Q. We know that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent to all mankind, but was Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) also sent to all mankind? If he was sent as a messenger of God to his own people only, and they refused to accept his message, why was all mankind drowned by the floods that engulfed the whole world? It is said that the whole population of the earth come from his three sons, Ham, Sam and Yafith. Please explain.
S.R. Ali
A. To start with, there are several statements in the Qur'an making clear that Prophet Noah was sent to his own people. He was not a messenger to all mankind. Only Prophet Muhammad was given this task, and therefore, the miracle supporting his message was a book, the Qur'an, outlining a code of living that is suitable to all generations and all communities and environments. Therefore, the question posed by the reader is valid: was the great flood a punishment to all people on earth at the time? If so, why?
In fact, there is no indication or reference in the Qur'an suggesting that the floods overwhelmed the entire planet. The description given in the Qur'an of the flood makes clear that it was of overwhelming proportions, leaving none of the wrongdoers among Noah's people alive. It does not mention other communities. In fact there are several references that it engulfed Noah's own people in particular. Take for example the twice-repeated Qur'anic statement: "Do not appeal to Me on behalf of the wrongdoers. They shall be drowned." (11: 37 & 23: 27) "We saved him together with all those who stood by him, in the ark, and caused those who rejected Our revelations to drown. Surely they were blind people." (7: 64) The contexts in which all these statements occur are very clear in their references to Noah's own community to whom he was required to address his message. Hence we can say that the flood punishment was directed to his own people who rejected his faith, after clear evidence had been given to them, and after their long opposition to his efforts and their repeated hurling of abuse and ridicule on him.
This means that other communities to whom Noah's message was not addressed were not involved in these events.
There is no reason to suppose otherwise. This means that those communities either received other messages, about which the Qur'an remained silent, or they were not at the time receiving any message. In either case, their fate would be determined by their circumstances. We need not go into this because we have no means to establish such historical events with any reasonable measure.
Nor can we say that all people living today are descendents of Noah through his three sons. To start with, there were other people saved in the Ark. These could have had children of their own and they would have descendents. Moreover, We cannot establish with any degree of certainty that Noah had three sons. Indeed, it is practically impossible to ascertain that Sam ever existed, which casts doubt on the very idea of Semitism.
Whether such things are established or not is of no importance. What is important is to rely only on what God says in the Qur'an and what the Prophet has taught in his authentic Sunnah. This is what ensures our salvation in the life to come.
Maintaining Equality
Q. I have one son and one daughter. Every now and then I buy a piece of gold jewelry for my daughter. How do I maintain equality between them? The boy does not need jewelry.
If I give him money instead, it is likely to depreciate while the gold appreciates in value.
A. Razack
A. The important point is to maintain equality at the time of giving the gift. The gifts do not have to be identical, but of the same value and use to the recipient.
You may give your son jewelry, which he may sell or give to his wife when he is older, or you may give him money which you invest in his name so that it will retain its value. You need to determine the best way for your son and seek to maintain fairness.
