Indeed, this is the logical conclusion which scholars expected. They did not expect to unearth anything that could be the basis of a completely new outlook on the essence of belief. A scholar who imagines that his research in primitive faiths could lead him to conclude that the early humans recognized the fundamental universal truth, complete and pure, is only pursuing a mirage.20

In another chapter, on the ‘Stages of Belief in God’, al-`Aqqād writes:

Scholars of Comparative Religion identify three main stages of belief in primitive communities: polytheism, henotheism and monotheism.

In the polytheistic era, early tribes worshipped scores or even hundreds of deities. In this era, it was often the case that a large family would have its own deity which members of the family worshipped. Alternatively, they may have a charm or a symbol which deputized for the deity in accepting prayers and offerings.

In the second stage, deities continued to be worshipped in their hundreds.

However, one of them begins to acquire greater prominence, either because it is the deity of the largest tribe commanding the allegiance of other tribes, or because it commanded higher authority, such as the god of rain in a land that depends on rain for irrigation, or the deity commanding wind in an area often hit by hurricanes.

The third stage witnesses the rise of nations. Each nation congregates around the same worship although different deities dominate different provinces. It could happen in this stage that one nation imposes its own religious worship on another, in the same way as it imposes its political authority. It may also accept that the deity of the defeated nation should submit to the higher authority of the deity of the victor nation, yet the former continued to be worshipped by its defeated adherents.

A nation attains this stage of deficient monotheism only after going through different stages of expanding human knowledge that makes old legends and superstitions no longer acceptable. Thus, God is described in terms that are closer to perfection and holiness than were given to old deities worshipped during the polytheistic stage. Worship becomes associated with contemplation and reflection, and with God’s will and superior wisdom. The main deity is often thought of as the only true Lord, while other deities are reduced to a rank similar to that of angels or gods that incurred the displeasure of the superior deity.21

It is clear from al-`Aqqād’s views and what he attributes to other authorities in Comparative Religion that the origin of religious belief lies with human beings. Thus, it reflects their rational, scientific, political and civilizational development. Progress followed its consistent line, starting with polytheism, then moving to dualism and finishing with monotheism. Indeed this is clear in the first sentence the author writes in his Introduction: “This book discusses the rise of the belief in God, from the time man worshipped a deity until he recognized the One God and purified his belief in God’s oneness.” Without a doubt, God states in His glorious book, the Qur’ān, most clearly and decisively, something that is at variance with what al-`Aqqād has written, influenced as he is by scholars of Comparative Religion. What God clearly states is that Adam, the first man on earth, was fully aware of the truth of God’s oneness. He knew it to be pure, unmixed with any trace of polytheism or dualism, and he knew the meaning of submission to God alone and its practical manifestation in following only God’s legislation. He also communicated this faith to his children, leading to the existence of several generations in the earliest period of human history who knew no belief other than God’s oneness and no faith other than submission to God, or Islam. As time went by, and generations of Adam’s progeny succeeded one another, deviation crept in, perhaps towards dualism and perhaps towards polytheism. Nonetheless people began to submit to a multitude of false deities. Then the Prophet Noah brought back the divine faith of monotheism. The flood drowned all those who persisted with their erroneous beliefs. Only those who believed in God’s oneness were saved. They were the ones who rejected all forms of polytheism and the association of partners with God. We may say without fear of contradiction that several generations after Noah continued to live under the divine faith, Islam, based on pure monotheism. But then again, with the passage of time, deviation crept in and people started to move away from the true faith. This was the case with every one of God’s messengers: “Before your time We never sent a messenger without having revealed to him that there is no deity other than Me. Therefore, you shall worship Me alone.” (21: 25)

This is certainly at variance with what specialists in Comparative Religion and al- `Aqqād conclude. The two approaches are diametrically opposed in methodology and conclusion. We should remember that the views of academics and writers are theories that may contradict one another, which means that none provides a final and confirmed judgement, even by human standards.

