Thereupon Noah said: “My Lord, I seek refuge in You from asking about that of which I have no knowledge. If You do not forgive me and have mercy on me, I will be among the losers.” 47 He was told, “O Noah, disembark in peace from Us, and with blessings upon you and upon the communities that will spring from those who are with you; and there will be other communities whom We shall allow to enjoy themselves for a while, then a painful punishment from Us will touch them.” 48 (Hud 47–48)

So Noah disembarked, and Allah blessed his progeny, making “his offspring the only survivors” (Saffat 77). His three sons were: Japheth, who populated the lands of the East; Ham, who filled the West; and Shem, whose line spread over everything in between.

He lived among his people for “a thousand years minus fifty” (Ankabut 14), and after their destruction he remained alive for as long as Allah willed.

Noah was one of the messengers endowed with firm resolve (ulu al-ʿazm), one of the five upon whom intercession will revolve on the Day of Resurrection. He was the first messenger sent to humankind and, after Adam, the second father of humanity—peace be upon him.

Lessons that may be drawn from this story include:

• All the messengers from Noah to Muhammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them—were united in calling people to pure monotheism and forbidding idolatry. Noah and every prophet after him would begin by telling their people, “Worship Allah; you have no god other than Him” (Araf 59), and they established this fundamental principle in many different ways. (1)

• The etiquettes and perfection of daʿwah (calling to Allah):
– Noah invited his people night and day, in private and in public, at every time and in every circumstance he thought might lead to the success of the call.