Penemuan Fosil Ikan di Gunung Everest.
Ya, Al-Quran menyebut banjir pada zaman Nuh (Nuh) dan menggambarkan air bah itu naik menutupi gunung, walaupun ia tidak menyatakan secara eksplisit "jalan di atas semua gunung".
Berikut adalah penjelasan yang lebih terperinci:
Kisah Banjir:
Al-Quran menceritakan kisah Nabi Nuh (Nuh) dan kaumnya, di mana Allah menurunkan banjir sebagai hukuman atas kefasikan dan kekufuran mereka.
Tabut:
Nuh diperintahkan untuk membina sebuah bahtera, dan dia dan keluarganya, bersama-sama dengan sepasang binatang, telah diselamatkan di dalam bahtera semasa banjir.
Banjir:
Al-Quran menyifatkan banjir itu sebagai peristiwa bencana di mana sumber air bumi digabungkan dengan hujan lebat sehingga menyebabkan banjir besar.
Ombak seperti Gunung:
Al-Quran menggunakan frasa "gelombang seperti gunung" (وَهِيَ تَجۡرِي بِهِمۡ فِي مَوۡجٖ كَٱلۡجِبَالِ) untuk menggambarkan ketinggian dan keganasan ombak semasa banjir.
Tempat Rehat Tabut:
Al-Quran menyatakan bahawa bahtera itu terletak di Gunung Judi (Judi) selepas air banjir surut.
Ayat Al-Quran:
"Sesungguhnya Kami telah mengutus Nuh kepada kaumnya, dan dia tinggal di antara mereka selama seribu tahun, kurang dari lima puluh tahun. Kemudian mereka ditimpa banjir, sedang mereka berterusan melakukan kezaliman." [Al-Ankabut 29:14]
"Dan Tabut itu belayar bersama mereka melalui ombak seperti gunung." [Surah Hud 11:42]
"Dan dikatakan, "Wahai bumi! Telan air anda. Dan wahai langit! Tahan ˹hujan awak˺.” Air banjir surut dan perintah itu dilaksanakan di atas gunung Judi, dan dikatakan: "Lepaskan orang-orang yang zalim!" (Surah Hud 36-48).
فَتَحْنَآ أَبْوَٰبَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ بِمَآءٍۢ
مُّنْهَمِرٍۢ ١١
Maka Kami bukakan pintu-pintu langit, dengan menurunkan hujan yang mencurah-curah.
— Abdullah
Muhammad Basmeih
(Surah Al
Qamar : Ayat11)
وَفَجَّرْنَا ٱلْأَرْضَ عُيُونًۭا فَٱلْتَقَى
ٱلْمَآءُ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرٍۢ قَدْ قُدِرَ ١٢
Dan Kami jadikan bumi memancarkan mata air-mata air (di sana sini), lalu bertemulah air (langit dan bumi) itu untuk (melakukan) satu perkara yang telah ditetapkan.
(Surah Al Qamar : Ayat12)
Kisah Kaum Nuh dan Pengajaran daripadanya
Allah Ta'ala berfirman,
كَذَّبَتْ
(diingkari) `di hadapan umatmu, wahai Muhammad,'
قَوْمُ
نُوحٍ فَكَذَّبُواْ عَبْدَنَا
(kaum Nuh. Mereka mendustakan hamba Kami) bermaksud, mereka mendustakannya secara mutlak dan menuduhnya gila,
وَقَالُواْ
مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ
(dan berkata: "Orang gila!" Wazdujir.) Mujahid berkata tentang Wazdujir: "Dia dihalau kerana dituduh gila." Dikatakan juga bahawa Wazdujir bermaksud, dia ditegur, dihalang, diancam dan diberi amaran oleh kaumnya dengan berkata:
لَئِنْ
لَّمْ تَنْتَهِ ينُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُرْجُومِينَ
("Jika kamu tidak berhenti, wahai Nuh, kamu akan termasuk orang-orang yang akan direjam.") 26:116 Ini telah dikatakan oleh Ibn Zayd, dan ia adalah benar.
فَدَعَا
رَبَّهُ أَنُّى مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ
(Kemudian dia berdoa kepada Tuhannya (sambil berkata): "Aku telah dikalahkan, maka tolonglah (aku)!") Maksudnya, `Aku lemah dan tidak dapat mengalahkan kaumku dan tidak dapat menentang kaumku, maka tolonglah agamaMu!' Allah Ta'ala berfirman,
فَفَتَحْنَآ
أَبْوَبَ السَّمَآءِ بِمَاءٍ مُّنْهَمِرٍ
(Maka, Kami buka pintu-pintu langit dengan air Munhamir.) As-Suddi berkata tentang Munhamir, "Ertinya melimpah ruah."