Needless to say, when God unequivocally states something that is contradicted by others, the statement to follow is God’s. This applies particularly to those who write in defence of Islam, aiming to clarify misconceptions about Islam and the origin of faith. For there is no service to Islam by undermining the fact that it came to us in the form of revelations bestowed by God. No human being has invented it. It preached the basic truth of God’s oneness from the very first day, and never entertained any idea or concept that is at variance with the truth of God’s oneness. Nor did it preach any concept other than that of God’s oneness in any of the divine messages.

These brief remarks demonstrate the grave danger we expose ourselves to if we borrow our basic concepts from un-Islamic sources. They also show how deeply Western thought influences people who follow its methodologies, even when they try to defend Islam and refute accusations levelled at it by those who are hostile.

“Surely this Qur’ān shows the way to that which is most upright.” (17: 9)

Another point to reflect on in Noah’s history as told in this sūrah concerns his son, whom he was told did not belong to his family. This outlines an important aspect of the nature of the Islamic faith and how it works in human life. We need first to remind ourselves of some verses in this respect:

Noah received this revelation: ‘None of your people will believe now apart from those who have already accepted the faith. Do not be in distress over anything they may do.’ (Verse 36)

When Our will came to pass and the fountains of the earth gushed forth, We said [to Noah]: ‘Take into it a pair of every species, as well as your family, except those against whom Our word has passed, and all those who have accepted the faith.’ None believed with him except a few. (Verse 40)

And it sailed with them amid waves towering like mountains. Noah cried out to a son of his who stood apart [from the rest]: ‘Embark with us, my child, and do not stay with the unbelievers.’ He answered: ‘I shall seek refuge in a mountain, which will afford me protection from the water’ Said (Noah): ‘Today there is no protection for anyone from God’s judgement, except those who shall enjoy His mercy.’ Thereupon waves rose up between them and he was among those who were drowned. (Verses 42- 43)

Noah called out to his Lord, saying: ‘Lord, my son is of my family. Surely Your promise always comes true, and You are the most just of judges.’ Noah,’ He answered, ‘he was not of your family; his was an unrighteous conduct. Do not question Me about matters of which you have no knowledge. I admonish you lest you become one of the ignorant.’ Said (Noah): My Lord, I do indeed seek refuge with You from ever questioning You about anything of which I have no knowledge. Unless You grant me forgiveness and have mercy on me I shall be among the losers.’ (Verses 45- 47)

The tie which binds people together in the Islamic faith is unique. It relates to certain objectives and aspirations which are peculiar to this divine constitution.

This tie of Islamic society has nothing to do with family or blood relations, land or country, tribe or nation, colour or language, race or sex, profession or class. All such ties may exist between two individuals, yet their relations may, nevertheless, still be severed. When Noah pleaded with his Lord: ‘Lord, my son is of my family,’ he was told by God: ‘Noah, he was not of your family.’ The reason why his own son was not considered to belong to his family was then explained to him: ‘His was an unrighteous conduct.’ The tie of faith which would have linked them together did not exist: ‘Do not question Me about matters of which you have no knowledge.’ Thus, Noah was mistaken when he considered that his son belonged to his family. He simply did not, despite the fact that he was Noah’s own son.

This is a clear, distinctive landmark which distinguishes the Islamic view of all ties and relationships. Different modes of jāhiliyyah make different ties paramount, such as those of blood, family, land, country, tribe, nation, colour, language, race, profession or class. They sometimes give prominence to common interests, common history or common destiny. All these are jāhiliyyah considerations that are fundamentally in conflict with the Islamic viewpoint.

The Islamic code of living, represented by the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, endeavours to educate the Muslim community so that it observes this distinctive landmark in its general outlook.

