Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) Many years after Hazrat Adam(alai his salam), the earth was filled up with his children. In the beginning, they followed the guidance sent by Allah. But as time passed, most of them forgot the teachings of Allah. They became proud, greedy and selfish. They began to worship stone idols as their gods. Then Allah sent Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) to remind the people to worship and pray only to Allah.
Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) asked the people to give up idol worship. He told the people to do good and forbade them from doing wrong. He warned them about the anger of Allah. He also told them about the punishment of the Day of Judgement. But the people did not listen to him. Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) tried his best for many years to preach to the people. But they laughed at him and made fun of him.
They called him a liar. Only a few good people accepted his message. Even his wife and sons did not believe in him. As time passed, Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) became very sad. He asked Allah to punish the unbelievers. He also prayed to Him to save his followers. Allah answered his prayers. He informed him that He would send a big storm that would destroy the unbelievers. He asked Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) to build a very large boat so that he could save himself and his followers from the storm.
When the people saw Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) building the boat, they laughed at him. They thought that he must be mad for building such a large boat on land away from the sea. But Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) ignored them and continued his work. At last, the boat was ready.
Allah told Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) that a great rainstorm will come and flood the earth. Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) and his followers should then go inside the boat. He should also take with him a pair — one male and one female — of all kind of animals into the boat.
The storm came and the land was flooded. It rained and rained and there was water everywhere. The boat floated on the surface of the water. Every living thing drowned. Even Hazrat Nooh’s own son was not saved.
Allah punished all the unbelievers. Only those that were in the boat were saved. At last, it stopped raining and the earth soaked up the water. At Allah’s command, Hazrat Nooh(alai his salam) got down from the boat with his followers. They started a new life and spread over the earth again.