وَفَجَّرْنَا
الاٌّرْضَ عُيُوناً
(Dan Kami memancarkan mata air dari bumi.) Ertinya, dari segenap penjuru bumi, dan juga ketuhar yang menyala-nyala api - air dan mata air memancar.
فَالْتَقَى
المَآءُ
(Maka bertemulah air), maksudnya, langit dan bumi,
عَلَى
أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَ
(untuk perkara yang telah ditakdirkan.) Ibn Jurayj melaporkan daripada Ibn `Abbas:
فَفَتَحْنَآ
أَبْوَبَ السَّمَآءِ بِمَاءٍ مُّنْهَمِرٍ
(Maka Kami bukakan pintu-pintu langit dengan air Munhamir), hujan yang deras, hanya air yang turun dari langit sebelum hari itu dan sesudah itu ialah dari awan. Tetapi pintu-pintu langit terbuka kepada mereka pada hari itu, dan oleh itu, air yang turun bukanlah dari awan. Maka bertemulah kedua-dua air (bumi dan langit) itu menurut satu perkara yang telah ditetapkan." Allah berfirman,
وَحَمَلْنَاهُ
عَلَى ذَاتِ أَلْوَحٍ وَدُسُرٍ
(Dan Kami angkut dia di atas (kapal) yang terbuat dari papan dan paku (Dusur)), Ibnu `Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Al-Qurazi, Qatadah dan Ibnu Zayd berkata Dusur artinya paku. Ibn Jarir lebih menyukai pandangan ini. firman Allah,
تَجْرِى
بِأَعْيُنِنَا
(Terapung di bawah Mata Kami), bermaksud, `dengan perintah Kami dan di bawah perlindungan dan pemerhatian Kami,'
جَزَآءً
لِّمَن كَانَ كُفِرَ
(sebagai pahala bagi orang yang telah ditolak!) maksudnya, sebagai balasan bagi mereka kerana kekufuran mereka kepada Allah dan sebagai balasan untuk Nuh a.s. Allah Ta'ala berfirman,
وَلَقَدْ
تَّرَكْنَـهَا ءايَةً
(Dan sesungguhnya Kami tinggalkan ini sebagai tanda.) Qatadah berkata, "Allah membiarkan kapal Nuh utuh sehingga generasi pertama umat ini dapat melihatnya." Namun, nampaknya maksud di sini ialah Allah memelihara kapal sebagai tanda. Sebagai contoh, Allah Ta'ala berfirman,
وَءَايَةٌ
لَّهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِى الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ -
وَخَلَقْنَا لَهُمْ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ مَا يَرْكَبُونَ
(Dan satu tanda bagi mereka ialah Kami angkut zuriat mereka di dalam bahtera yang sarat, dan Kami ciptakan untuk mereka dari yang serupa itu, yang mereka tunggangi.) (36:41-42)
إِنَّا
لَمَّا طَغَا الْمَآءُ حَمَلْنَـكُمْ فِى الْجَارِيَةِ - لِنَجْعَلَهَا لَكُمْ
تَذْكِرَةً وَتَعِيَهَآ أُذُنٌ وَعِيَةٌ
(Sesungguhnya tatkala air itu naik melampaui batasnya, Kami angkut kamu di dalam perahu itu, supaya Kami menjadikannya pelajaran bagimu dan supaya ia dapat dipelihara oleh telinga yang mendengar.) (69:11-12) Firman Allah di sini,
فَهَلْ مِن
مُّدَّكِرٍ
Maka adakah orang yang ingat) bermaksud, `adakah orang yang akan menerima peringatan dan peringatan. Imam Ahmad meriwayatkan bahawa `Abdullah bin Mas`ud berkata, "Nabi membacakan kepadaku,
فَهَلْ مِن
مُّدَّكِرٍ
(Maka adakah orang yang ingat)" Al-Bukhari mengumpulkan Hadis yang serupa dari `Abdullah bahawa dia berkata, "Saya membacakan kepada Nabi (فَهَلْ مِن مُّذَّكِرٍ) (maka adakah orang yang ingat) dan Nabi bersabda,
فَهَلْ مِن
مُّدَّكِرٍ
(Maka adakah orang yang ingat)" firman Allah,
فَكَيْفَ
كَانَ عَذَابِى وَنُذُرِ
(Maka bagaimana (dahsyatnya) azab-Ku dan amaran-amaran-Ku) bermaksud, `Alangkah dahsyatnya azab-Ku yang telah Aku timpakan kepada orang-orang yang kafir kepada-Ku dan mendustakan rasul-rasul-Ku, yang tidak menghiraukan peringatan-peringatan-Ku. Bagaimana pertolongan-Ku yang telah Aku sampaikan kepada Rasul-rasul-Ku dan pembalasan yang dikenakan untuk mereka,'
وَلَقَدْ
يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ
(Dan sesungguhnya telah Kami mudahkan Al-Quran untuk difahami dan diingati); Maksudnya, `Kami telah memudahkan Al-Quran untuk dibaca dan difahami bagi mereka yang mencari sifat-sifat ini, untuk mengingatkan manusia,' sebagaimana firman Allah,
