Noah And The Great Flood

By Layth Al-Shaiban (e-mail laytth@hotmail.com)

Disclaimer: This work is built on the understanding that the flood was a `global` event and as such all the points made are in relation to such an understanding. While the reader may disagree with the findings, the article is being presented for its thought provoking content.

The story of Noah and the Great Flood is a tale that has been repeated and retold by various cultures and various religious denomination spanning the length and breadth of the planet Earth. At its core is the story of how God was so angered with humankind that He instructed Noah to build a great ship with which to carry a pair of each animal and then He sent a flood to wipe clean the Earth and begin anew...

This article will attempt to construct the details of this event from the Quran while linking such events with their respective counterparts in archeology and science.

Noah Sent to Warn.

After God had created Adam and settled him and his mate on the plains of the Earth, generations of people sprang forth and multiplied until these generations lost the path of the One God and lived lives filled with evil. 

It was then that God decided to send a warner to the people through the prophet Noah...The details of what transpired have been recorded as follows:

"We have sent Noah to his people: `Warn your people before a painful retribution comes to them.` He said: `My people, I am to you a clear warner. That you shall serve God and be aware of Him and obey. He shall forgive your sins and delay you to a predetermined time. When God’s time comes, then it cannot be delayed, if you know.`" (71:1-4)

Noah warned and warned...But alas, you cannot make the deaf hear nor the blind see:

"He said: `My Lord, I have called on my people night and day. But my calling only drove them away! And every time I called on them so that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and they covered their heads with their outer garments and they insisted, and they became greatly arrogant. Then I called to them openly. Then I announced to them, and I spoke to them in secret. And I said: Seek forgiveness from your Lord, for He was forgiving. He sends the clouds upon you constantly. And He provides you with money and children, and He makes for you gardens, and He makes for you rivers. Why do you not seek God humbly. While He created you in stages? Did you not see how God created seven skies in layers? And He made the moon to illuminate in them, and He made the sun to be a lit flame? And God made you grow from the Earth like plants. Then He returns you to it, and He brings you out totally? And God made the land for you as a plain. So that you may seek in it ways and paths?`" (71:5-20)

And, as is an obvious human reaction to the warnings of the messengers, Noah was ridiculed and rejected:

"Noah said: `My Lord, they have disobeyed me and have followed whose money and children only increased him in loss.` And they plotted a great plotting. And they said: `Do not abandon your gods. Do not abandon Destroyer, nor Night Group, nor Helper and Deterrer and Eagle.` And they have misguided many, but We only increase the wicked in misguidance." (71:21-24)

Noah Ordered to Prepare the Ark for Himself, Believers, and Animals.

While he was still preaching to his people (and most were rejecting his preaching), Noah was instructed by the Almighty to construct an ark with which he was to carry his family, the believers, and a pair of every animal to be saved from the destruction when it came.

"So We inspired him: `Construct the Ship under Our eyes and Our inspiration. Then, when Our command comes and the volcano erupts, then you shall take on the Ship two from every pair, and your family; except for those of them upon whom the word has come. And do not address Me regarding those who have done wrong, for they will be drowned.`" (23:27)

The Flood was Sent.

As a result of the rejection and transgression of the people, God caused a cataclysmic event that made the Earth bring forth its water and drowned all the rejecters:

"They denied him (Noah), so We saved him and those with him in the Ship, and We made them to succeed each other, and We drowned those who denied Our revelations. So see how was the punishment of those who were warned!" (10:73)

"And the people of Noah, when they denied the messengers We drowned them, and We made them a lesson for mankind. And We have prepared for the wicked a painful retribution." (25:37)

Issues / Findings

While the story of the flood is quite straightforward, there are many issues/questions that present themselves and require a focused analysis.

The Flood Was Global.

While many have speculated that the flood was limited to a specific island or geographic region (mainly for logistic difficulty), the narration of the Quran tells us that the flood was indeed a global event for two main reasons:

1. Noah Prayed for the Complete Annihilation of all Mankind on Earth (not a specific people or region).

"And Noah said: `My Lord, do not leave on the Earth any of the rejecters at all. If you are to leave them, then they will misguide Your servants and they will only give birth to a wicked rejecter.`" (71:26-27)

Noah prayed for the Lord to `wipe clean the entire Earth` (not a village or geographic region)...And his prayer was indeed accepted and answered:

"And Noah when he called out before that, thus We responded to him, and We saved him and his family from the great distress. And We granted him victory against the people that denied Our revelations. They were a people of evil, so We drowned them all." (21:76-77)

2. God Ordered Noah to Carry a Pair of Every Animal.

"So We inspired him: `Construct the Ship under Our eyes and Our inspiration. Then, when Our command comes and the volcano erupts, then you shall take on the Ship two from every pair, and your family; except for those of them upon whom the word has come. And do not address Me regarding those who have done wrong, for they will be drowned.`" (23:27)

What is striking in the story of Noah is that God commanded him to carry a pair of each animal with him. When the people of Aad or Thamud or Lot were annihilated, we do not come across any command given by God to His messengers to `carry a pair of animals` from the town or village that is being wiped out even though in most these cases the destruction was complete and nothing alive was left standing.