In this sūrah, Noah and his son provide the example of what happens between father and son. The Qur’ān gives numerous other examples in order to establish the true nature of the only tie which Islam recognizes. The story of Abraham and his father, related in Sūrah 19, Maryam, is an example of a son’s relationship with his father: “Mention in the Book Abraham. He certainly was a man of truth and a prophet. He said to his father: My father! Why do you worship something that neither hears nor sees and can be of no avail whatever to you? My father! There has come to me knowledge which you do not have. Follow me, and I shall guide you along a straight path. My father! Do not worship Satan, for Satan has indeed rebelled against [God] the Most Gracious. My father! I dread lest a scourge will fall upon you from the Most Gracious, and then you will become one of Satan’s friends.’ He answered: Are you renouncing my gods, Abraham? If you do not desist, I shall most certainly have you stoned. Now begone from me for good!’ Abraham replied: ‘Peace be on you. I shall pray to my Lord to forgive you; for He has always been very kind to me. But I shall withdraw from you all and from whatever you invoke instead of God, and I shall pray to my Lord alone. Perhaps, by my prayer to my Lord I shall not be unblest.’ When he had withdrawn from them and from all that they were worshipping instead of God, We bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob, each of whom We made a prophet. We bestowed on them of Our mercy and We granted them the high honour of [conveying] the truth.” (19: 41-50)

Another example, as stated in Sūrah 2, The Cow, concerns Abraham and his seed, and what God taught him concerning them. When Abraham made his pledge to God, he was given the happy news that the message would continue in his seed, but the wrongdoers were entitled to nothing of it.

When his Lord tested Abraham with certain commandments and he fulfilled them, He said, ‘I have appointed you a leader of mankind. ‘Abraham asked, And what of my descendants?’ God said, My covenant does not apply to the wrongdoers.’ (2: 124)

Abraham said, ‘Lord, make this a land of security and make provisions of fruits for those of its people who believe in God and the Last Day.’ God said, And as for he who disbelieves, I shall let him enjoy life for a while and then I shall drive him to suffering through the fire; and what a terrible end!’ (2: 126)

The Qur’ān also gives us two examples of matrimonial relationships. On the one hand we have the prophets Noah and Lot and their wives, while on the other we have Pharaoh and his wife. “God has set an example of unbelievers: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were married to two of Our righteous servants, but they betrayed them.

Their husbands could not avail them anything against God. The word has been spoken, ‘Enter the fire, together with those who shall enter it.’ And God has also set an example of believers:

the wife of Pharaoh, who said: ‘Lord, build for me a house in heaven with You, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his doings. Deliver me from all evil-doing folk.’” (66: 10-11)

Other examples are also given in the Qur’ān where strong ties, which might have otherwise existed between believers and unbelievers, were of no significance when the tie of faith did not exist. There is the case of Abraham and his followers and the example of the people of the cave who deserted their community. With respect to the first God says: “You have had a good example in Abraham and those who followed him, when they said to their people: ‘We are quit of you and of all that you worship instead of God.

We reject whatever you believe. Between us and you there has arisen enmity and hatred lasting until such a time as you come to believe in God alone.” (60: 4)

And regarding the young men of the cave, God tells us: “Do you think that the People of the Cave and the Inscription were a wonder among Our signs? When those youths betook themselves to the Cave, they said: ‘Our Lord! Bestow on us Your grace, and provide for us right guidance in our affair’ So We drew [a veil] over their ears in the Cave, for a number of years, and then We awakened them so that We may know which of the two parties managed to calculate the time they had tarried. We shall relate to you their story in all truth. They were young men who had believed in their Lord, so We increased them in guidance. We put courage in their hearts, so that they stood up and said: ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never shall we call upon any deity other than Him: if we did, we should indeed utter an enormity! These people of ours have taken for worship deities other than Him, without being able to show any convincing proof of their beliefs. Who does more wrong than he who invents a lie about God? Hence, now that you have withdrawn from them and all that they worship instead of God, betake yourselves to the Cave. God may well spread His grace over you and make fitting arrangements for you in your affairs.” (18: 9-16) All these examples make the issue absolutely clear for the Muslim community. The only tie which brings people together in Islamic society is the one of faith. Numerous verses in the Qur’ān remind Muslims to hold fast to this view and establish it clearly in society. Here are some examples:

You cannot find people who believe in God and the Last Day and love anyone who contends against God and His Messenger, even though they be their fathers, sons, brothers or kindred. It is such [believers] in whose hearts He has inscribed faith, and whom He has strengthened with inspiration from Himself and whom [in time] He will admit into gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide. Well pleased is God with them, and well pleased are they with Him. They are God’s partisans. Most certainly the partisans of God shall be successful. (58: 22)

Believers! Do not take My enemies, who are your enemies as well, for your allies, showing them affection even though they reject the truth that has come to you, and they have driven the Messengers and yourselves away, because you believe in God, your Lord. If you have gone forth to strive for My cause, and out of a longing for My goodly acceptance, [do not] incline towards them in secret affection, for I am fully aware of all that you may conceal and all that you may do openly. Any of you who does this has already strayed from the right path. (60: 1)

Neither your kinsfolk nor your own children will be of any benefit to you on the Day of Resurrection, when He will decide between you. God sees all that you do. You have had a good example in Abraham and those who followed him, when they said to their people: ‘We are quit of you and of all that you worship instead of God. We reject whatever you believe. Between us and you there has arisen enmity and hatred lasting until such a time as you come to believe in God alone.’ (60: 3-4)

Believers, do not take your fathers and brothers for allies if they choose unbelief in preference to faith. Those of you who take them for allies are indeed wrongdoers. (9:

23)

Believers, do not take the Jews and the Christians for your allies. They are allies of one another. Whoever of you allies himself with them is indeed one of them. God does not bestow His guidance on the wrongdoers. (5: 51)

Islamic society is basically and organically distinguished from all other social orders, old and new, by this very basic principle which governs its relations with others. There can be no way which combines Islam with the adoption of any tie other than that of faith as the basis of society. Those who claim to be Muslims and then establish their social orders on the basis of ties which Islam has demolished are either ignorant of Islam or reject Islam. In either case Islam does not accept their claim as it has no practical application in their lives.

We will now consider some aspects of the divine wisdom behind making faith the supreme tie of Islamic society.

Faith is indeed the noblest characteristic of man which distinguishes him from animals. It relates to the spiritual side of human existence which no class of animal shares. Indeed, even the most hardened atheists have come to acknowledge that faith is an essential quality that categorically distinguishes man from animals.

Hence, in a society which achieves the highest standard of human civilization, faith must be the constituent tie, because it is man’s most distinctive quality. Indeed, no human grouping can be based on anything which man shares with animals, such as land, meadows, interests and borders; for these are akin to an animal enclosure with its fencing. Nor can a human society be based on ties of blood, ancestry, clan, nation, race, language or colour. Again, all these are common to both man and animals. Man is indeed distinguished from animals by his reason and what relates to his heart and mind.

Similarly, faith is closely linked to another factor that distinguishes man from animals, namely, his free-will and ability to choose. Every human being is able to choose his or her own faith when they attain a reasonable standard of maturity. Thus human beings are able to determine the type of society in which they choose to live, and the type of ideological, social, political, economic and moral system they advocate.

By contrast, no human being is able to choose his ancestry, colour, community or race. Nor can he determine in which geographical area to be born, which mother tongue to speak, or indeed any of the ties on which jāhiliyyah communities are based.

All these are determined before a human being is born. If his destiny, both in this life and the life to come, or indeed in only this life, is based on considerations in which he has no say, then his free choice is negated. Thus, one of the most essential and distinctive characteristics of his humanity, which God has established, is lost.