كِتَـبٌ
أَنزَلْنَـهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَـرَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُواْ ءَايَـتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ
أُوْلُو الاٌّلْبَـبِ
(Ini adalah) sebuah kitab yang Kami turunkan kepadamu penuh dengan berkah supaya mereka memperhatikan ayat-ayatnya dan supaya mendapat pelajaran orang-orang yang mempunyai fikiran. (38:29)
فَإِنَّمَا
يَسَّرْنَـهُ بِلَسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنْذِرَ بِهِ قَوْماً
لُّدّاً
(Maka Kami mudahkan Al-Quran ini dengan bahasa kamu sendiri, melainkan supaya kamu memberi khabar gembira kepada orang-orang yang bertakwa dan memberi peringatan dengannya kepada orang-orang yang suka bertengkar.) (19:97) Allah berfirman,
فَهَلْ مِن
مُّدَّكِرٍ
(maka adakah orang yang ingat), maksudnya, `adakah orang yang ingat melalui Al-Quran ini, yang Kami mudahkan untuk menghafal dan mudah difahami' Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi mengomentari Ayat ini, "Adakah orang yang menjauhi kemungkaran"
The Story
of the People of Nuh (علیہ السلام) and the Lesson Learnt from it
مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ
(dan berkata, "(Dia) orang gila", dan dia diancam..
[Surah Al
Qamar : Ayat 9]
Perkataan wazdujira secara literal bermaksud 'dia telah ditegur'. Ia merujuk kepada sikap kaum Nuh علیہ السلام yang menegur dan mengancamnya supaya menghalangnya daripada berdakwah. Pada kesempatan lain dalam Al-Quran, kita membaca bahawa kaum Nuh (علیہ السلام) mengancam dan memberi amaran kepadanya bahawa jika dia tidak berhenti menyebarkan dakwahnya, dia akan direjam dengan batu hingga mati.
Abd Ibn Humaid melaporkan daripada Mujahid bahawa apabila sebahagian daripada kaumnya menjumpainya di suatu tempat, mereka akan mencekiknya, akibatnya dia akan tidak sedarkan diri. Tetapi apabila dia sembuh, dia akan berdoa kepada Allah, 'Ya Allah! Ampunilah umatku, kerana mereka tidak mengetahui kebenaran'. Dengan cara ini, dia menanggung penganiayaan terhadap umatnya dengan sabar selama sembilan ratus lima puluh tahun, berdoa untuk pengampunan dan pemahaman mereka tentang kebenaran. Akhirnya, apabila keadaan menjadi tidak tertahankan, dan dia tidak dapat melawan kaumnya lagi, dia memohon kepada Allah untuk menolongnya melawan mereka. Akibatnya, Allah membuka pintu-pintu langit dengan hujan yang lebat, dan seluruh umat itu tenggelam yang disebut dalam ayat yang akan datang.
Para pemimpin masyarakat Nuh, yang dimakan oleh prestise palsu, tidak bersedia untuk menerima Nuh. Akibatnya mereka ditimpa azab Allah. Hukuman ini datang ke atas mereka dalam bentuk banjir yang dahsyat. Seluruh manusia dan tempat tinggal mereka tenggelam di dalamnya. Tetapi, Nuh dan para sahabatnya, seperti yang diperintahkan oleh Tuhan, menaiki sebuah bahtera. Kapal ini belayar dan berhenti di Gunung Judi di banjaran Gunung Ararat. Ararat berada di Turki. Gunung tertinggi di rantau ini, ia meningkat kepada 16, 853 kaki. Juruterbang kapal terbang tertentu mendakwa bahawa, semasa terbang di atas puncak Ararat yang dilitupi salji, mereka telah melihat beberapa benda seperti bot terperangkap dalam salji di sana. Jika ini betul, maka sama seperti mayat Firaun (zaman Musa) telah dikeluarkan dari piramidnya pada akhir abad kesembilan belas dan menjadi tanda Tuhan:
فَٱلْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ لِتَكُونَ لِمَنْ
خَلْفَكَ ءَايَةًۭ ۚ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا
لَغَـٰفِلُونَ ٩٢
Pada hari ini Kami akan memelihara mayat kamu supaya kamu menjadi contoh1 bagi orang-orang yang datang selepas kamu. Dan sesungguhnya kebanyakan manusia lalai dari contoh-contoh Kami.”
