Prophets Ādam, Nūḥ and Hūd: The Patience of the Prophets
Section 9 of 30 · Lives of the Prophets
The First Messenger to the People of the Earth
So Nūḥ was the first messenger of Allah to the people of the world. And that is mentioned in ḥadīth al-shafāʿah, the authentic hadith of al-shafāʿah: when the people on the Day of Judgement go to Nūḥ, what will they tell him? Anta awwalu al-rusuli ilā ahli al-arḍ: you are the first messenger of Allah to the people of the world. So Sayyidunā Nūḥ is the first messenger to the people of the earth.
And he is one of the five Ulū al-ʿAzm. Ulū al-ʿAzm are the greatest five of the Anbiyāʾ of Allah (swt), and Nūḥ is one of them. The other four are Sayyidunā Muhammad (peace be upon him), Ibrāhīm, Mūsā and ʿĪsā. Muhammad (peace be upon him), Ibrāhīm, Nūḥ, Mūsā and ʿĪsā: these five are Ulū al-ʿAzmi min al-rusul. The greatest of them is Muhammad (peace be upon him).
What was the message of Nūḥ? Allah (swt) says:
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنِّى لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ أَلِيمٍ
“We sent NūH to his people (saying to them): “I am here to warn you that you should worship none but Allah, (otherwise) I fear for you the punishment of a painful day.”” (11:25–26)
Wa laqad arsalnā Nūḥan ilā qawmihi innī lakum nadhīrun mubīn, allā taʿbudū illā Allāh. Allah (swt) says: and indeed We sent Nūḥ to his people, and he said, I have come to you as a plain warner, that you worship none but Allah. This is the message that every Nabī has presented to the world: do not worship anyone but Allah. Tawḥīd, the unity of Allah (swt) — that is the message of every Nabī.
أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ
“that you must worship Allah, and fear Him, and obey me,” (71:3)
And he tells them: ani ʿbudū Allāha wa-ttaqūhu wa aṭīʿūn — that you should worship Allah, be dutiful to Him, and obey me. So the Nabī told them to worship Allah (swt), and to have taqwā, and to obey me.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآءُوكَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
“We did not send any Messenger but to be obeyed by the leave of Allah. Had they, after having wronged themselves, come to you and sought forgiveness from Allah, and had the Messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would certainly have found Allah Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful.” (4:64)
Wa mā arsalnā min rasūlin illā li-yuṭāʿa bi-idhni Allāh: every messenger that We sent, We sent him to be obeyed. The Anbiyāʾ of Allah don't just come and deliver a message and leave. They deliver the message, and they tell the people that they have to obey them. And this is taḥkīm al-sharīʿah; this is the establishment of the law of Allah. They came to be followed, and to be obeyed.