When a community is based on the tie of faith, and not on any consideration in which man has no say, it can establish a society that is open to all. People of diverse races, colours, languages, lands and ethnic origins will freely choose to join this society, knowing that nothing can stop them from doing so and no artificial barriers are erected to prevent them from joining. What determines their ability to join are man’s most distinctive qualities. All human potential and talents thus contribute to the establishment of a civilization that benefits by the qualities of all races. It never closes the door to any talent because of colour, race, family or land.

When Islamic society was built on this basis, it gave prominence to the distinctive qualities of man, in preference to those that man shares with other creatures. It soon achieved spectacular results for its being open to all, erecting none of the artificial obstacles that are more suited to animals. The special characteristics of different human races and communities were able to work together, without barriers, and they soon produced a superior human structure. In that superior Islamic community, Arabs, Persians, Syrians, Egyptians, North Africans, Turks, Chinese, Indians, Byzantines, Greeks, Indonesians and Africans, as well as many others, brought in their diverse talents to contribute to the building of Islamic civilization. It was never an Arab or national civilization, but an Islamic one based on faith.

All were equal in that society, strengthened by a strong tie of love, and sharing a common objective. Their unifying tie was always their belief in the One God, their only Lord. No other grouping in human history has ever been able to achieve such unity and equality.

In history, the best known grouping of different communities in the past was that of the Roman Empire, which included a large variety of races, languages and peoples. But that group did not come about through any distinctively human characteristic, nor was it based on an ideal like faith. It was, on the one hand, based on class, dividing people into masters and slaves throughout the Empire. On the other, it was racist, giving the Romans superiority over all others. Hence, it never aspired to the level attained by Islamic society.

In recent history similar groupings flourished, such as the British Empire. Yet it was largely an heir to the Roman Empire in as much as it was nationalistic and exploitative, promoting the superiority of the British people and exploiting the resources of Britain’s colonies. The same applies to all European empires: the Spanish and Portuguese at one stage, and later the French. They were all in the same low category.

Communism tried to establish a different type of grouping that overcame barriers of race, nation, land, language and colour. But it was established on a class rather than human basis. Whilst the Romans gave superiority to the aristocrats, Communism gave it to the Proletariat. Its main emotion was its unabating grudge against other classes. Such a small, hateful group could not promote anything other than man’s worst qualities. Its ideal was to enhance and promote the animal aspects in human life, which it considered to be man’s basic needs. These were food, shelter and sex. Needless to say, these are the basic needs of animals. It also considered human history as nothing more than a search for food. 22

Islam, which follows a method laid down by God, is unique in promoting and enhancing the most distinctive human qualities to building human society. This certainly remains exclusive to Islam. Those who abandon the Islamic way in preference for any other method based on racial, national, patriotic or class values are indeed the enemies of man. They do not want man to benefit by his God-given superior qualities, nor do they want human society to benefit from the best talents and potential of its constituent races, bringing all their experiences into a harmonious whole.23

It should be mentioned that some of those to whom God refers when He says:

“Those to whom We granted revelation know it as well as they know their own children,” are hostile to Islam, yet they know its points of strength and its method of action. They have not overlooked the fact that making faith the basis on which a community is founded is one of Islam’s major strengths. Since they want to destroy Islamic society, or at least weaken it to a degree that enables them to control it, avenge themselves on Islam, exploit its followers and their land and resources, they are keen to disrupt the basis on which it is founded. They try hard to divert Muslims from the worship of God alone so that they turn to the worship of new idols whether it be fatherland, nation, or race. Such neo-idolatry came to prominence under different names during different epochs of history, such as Shu`ūbiyyah and Turanian nationalism, and more recently Arab nationalism. At times, these idols are given different names, each supported by a different group. Such groups engage in in-fighting within a single Islamic society founded on faith and regulated by Islamic law. Their aim is to weaken the foundation of Islamic society and make anyone who rejects their idols an outlaw in his community or a traitor to his country.