Also, if the flood was only afflicting a specific region, then what need would Noah have to save animal life when he could just simply sail to the nearest dry land and settle there with his people? Obviously this command carries with it a very clear meaning that the flood was global and that Noah was saving animal life from certain extinction.  

Evidence of the Flood?

Nearly all people who reject the notion that there was a `global flood` point to the lack of any physical evidence to support a sudden and mass extinction of all life on Earth which is to be expected had such an event occurred.

The question that needs to be asked is not `where is the evidence` but `when is the evidence`?

That a sudden mass extinction took place on Earth (as would result from a global flood) is already a well known and universally established scientific fact...It has been catalogued and documented and is being taught in every science book throughout the world.

"The Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) extinction event, sometimes informally called the Great Dying, was an extinction event that occurred 251.4 million years ago (mya),[1] forming the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods. It was the Earth's most severe extinction event, with up to 96 percent of all marine species[2] and 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct.

The causes for the extinction event are similar to those found for the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event and has centered on large or multiple impact event(s) or increased vulcanism. However, other, though less-understood, events may have separately or in combination led to the extinction event."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permian-Triassic_extinction_event

The main reason people do not link between the overwhelming extinction evidence and the story of the global flood is the preconceived and unsupported notion that humanity has only been around for a few thousand years. 

How Old Was Noah?

"And We had sent Noah to his people, so he stayed with them one thousand less fifty years. Then the flood took them while they were wicked." (29:14)

The above verse provides a key to understanding events in their correct time context.

No reason exists nor evidence presented that shows human life-spans are getting shorter. Therefore, if a person in the best of health can now reach 120-130 years, then the people of ancient times cannot be far from that life-span range. Therefore, how can Noah be amongst his people for nearly 1,000 years and still be treated as a normal person? (nowhere do we read that his people were surprised by his age nor did they shun him for it...In-fact, they denied his messengership throughout).

The answer may be found by looking into a simple and well known scientific fact: The Earth is constantly slowing down.

Therefore, keeping in mind the basic definition of a year being: `1 complete rotation of the Earth around the sun`, then it may very well be possible that Noah and his people had normal life spans like we do today, however, because they lived at a time when the Earth was moving in its orbit around the sun much faster, then the length in the count of their years differed from the length of our count of today.

This view on the Quranic information would indeed place Noah closer to the event of mass extinction that occurred over two hundred million years ago.

Continental Drift.

Another fact worth pointing out by looking at any surface map of Earth is that the continents are drifting away from from each other at a steady rate.

We are told that the global flood wiped out all life (except that saved by Noah). The continental drift further supports the understanding that this event took place millions of years ago as the only surviving animals would have been those that were with Noah on the ark. Thus, for animal life to be found in a stand-alone continent such as Australia, it would mean that the surviving animals were able to make their way from the ark and then multiply and travel until they reached the lands of Australia before the continent began to drift from the mainland. Otherwise, we would have found animal life concentrated in 1 or 2 continents as the others would be unreachable for animals by land.

The last time our land-mass was connected (dubbed "Pangea") was during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras about 250 million years ago, before each of the component continents were separated into their current configuration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea

Different Human Races.

Another obvious fact that has been overlooked by most is the different races within humanity. The Africans, the Indians, the Chinese, the Europeans, etc.

While we are all beautiful in our differences, the reason we are different is directly related to the geography of the regions we live in. The Africans developed dark skin, curly dark hair, and wide noses to deal with the sun and the heat that they are exposed to. The Europeans developed light skin, blond hair, and thin noses to deal with the cold and lack of sunshine in their region.

The above genetic changes do not occur over hundreds or even thousands of years, but they occur over millions of years of slight genetic evolution so that the offspring is always stronger and more adaptable to the climate and regions he or she is living in.  

Ancient Human Evidence

What was most surprising during this research was the vast abundance of physical evidence that not only showed human beings existing millions of years ago, but also the evidence that such beings were intelligent to the level that we are intelligent today (if not more).

1. Ancient Human Finger

A fossilized human finger was found in rock dating back to the Cretaceous period (110 million years).

