47. This historical narrative opens with an account of the Prophet Noah and
his people. For the people of Noah were the first to drift away from the right
way of life which was followed by the Prophet Adarn and his descendants. God,
therefore, sent Noah to guide and reform them.
In light of the Qur'anic allusions and Biblical statements it seems certain
the people of Noah inhabited the land presently known as Iraq. This view is
also supported by inscriptions of pre-Biblical times discovered in the course
of archaeological excavations in Babylonia. Those inscriptions contain almost
the same account which is recounted in the Qur'an and the Torah. The locale
of the event is the vicinity of Mosul. Kurdish and Armenian traditions also
corroborate this account insofar as they mention that it was in this area that
Noah's Ark anchored. Some relies ascribed to Noah are still found in Jazirat
Ibn 'Urnar, situated to the north of Mosul and on the frontiers of Armenia in
the vicinity of the Ararat mountain mass. The inhabitants of Nakhichevan believe
to this day that their town was founded by Noah.
Traditions similar to the story of Noah are also found in classical Greek Egyptian,
Indian and Chinese literature. Moreover, stories of identical import have been
popular since time immemorial in Burma, Malaya, the East Indies, Australia,
New Guinea and various parts of Europe and America. This shows clearly that
the event took place at some point in the dim past when men lived together in
one region and it was after Noah's Flood that they dispersed to different parts
of the world. This is why traditions of all nations mention the Flood of the
early time. This is notwithstanding the fact that the actual event has increasingly
been shrouded in mystery, and the authentic elements of the event overlaid with
myth and legend.
48. It is evident from the above verse and from other Qur'anic descriptions of the people of Noah that they were neither ignorant of, nor denied the existence of God, nor were they opposed to the idea of worshipping Him. Their real malady was polytheism. They had associated others with God in His godhead, and considered them akin to God in their claim that human beings should worship them as well. This basic error gave rise to a number of evils among them. There had arisen among them a class of people representing the false gods they themselves had contrived. Gradually this class of people virtually monopolized all religious, economic and political authority. This class also introduced a hierarchical structure of society which led to immense corruption and injustice. The moral degeneration which this system promoted sapped the roots of mankind's higher characteristics. When corruption reached a high peak, God sent Noah to improve the state of affairs. For long, Noah strove with patience and wisdom to bring about reform. All his efforts, however, were thwarted by the clergy which craftily kept people under its powerful hold. Eventually Noah prayed to God not to spare even a single unbeliever on the face of the earth, for they would go about misguiding human beings, and their progeny would likewise be wicked and ungrateful. (For a detailed discussion see( Hud 11: 25-48), (al-Shu'ara' 26: 105-22) and (Nuh 71: 1-28.)