The most hostile camp that continues to undermine the solid foundation of Islamic society are the Jews. They successfully employed nationalism as a weapon to destroy Christendom, dividing it into several political entities, each with its own national church. In this way they were able to break through the Christian grouping within which they were encircled. Now they are trying the same tactic to divide the Muslim community.

The same was done by Christian imperialists in the Muslim world. They tried for centuries to stir ethnic, racial and national hatred within the Muslim community that embraces all ethnic entities on an equal footing. In this way, they were able to satisfy their ancient grudges against Islam, inherited from the days of the Crusades. They managed to tame the Muslims into accepting European imperialism. They will continue to do so until God enables the Muslims to destroy this evil neo-idolatry.

This will open the way for the new rise of Islamic society on its solid and unique foundation.

People cannot extricate themselves from the state of pagan jāhiliyyah as a community unless the basis which brings them together is that of faith. Submission to God alone is not complete unless this rule is established in their minds and in their community.

There must be only one sacred thing which is revered. There can never be a multiple of ‘sacred’ things. The community must have a single slogan. There must be only one qiblah [i.e. direction faced in prayer] which remains the focus of everyone’s wholehearted attention.

Idol worship is not confined to worshipping idols made of stone or gold, or even to worshipping legendary gods; it can take numerous forms and shapes. Islam, however, cannot tolerate that people fight under the banners of such false gods when it calls on them to believe in God alone and to submit themselves to Him only. For this reason Islam divides all mankind into two nations: the nation of Muslims who follow the prophets, each in his own time until the last Messenger was sent to mankind as a whole, and the nation of non-Muslims who worship all forms of tyrannical idols.

When God identified the Muslim nation, He defined it as the nation of the followers of His messengers, each in his own time, and then said: “Your community is but one community, and I am your only Lord, therefore worship Me alone.” (21: 92) He did not tell the Arabs that they belonged to the Arab nation, either when they were ignorant, or when they were Muslim. Nor did He tell the Jews that their nation was that of the Children of Israel, or the Hebrew nation, both when they lived in ignorance and in those periods when they submitted themselves to God alone. The Prophet’s companions, Salmān, the Persian, and Şuhayb, the Byzantine, and Bilāl, the Abyssinian, were not considered to belong to Persia, Byzantium or Abyssinia.

Indeed, the Prophet said to all Muslims, Arabs, Persians, Romans and Abyssinians alike: your community is that of the believers who have earned the title of Muslims by submitting themselves truly to God throughout the ages, during the times of Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Lot, Noah, David, Solomon, Job, Ishmael, Idrīs, Dhulkifl, Zachariah, John and Mary as mentioned in Sūrah 21, verses 48-91.

This is the Muslim nation according to God’s definition. He who wishes to take a line other than God’s, let him do so, but he must not claim to belong to Islam. We, who have submitted ourselves to God alone, acknowledge no nation as ours except the one God has defined for us. He indeed tells the truth and He is the best of judges.

Finally, let us reflect on the value assigned by God to a small community of Muslims. Only a handful of people, numbering no more than twelve according to some reports, were the net result of Noah’s efforts in calling people to God. This is a period which extended over 950 years, according to the Qur’ān, the only reliable and certain source in this connection.

Yet this handful of people, the fruit of such a difficult campaign, was so important that God changed the established universal phenomena for its sake. He let the floods drown everything and every living soul on inhabited land. He then made this handful of people the only heirs of the earth and mankind’s second seed. They were the people entrusted with the rebuilding of the earth.

This is indeed something which must not be taken lightly. The small groups of people who work for an Islamic revival today face a state of jāhiliyyah which has tightened its grip around the whole earth. These advocates feel weak and lonely as they face the forces of jāhiliyyah, and suffer all sorts of persecution, hardship and torture. They must, however, contemplate the example of Noah’s people very seriously and learn its special significance.