The finger was x-rayed to verify its authenticity and dispel the views that it may be a rock anomaly.

http://home.texoma.net/~linesden/cem/finger/finger.htm

2. Ancient Human Handprint

A fossil of a human handprint was found in limestone estimated to be 110 million years old.

http://paranormal.about.com/od/ancientanomalies/ig/Most-Puzzling-Ancient-Artifact/Impossible-Fossils.htm

3. Ancient Human Footprint (with shoe sole)

1922, a Dr. W.H. Ballou wrote the following, “Some time ago, while he was prospecting for fossils in Nevada, John T. Reid, a distinguished mining engineer and geologist, stopped suddenly and looked down in utter bewilderment and amazement at a rock near his feet. For there, a part of the rock itself was what seemed to be a human footprint! Closer examination showed that it was not a mark of a naked foot, but was, apparently, a shoe sole, which had been turned into stone. The forepart was missing but there was the outline of at least two-thirds of it, and around this entire outline ran a well-defined sewn thread, which had, it appeared, attached the welt to the sole.”

The account goes on to state that under 20X magnification the minutest detail of thread twist and warp proves conclusively that the shoe sole is not a “resemblance,” but is strictly the handiwork of man.

Partial shoe sole in Triassic rock from Nevada (Ballou 1922). The Triassic is dated at 213-248 million years ago

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/5-2-13/26398.html

4. Ancient Human Map

As recently as 2006, evidence was uncovered of a rare and unique find that would place the established human history theories on their head.

The find was a large slab of rock dating back 120 million years with an engraved 3D map of the local area near the city of today's Ufa.

 X-ray analysis confirmed the slab was artificially constructed, having been made with precision tools. Also, the map contains civil engineering works: a system of channels with a length of about 12,000 km, weirs, powerful dams. Not far from the channels, diamond-shaped grounds are shown, whose meaning is unknown. The map also contains numerous inscriptions.

http://www.xpeditionsmagazine.com/magazine/

articles/Russia/russia.html

5. Ancient Human Made Metal

In 1885, a block of coal was broken open to find a metal cube obviously worked by intelligent hands. The coal was dug out of nearly 100-million-year-old Cretaceous chalk in France.

6. Ancient Human and Dinosaur Footprints

Near the Paluxy River in Glen Rose Texas, evidence was found showing 14 sequential human footprints on the same platform with 134 dinosaur tracks from the same time era.

http://www.bible.ca/tracks/taylor-trail.htm

What Caused the Great Flood?

The reasons behind the sudden mass extinction of nearly 99% of all life on Earth nearly 251 millions years ago continue to be open to speculation, with the main theory being advanced is that the extinction was caused by a large meteor impacting the Earth and ending life through massive fires, hurricanes, tidal waves, etc.

While the above theory may be credible, it is always the testimony of the Almighty that we rely on for the accuracy of knowing past events:

"So, when Our command came and the volcano erupted. We said: `Carry in it two from every pair, and your family; except those against whom the word has been issued; and whoever believed.` But those who believed with him were few." (11:40)

The Quran tells us that the great flood was caused primarily by lava gushing forth from a volcano. It is very likely that this volcano was underwater (the Quran uses the words `faar altanoor` which is literally: `the oven boiled`) causing the sea water to turn to steam and this producing tidal waves as well as torrential rains.

Volcano erupts underwater near Solomon Islands, boils ocean (2002)

"The mass extinction at the end of the Permian Period was catastrophic and sudden," ravaging sea and land life, Rampino said. "The only thing we know of that can cause an extinction like this is a large impact of an asteroid or comet. But we still havent found conclusive evidence that an impact occurred."

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/planetearth/

extinction_permian_000907.html

The Remains of the Ark.

"We carried him on a craft made of slabs and mortar. It ran under Our watchful eyes; a reward for one who was rejected. And We have left it as a sign. Do any of you wish to learn?" (54:13-15)

The Quran tells us that the ark has been left as a sign from the Almighty. This now becomes an undisputed fact that the ark, or parts thereof (no matter how old) remain intact in fulfillment of the promise of the Almighty.

Some important observations which will help identify the ark can be seen as follows:

• The ark being sought is nearly 251 million years old;

• The ark is most likely made of stone slabs (Alwah in Arabic - Quran 7:14) which would ensure its survivability (or part thereof) until today;

• The ark was built on land and came to rest on land, which most likely means that its hull is flat in structure to give it stability in rising and landing;

• The ark came to rest on low flat land - a plateau (Istawat in Arabic - Quran 11:44) which is logical as it would need to unload hundreds of thousands of animals in safety;

• The size of the ark would need to exceed that of any aircraft carrier;

• The ark was most likely powered by some energy or ionization process (Mashhoon in Arabic - Quran 26:119).

One further clue we can gain from the Quran regarding the location of this great sign is a name/description of such plateau being given as "Judi" (the exact meaning is not clear at this stage).

"And it was said: 'O land, swallow your water, and O sky, cease.' And the water was diminished, and the matter concluded. And it came to rest (istawat) on the Judi, and it was said: 'Away with the wicked people.'” (11:44)

Only time will tell.