— Dr Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
"Maka
pada hari ini, Kami biarkan engkau (hai Firaun) terlepas dengan badanmu (yang
tidak bernyawa, daripada ditelan laut), untuk menjadi tanda bagi orang-orang
yang di belakangmu (supaya mereka mengambil itibar). Dan (ingatlah)
sesungguhnya kebanyakan manusia lalai daripada (memerhati dan memikirkan)
tanda-tanda kekuasaan Kami!".
— Abdullah
Muhammad Basmeih
( Surah Yunus: Ayat 92 )
begitu juga, mungkibegitu juga, mungkin bahtera Nuh boleh ditemui dan menjadi tanda Tuhan bagi manusia.n bahtera Nuh boleh ditemui dan menjadi tanda Tuhan bagi manusia.
Banjir Nuh .
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًۭا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ ١٤
Indeed, We
sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them for a thousand years, less
fifty. Then the Flood overtook them, while they persisted in wrongdoing.
— Dr.
Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Dan
sesungguhnya Kami telah mengutus Nabi Nuh kepada kaumnya, maka tinggalah ia
dalam kalangan mereka selama sembilan ratus lima puluh tahun; akhirnya mereka
dibinasakan oleh taufan sedang mereka berkeadaan zalim (dengan kufur derhaka).
— Abdullah
Muhammad Basmeih
[Surah Al-`Ankabūt: Ayat 14].
The Prophet Nuh (as) was sent to his people by
Allah. They had distanced themselves from the commandments of the Lord and
ascribed partners to Him. The Prophet Nuh (as) warned them that they should
serve Allah alone and abandon the false worship which they had established in
their community. Although the Prophet Nuh (as) called on his people with great
eloquence and wisdom, and warned them against the punishment of Allah, they
rejected the Prophet and continued to associate partners to Him. At this, Allah
told the Prophet Nuh (as) that He would punish the deniers by drowning them.
But He also informed His Messenger that His mercy would save the believers,
those who embraced true religion and worshipped the One and Only God.
The destruction of the people of Nuh and the
salvation of the believers is described thus in the Qur'an:
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَنجَيْنَـٰهُ وَٱلَّذِينَ
مَعَهُۥ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَأَغْرَقْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا عَمِينَ ٦٤
But they rejected him, so We saved him and
those with him in the Ark, and drowned those who rejected Our signs. They were
certainly a blind people.
— Dr.
Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Mereka
terus mendustakannya, lalu Kami selamatkan dia dan orang-orang yang bersamanya
di dalam bahtera, dan Kami karamkan orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat
kami. Sesungguhnya mereka adalah kaum yang buta (matahatinya daripada melihat
kebenaran)
— Abdullah
Muhammad Basmeih
[Al-'A'rāf:64].
When the time of punishment came, the water in
the ground combined with violent rains to cause a giant flood. (Allah knows
best.) It is revealed that before the flood came, Allah spoke to the Prophet
Nuh (as):
فَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ أَنِ ٱصْنَعِ ٱلْفُلْكَ
بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ ٱلتَّنُّورُ ۙ
فَٱسْلُكْ فِيهَا مِن كُلٍّۢ زَوْجَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَن سَبَقَ
عَلَيْهِ ٱلْقَوْلُ مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُخَـٰطِبْنِى فِى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ ۖ
إِنَّهُم مُّغْرَقُونَ ٢٧
{We revealed to him: Build the Ship under Our
supervision and as We reveal. When Our command comes and water bubbles up from
the earth, load into it a pair of every species, and your family-except for
those among them against whom the word has already gone ahead. And do not
address Me concerning those who do wrong. They shall be drowned}
Lalu Kami
wahyukan kepadanya: "Buatlah bahtera dengan pengawasan serta kawalan Kami,
dan dengan panduan wahyu Kami (tentang cara membuatnya); kemudian apabila
datang hukum Kami untuk membinasakan mereka, dan air memancut-mancut dari muka
bumi (yang menandakan kedatangan taufan), maka masukkanlah ke dalam bahtera itu
dua dari tiap-tiap jenis haiwan (jantan dan betina), dan bawalah ahlimu (dan
pengikut-pengikutmu) kecuali orang yang telah ditetapkan hukuman azab atasnya
di antara mereka (disebabkan kekufurannya); dan janganlah engkau merayu
kepadaku untuk menolong kaum yang zalim itu, kerana sesungguhnya mereka akan
ditenggelamkan dengan taufan sehingga mati lemas.
