Deluge 2.

(71-1-29)(7-59)(11-25-27)(23-24)(107-108)(24-24)

     But the truth is a fact which exists independently, whether people recognize it or not.  The system of slavery is a glaring example of this fact.  For centuries this system prevailed in the universe.  The advocates of this system piled reason upon reason to justify it, but its intrinsic ugliness and its abhorrent consequences made it a failure.  In our modern time, the system of slavery is acknowledged as an abomination of the past and is condemned universally.

     Noah introduced a fundamental principle in his society: that all human beings are equal.  His society was based on the division of labor, leading to a rigid caste system.  All the working classes were exploited by the rich leaders, on pretexts such as birth in a high up family.   Their declaration was that since they were born in high-class families which belonged to gods, they incurred a right to rule or rather exploit the menial workers.

       Noah said that the entire universe is created by one sovereign God. Moreover, no man has the power to control into which family he or she is going to be born.  The accident of birth, over which humans have no control, should not determine anyone’s future.

       The society of Noah, which was based on the exploitation of laborers, was not ready for this radical change in its structure.  Many prophets before Noah came to this nation and raised their voices against the unjust and colossal waste of human resources, but their voices produced no tangible results.  Noah was the last in this chain of prophets to recast the forgotten message to this unruly and cruel nation.

            The first step taken by the leaders was to instigate mobs and make emotional appeals to their religious sentiments.  They said, “Noah has the effrontery to change our religious tradition.  He is saying there is only one God who is the creator of the entire universe.   Do not care for his sayings, and forsake not our gods Wadd, Suw’a, Yaghuth, Ya'uq and  Nasr.  Moreover, his teachings are against the sayings of our forefathers.”

The Deluge - 1.

(71:10)(26:105-106)(25:37)(53:52)

          The Quran starts with a short prayer to God, asking for a balanced way of life, which could save humanity from all the dangers, pitfalls, and hindrances in life.  The prayer further illustrates the balanced way of those people who were receiving His favors and blessings in the past.  The seeker does not want to tread the path of those who provoked His wrath, or were unable to find the right directions.  The story of the prophet Noah illustrates the crucial problem of people when they went astray and destroyed themselves.

 

The Deluge

Between approximately five or six thousand years ago, the human beings learned to live together.  It was the dawn of civilization; humans were settling in villages and towns to live together.  They had learned that their safety and security against the wild beasts of the jungles and many other hazards lay in living together.

          The Quran tells the story of one civilized community who lived in a lush green valley surrounded by lofty peaks of mountains; we can easily call this period the dawn of civilization. The Quran is not a book of geography; therefore, the exact location and place is not mentioned in the Quran.  The only thing which is told is that in a lush green valley lived a strong nation.  There was no means of modern transportation in that period of time; moving from one place to another was very slow and difficult. Every village and tribe was a self contained unit; therefore, the guidance given by God was not universal.  It was local and mostly discussed the problems concerning that community.

            The Prophet Noah was sent to a community which had divided its residents according to the work they performed.  It was a cruel and unjust social and cultural system which had no place for progress and improvement for common people.  Noah was a member of that society, but he revolted against the prevailing norms.  He was not the first person who had revolted against the social order; before him many messengers of God had come and unsuccessfully tried to change the system.  People did not try to see the truth behind the warnings and refused to acknowledge the truth.