The fact that the Muslim seed is planted on earth is something which weighs very heavily in God’s measure. It is something which He considers so deserving that He destroys all the forces of jāhiliyyah on earth for its sake: their land, civilization, installations, physical power and achievements. It also deserves that He protects this seed and looks after it until it is safely entrenched and able to build the earth anew.

Noah (peace be upon him) built the ark according to God’s instructions and under His protection: “Build the ark under Our eyes, and according to Our inspiration. Do not appeal to Me on behalf of the wrongdoers. They shall be drowned.” (Verse 37) When Noah’s people chased and repulsed him and spread all sorts of fabrications about him, as God tells us, he appealed to God, his Lord, and declared to Him that he was overcome: “Noah’s people called it a lie; and they accused Our servant of lying, saying, Mad is he!’ And he was repulsed. So he called out to his Lord: ‘I am defeated; come to my help.’” (54: 9-10) He called on Him to take revenge as he saw fit. At that moment God let certain natural forces of great magnitude to be at the service of His defeated servant:

“We caused the gates of heaven to open with water pouring down in torrents, and caused the earth to burst forth with springs, so that the waters met for a predestined purpose.” (54: 11- 12) While these awesome forces were doing their work at such a fearful level, God Himself, limitless is He in His glory, looked after His defeated servant: “We carried him on that vessel made of planks and nails, which floated under Our eyes: a recompense for him who had been rejected with ingratitude.” (54: 13-14)

The vanguard of Islamic revival in every age and place must pause and contemplate this majestic scene as they are chased and overcome by the forces of jāhiliyyah. Such people deserve that God put in their employ awesome natural forces; these need not be the floods, for they are only one form: “The forces of your Lord are known fully only to Him.” (48: 4) Their task is only to remain steadfast and to continue on their way. They must be aware of the source of their strength and appeal to Him, remaining steadfast until He brings about the accomplishment of His will. They must be certain within themselves that He has power over everything in the heavens and on earth and that He will never let His servants be overcome by His enemies. They will certainly have to undergo a period of education and test; but once they pass this test God will assign a certain role to them to accomplish on earth under His protection.

This is indeed the lesson we learn from that great universal event. No one who faces jāhiliyyah with the message of Islam should think for one moment that God will abandon him to such forces when he calls on people to worship God alone. He must not at any moment measure his own strength against the forces of jāhiliyyah, believing that he stands alone against these or think that God will desert him when he cries out to Him that he is defeated and helpless.

The forces of the two camps cannot be evenly matched. Jāhiliyyah has its own forces, but those who call on people to submit to God rely on God’s power. God can put at their service, whenever He chooses, some natural elements, the weakest of which can destroy all jāhiliyyah, attacking it from whence it does not expect.

The test period may be prolonged as God wishes. Noah continued to preach his message to his people for 950 years, having no more than twelve believers to show for his efforts. Yet this handful of people was so valuable, in God’s measure, that He destroyed all erring mankind, so that the handful of believers would inherit the earth and establish the good seed in it.

The age of miracles is not over. Miracles occur indeed every moment, according to God’s will. God, however, may substitute certain forms of miracles for others, as befits every period and age. Certain miracles may be so minute that some people may not even observe them. Those who believe in God, however, detect His will in everything they see and appreciate its unique results.

Those who follow the path leading to God’s pleasure need only fulfil their duties as best as they can and leave matters to God with trust and confidence. When they are defeated they should cry out to Him who can help them, in the same way as God’s noble servant, Noah, did: “So he called out to his Lord: ‘I am defeated; come to my help.’” (54: 10) All they need to do afterwards is await God’s help. Such waiting is a form of worship, so they are rewarded for it.

Once again we observe that the Qur’ān reveals its treasures only to those who fight its battle, for the cause of God, having the Qur’ān as their guide. They alone live a similar experience to that which took place at the time the Qur’ān was revealed.

Hence they can appreciate its meaning fully, because they feel that it addresses them directly in the same way as the first Muslims were addressed.

Praise be to God at the beginning and at the end.