Throughout the ages, Allah has sent thousands of prophets in order to guide mankind. Certainly, each and every prophet was most courageous and if we look into their lives, there are uncountable precious lessons we can gain from them. Today, let us look into the life of Prophet Nuh A.S to see what lessons we can take from this beautiful story.
Prophet Nuh A.S was from among the earliest prophets and was sent to a group of idol worshipers. Patiently, he continued preaching them, calling them towards the truth, for an extremely long period of 950 years! However, only a handful of people believed and others turned away in pride, putting their fingers in their ears and covering themselves with their garments. And yet, Prophet Nuh A.S was most optimistic and continued to preach them both privately and in public, never once losing hope in Allah S.W.
Finally, after being patient for a long time, prophet Nuh eventually called out to Allah in distress, asking to give him victory over the disbelievers. As Allah says in the Quran:
‘So he invoked his Lord, “Indeed, I am overpowered, so help.”’ [54:10]
At Allah’s command, Nuh A.S set forth to build a ship which could carry all the believers and a pair of each animal. While doing this, he kept receiving many insults and words of mockery from the disbelievers. But he was persistent and with the help of only a few allies, he finally completed the task. Then, punishment struck. When all the believers and a pair of each animal were safely inside the ship, Allah commanded the heavens to open its floodgates and the earth to burst open with springs of water. In a matter of time, the whole earth became flooded with water and all the infidels drowned in agony, with no survivor. Even the one who climbed the tallest mountain didn’t survive, and this included the prophet’s own son. Imagine how hard it must have been to lose his own son! However, he was thankful to Allah and knew that everything was for the best and that Allah was the all-Knower.
Now, let us ponder upon this story. Which lessons can we take from this?
- When showing someone the correct way, always do it with patience and wisdom. The same applies to dealing with kids. I know that they are usually very difficult to handle and will not listen to you at first, but, bear with them patiently and the sweet fruit of patience will come later.
- Always, when given a task, complete the task with dedication.
- When something doesn’t happen the way you want, never despair. Always be optimistic and have hope and faith in Allah.
- When in distress, call out to Allah and Allah alone. Indeed, he is the Hearer and answers the prayer of the oppressed.
- Even when people mock at you, never lose hope and stop what you are doing. Continue with your work, without caring what others say. Have self-confidence.
- When you lose someone you love and hold dear to your heart, know that Allah is the All-Knower and that everything happens for the best. Be patient.
Indeed, we all belong to Allah and will return to Allah. So let us, in this temporary world, make use of these beautiful lessons and enhance our lives, which will in sha Allah make us more successful in this world and the next.