— Abdullah
Muhammad Basmeih
[Surah Al-Mu'minūn: Ayat 27]
Apart from those who boarded Prophet Nuh's
(as) Ark, the entire tribe was drowned. The dead included the Prophet's son who
thought he could escape by seeking shelter on a mountain;
وَقِيلَ يَـٰٓأَرْضُ ٱبْلَعِى مَآءَكِ
وَيَـٰسَمَآءُ أَقْلِعِى وَغِيضَ ٱلْمَآءُ وَقُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ وَٱسْتَوَتْ عَلَى
ٱلْجُودِىِّ ۖ وَقِيلَ بُعْدًۭا لِّلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ٤٤
{It was said, Earth, swallow up your water!
And, Heaven, hold back your rain! And the water subsided and the affair
was concluded and the Ark came to land on al-Judi, And it was said, Away with
the people of the wrongdoers!}
[Dan (setelah binasanya kaum kafir itu)
diperintahkan kepada bumi dan langit dengan berkata: "Wahai bumi telanlah
airmu, dan wahai langit berhentilah dari curahan hujanmu". Dan (ketika
itu) surutlah air, serta terlaksanalah perintah (Allah) itu. Dan bahtera Nabi
Nuh itupun berhenti di atas gunung "Judi" serta diingatkan (kepada
kaum kafir umumnya bahawa): "Kebinasaanlah akhirnya bagi orang-orang yang
zalim].
— Abdullah
Muhammad Basmeih
[Surah Hūd: Ayat 44]
Compared to the flood accounts contained in
Jewish scriptures, and indeed the various cultural beliefs of other peoples,
the Qur'anic account, which was revealed by Allah and is the only divine text
to have remained uncorrupted, stands as the most reliable of all these
accounts. The Torah, a corrupted text, says that this flood was universal and
covered the whole world. On the contrary, it appears from the relevant verses
that the flood was a regional one and punished not the whole world but only the
tribe that rejected the Prophet Nuh (as). Those who were destroyed in it were
the people who rejected the message of the Prophet Nuh (as) and persisted in
their denial. There is no indication in the Qur'an that the flood was
universal. The verses on the subject read:
{We sent Nuh to his people: I am a clear
Warner to you. Worship none but Allah, I fear for you the punishment of a
painful day}
[Surah Hūd: Ayat 25-26].
{But they denied him so We rescued him and
those with him in the Ark, And We drowned the people who denied Our Signs. They
were a blind people}
[Al-'A`rāf:64]
{So We rescued him and those with him by mercy
from Us, and We cut off the last remnant of those who denied Our Signs and were
not believers}
[Al-'A`rāf:72]
As we have seen, we are told in the Qur'an
that only the people of the Prophet Nuh (as) were destroyed, not the whole
world. The corrected states of the corrupted accounts in Christian and Jewish
scriptures in the Qur'an prove that it is, in its entirety, a book sent down by
Allah. Excavations in the region where the flood is believed to have occurred
also show that the flood was not a universal event, but a wide-scale disaster
that affected part of Mesopotamia. When the waters subsided, the Ark came to
rest. As revealed in the Qur'an, the resting place of the ark was al-Judi. The
word "judi" is sometimes taken to mean a particular mountain,
although the Arabic word itself means "high place, hill." From that
point of view, the word "judi" can refer to the waters reaching only
up to a certain height and not to the covering of all the land. In other words,
we learn from the Qur'an that the flood did not swallow up all the land and all
the mountains on Earth-as is related in Jewish scriptures and other legends-but
only one particular region. Archaeological Evidence for the Flood According to
the archaeological findings, Nuh’s Flood took place on the Mesopotamian Plain,
the shape of which was very different to that of today. The present-day limits
of the plain are shown with a dotted red line in the above diagram. The wide
region beyond that line is known to have been part of the sea at that time. If
a natural disaster, sudden migration or war, for example, should result in the
destruction of a civilization, traces of that civilization are well-protected.
The houses people lived in and the objects people used in their daily lives are
quickly buried under the earth. These are thus conserved for long periods
without being touched by human hands. For students of the past, they provide
invaluable clues when they are finally brought to light. In recent times, the
discovery of a large amount of evidence concerning Nuh's Flood has come to the
attention of the world's most prominent archaeologists and historians. The Flood,
believed to have occurred around 3000 B.C., destroyed an entire civilization
and allowed an entirely new one to be founded in its place. That evidence of
the Flood was preserved for thousands of years provides a deterrent to those
people who have come after this punishment of the wicked. Many excavations have
been carried out to study the flood, which was localised on and around the
Mesopotamian Plains. Digs in the region have encountered traces of a flood in
four main cities on the Mesopotamian Plain: Ur, Erech, Kish and Shuruppak.
Excavations in these cities have shown that these cities were hit by flooding
around 3000 B.C. The oldest of the remains of the civilization in the city of
Ur-today known as Tell al Muqqayar-date back to 7000 B.C. The city of Ur, one
of the oldest human civilizations, was a settlement region in which consecutive
civilizations were born and died. The archaeological discoveries which came
from study of Ur unearthed information which clearly informs us that a
civilization there was interrupted by a terrible flood and that new
civilizations gradually sprang up in its place. Leonard Woolley led a joint
excavation by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania in the
desert area between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf. Woolley's excavations are
described by the German archaeologist Werner Keller as follows: "The
graves of the kings of Ur" - so Woolley, in the exuberance of his delight
at discovering them, had dubbed the tombs of Sumerian nobles whose truly regal
splendor had been exposed when the spades of the archaeologists attacked a
fifty-foot mound south of the temple and found a long row of superimposed
graves. The stone vaults were veritable treasure chests, for they were filled
with all the costly goblets, wonderfully shaped jugs and vases, bronze
tableware, mother of pearl mosaics, lapis lazuli, and silver surrounded these
bodies which had mouldered into dust. Harps and lyres rested against the walls…
When after several days some of Woolley's workmen called out to him, "We
are on ground level", he let himself down onto the floor of the shaft to
satisfy himself. Woolley's first thought was "This is it at last". It
was sand, pure sand of a kind that could only have been deposited by water.
They decided to dig on and make the shaft deeper. Deeper and deeper went the
spades into the ground: three feet, six feet - still pure mud. Suddenly, at ten
feet, the layer of mud stopped as abruptly as it had started. Under this clay
deposit of almost ten feet thick, they had struck fresh evidence of human
habitation… The Flood - that was the only possible explanation of this great
clay deposit beneath the hill at Ur, which quite clearly separated two epochs
of settlement… Excavations in the Mesopotamian Plain revealed the presence of a
layer of mud and clay at a depth of 2.5 metres (8 feet). This stratum in all
probability consisted of clay carried by the waters of the Flood, and is to be
found only under the Mesopotamian Plain. Microscopic analysis revealed that
this great clay deposit beneath the hill at Ur had accumulated here as a result
of a flood, one so large and powerful as to annihilate ancient Sumerian
civilisation. The epic of Gilgamesh and the story of Nuh were united in this
shaft dug deep under the Mesopotamian desert. Max Mallowan related the thoughts
of Leonard Woolley, who said that such a huge mass of alluvium formed in a
single time-slice could only be the result of a huge flood disaster. Woolley
also described the flood layer, which separated the Sumerian city of Ur from the
city of Al-Ubaid whose inhabitants used painted pottery, as the remains of the
Flood. These facts demonstrated that the city of Ur was one of those places
affected by the Flood. The German archaeologist Werner Keller also described
the importance of the excavation in question. He has gone on record to say that
the yield of city-remains beneath a muddy layer in the archaeological
excavations made in Mesopotamia proves that there was indeed a flood in the
region. Another Mesopotamian city to bear the traces of the Flood is the
"Kish of the Sumerians," the present-day Tall Al-Uhaimer. Ancient
Sumerian records describe this city as the "seat of the first postdiluvian
dynasty." The southern Mesopotamian city of Shuruppak, the present-day
Tall Fa'rah, also bears evident traces of the Flood. Archaeological
investigations were carried out in this city between 1920 and 1930 by Erich
Schmidt of the University of Pennsylvania. These excavations uncovered three
layers of habitation which stretched from the late prehistoric period to the
3rd dynasty of Ur (2112-2004 B.C.). The most distinctive finds were ruins of
well-built houses along with cuneiform tablets of administrative records and
lists of words, indicating a highly developed society already in existence
toward the end of the 4th millennium B.C.221 When one examines the opinions of
these learned scientists, it is clear that they believe that the evidence which
supports the Flood account is overwhelming. According to this opinion, this
terrible flood took place in or around 3000-2900 B.C. According to Mallowan's
account, 4-5 metres below the earth, Schmidt had reached a yellow soil layer
(formed by flood) made up of a mixture of clay and sand. This layer was closer
to the plain level than the tumulus profile and it could be observed all around
the tumulus. Schmidt defined this layer made up of a mixture of clay and sand,
which remained from the time of Ancient Kingdom of Cemdet Nasr, as "a sand
with its origins in the river" and associated it with Nuh's Flood. In
short, the excavations in the city of Shuruppak once again revealed the traces
of a flood around 3000-2900 B.C. Together with the other cities, Shuruppak was
in all probability struck by the Flood. The last settlement containing evidence
of being struck by the Flood is the city of Erech, south of Shuruppak. Today,
it is known as Tall Al-Warka. As in the other cities, a flood layer was also
discovered here. Like the other cities, this flood layer has been dated to
3000-2900 B.C. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers divide Mesopotamia from one end
to the other. It appears that in the era in question, these two rivers
overflowed, together with all other water sources, great and small, combining
with rainwater to create an enormous flood. This phenomenon is reported in these
terms in the Qur'an: {So We opened the gates of heaven with torrential water
and made the earth burst forth with gushing springs. And the waters met
together in a way which was decreed. We bore him on a planked and well-caulked
ship} [Al-Qamar:11-13]. When the clues obtained from the research are
evaluated, they indicate that the Flood covered all of the Mesopotamian plains.
When we look at the succession of cities-Ur, Erech, Shuruppak and Kish-that
bear the traces of the Flood, we see that they all lie in a line. In addition,
the geographical structure of the Mesopotamian Plain was very different in
around 3000 B.C. compared to its constitution today. At that time, the bed of
the River Euphrates was much further to the east than it is today, lying on a line
passing through Ur, Erech, Shuruppak and Kish. It therefore appears that the
Euphrates burst its banks in this region and destroyed the four cities. (Allah
knows best.) Allah imparted the news of Nuh's Flood in order that it should act
as a deterrent for those of that time and a valuable lesson to those who were
to come after, people like us. By means of the Prophets and books, He sent
guidance to different societies. However, each time the texts which were
brought to the people by Allah's Prophets were corrupted from their original
forms. Men added cultural, mystical or mythological elements to the true
account of the Flood. The Qur'an, because it is from Allah and because He
preserves it eternally, is the only source compatible with the archaeological
findings of the past.
Question:
Is it true that during the great flood in the time
of Prophet Noah AS, all mankind is destroyed?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah,
praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all
with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his
family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of
judgement.
The great
flood during the time of Prophet Noah AS has been detailed clearly in the
Quran, where all humans and animals are destroyed with the exception of humans
and animals who are on board in Prophet Noah’s ark and are saved from the flood
by Allah SWT.
There are a
few surahs that explained this incident. Here, we include several narrations of
this incident in the Quran:
First: In
Surah al-Syu’aara, Allah SWT states:
فَأَنجَيۡنَٰهُ
وَمَن مَّعَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡفُلۡكِ ٱلۡمَشۡحُونِ ١١٩ ثُمَّ أَغۡرَقۡنَا
بَعۡدُ ٱلۡبَاقِينَ 120
“So, We
saved him and those with him in the laden ship. Then We drowned thereafter the
remaining ones.”
Surah
al-Syu’aara (119-120)
Second: In
Surah Hud. Allah SWT states:
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ
أَمۡرُنَا وَفَارَ ٱلتَّنُّورُ قُلۡنَا ٱحۡمِلۡ فِيهَا مِن كُلّٖ زَوۡجَيۡنِ
ٱثۡنَيۡنِ وَأَهۡلَكَ إِلَّا مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡقَوۡلُ وَمَنۡ ءَامَنَۚ
وَمَآ ءَامَنَ مَعَهُۥٓ إِلَّا قَلِيل
“[So it
was], until when Our command came and the oven overflowed, We said, "Load
upon the ship of each [creature] two mates and your family, except those about
whom the word has preceded, and [include] whoever has believed." But none
had believed with him, except a few.”
Surah Hud
(40)
Third: In
Surah Yunus. Allah SWT states:
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَنَجَّيۡنَٰهُ
وَمَن مَّعَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡفُلۡكِ وَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمۡ خَلَٰٓئِفَ وَأَغۡرَقۡنَا ٱلَّذِينَ
كَذَّبُواْ بَِٔايَٰتِنَاۖ فَٱنظُرۡ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلۡمُنذَرِينَ
“And they
denied him, so We saved him and those with him in the ship and made them
successors, and We drowned those who denied Our signs. Then see how was the end
of those who were warned.”
Surah Yunus
(73)
Fourth: In
Surah al-Saffaat. Allah SWT states:
وَجَعَلۡنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُۥ
هُمُ ٱلۡبَاقِينَ ٧٧ وَتَرَكۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ فِي ٱلۡأٓخِرِينَ ٧٨ سَلَٰمٌ
عَلَىٰ نُوحٖ فِي ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٧٩ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجۡزِي ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
٨٠ إِنَّهُۥ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٨١
“And We
made his descendants those remaining [on the earth]. And left for him
[favorable mention] among later generations: "Peace upon Noah among the
worlds." Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, he was of Our
believing servants.”
Surah
al-Saffaat (77-81)
We include
the following commentaries of the mufassirun (scholars in tafseer) for the
above verses of the Quran:
- Al-Imam Ibn Kathir (w.774H)
Rahimahullah explained the following in his commentaries: “Ali bin Abi
Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas R.Anhuma: “Nothing remains after the great
flood except the offspring of the Prophet Noah AS.” (See Tafsir
Al-Quran Al-‘Azhim. Dar al-Taybah, 7/22)
- The same is stated by
Qatadah Rahimahullah: “All of mankind is from the offspring of the
Prophet Noah AS.” (See Tafsir Al-Quran Al-‘Azhim. Dar
al-Taybah, 7/22)
- The followers of the
Prophet Noah AS did not have any ancestry of their own (died of the flood
or are not remained). The only human descendants after the great flood is
the children of the Prophet Noah AS from his children; Saam, Haam and
Yaafith. (See Ibn Kathir. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah. Dar
al-Ihya’ al-Turath al-’Arabi, 1/130)
- Ibn ‘Asyour Rahimahullah
wrote the commentaries of the above verses stating: “Dhomir (pronoun)
for the word هُمُ الْبَاقِينَ is in the form of al-Hasr
(specification of something), which means there is nothing that remains
among humans except those Allah SWT has saved along with the Prophet Noah
in his ark and then they give birth to mankind today. Furthermore, the
only offspring of Adam left are the people saved in the Prophet Noah AS’s
ark and none of them give birth with the exception of the three children
of the Prophet Noah AS (Saam, Haam and Yaafith).” (See Al-Tahrir
wa al-Tanwir. Al-Dar al-Tunisiyyah li al-Nashr, 23/47)
- Al-‘Allamah al-Syeikh
al-Amin al-Syanqiti Rahimahullah also stated in his commentaries that the
children together with the Prophet Noah AS passed away with the exception
of the offspring of Prophet Noah AS. (See Adhwa’ al-Bayan,
3/13)
As for the
duration of the great flood, through our research, we found that it happened
for 150 days. We include the narration from al-Imam Ibn Kathir (w.774H)
Rahimahullah in his book al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah: “‘Ilba’ bin
Ahmar narrated from Ikrimah, while he narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas R.Anhuma, he
said: The people together with Noah in his ark are 80 men with their families
and they are on board for 150 days…”
The same is
stated by Qatadah Rahimahullah where he said: “They aboard the ark on the
tenth day of Rejab and set sail for 150 days and anchored on mount al-Judiyy
for a month. They finally disembark the ark on the tenth day of Muharram and
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari narrated by narration which is attributed to the Prophet
PBUH (marfu’) that they were fasting at the time.” (See al-Bidayah
wa al-Nihayah. Dar Hajr, 1/272-273)
Regarding
the issue of the destruction of mankind, some scholars hold the opinion that
the great flood did not affect all mankind, which means not all humans and
animals are affected by the flood. However, this opinion is general (umum) in
compared to the majority of the scholars (jumhur), in which they referred to
evidences which are more specific (khusus). They (the minority opinion) only
referred to a general verse of the Quran that states:
وَمَا
كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبۡعَثَ رَسُولا
“And never
would We punish until We sent a messenger.”
Surah
al-Isra’ (15)
Conclusion
According
to the above discussion, in our opinion the great flood in the time of Prophet
Noah AS destroyed everyone with the exception of the followers of the Prophet
Noah AS in his ark.
However,
this is not the matter that we should really focused on. We should take lessons
from the punishment of Allah SWT towards people who disobey the messenger that
has bent sent to them. The wisdom from this incident is for us to uphold and
obey everything that the prophets have taught especially following their
commandments and avoiding their prohibitions.
May Allah
SWT bless us with guidance in our lives and we pray that every one of us will
be able to receive mardhatillah. Amin.
Wallahua’lam.
(See Harun Yahya, , Ta - Ha Publishers, 2002)
------- 217. Werner Keller, Und die Bibel hat doch recht (The Bible as History;
a Confirmation of the Book of Books) (New York: William Morrow: 1964), 25-29.
218. Max Mallowan, Noah’s Flood Reconsidered (Iraq: XXVI-2: 1964), 70. 219.
Keller, Und die Bibel hat doch recht, 23-32. 220. “Kish,” Britannica
Micropaedia 6, 893. 221. “Shuruppak,” Britannica Micropaedia 10, 772 222. Max
Mallowan, Early Dynastic Period in Mesopotamia, Cambridge Ancient History 1-2,
(Cambridge: 1971), 238. 223. Joseph Campbell, Eastern Mythology, 129. 224.
Bilim ve Utopya (Science and Utopia), July 1996, 176. Footnote, 19:
bibliography Source: http://miraclesofthequran.com/historical_06.html
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