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[53:28] They had no knowledge about this; they only conjectured. Conjecture is no substitute for the truth.
Conjecture means an opinion or conclusion formed based on incomplete or wrong information.
If we compare the story of Noah in the Bible and the Quran, it is very different. I really appreciate the Quranic version because it brings out the true meaning which gets lost in the Bible.
The Biblical account begins in Genesis 6:5-7: The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”
It is blasphemous to think that that God was unaware of what was happening on earth, that He had made a mistake, or that He was “deeply troubled” by a “mistake”. But the story continues. The building of the ark is described in detail, and God commanded Noah to collect a pair of every creature living on earth and put them in the ark. There are an estimated 2 million species on earth. In a time of primitive tools and technology, how could you build a boat big enough and strong enough to accomplish this task? One can’t help but think about how crowded and noisy and confusing this ark would have been. In this story, we’re talking about elephants and hippos and mice and chickens.
And what kept the lion from eating the lamb?
The Biblical account says that rain came for forty days and every living creature on the whole earth perished in the flood waters, except those safe in the ark. The water stayed high for one hundred and fifty days, and “then God remembered Noah and all the animals.” So, He made the waters subside and after a few more months, Noah and the animals were able to emerge from the ark. They had lived on this boat for over a year. Even sincere people would wonder where all the food to feed all these animals for a year came from. Then, in the story, God said He would put a: … bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When…the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living things…. (Genesis 9:13-15)
This is the Biblical story in Genesis 6:5-9:17. This is what we’re taught in Sunday School. How many inaccuracies or contradictions will most people see in this story? What effect will it have? Yet it’s what is passed on from generation to generation.
The Quran gives us the true account of many historical events: [12:3] We narrate to you the most accurate history through the revelation of this Quran. Before this, you were totally unaware.
The story of Noah in the Quran is told in several places, but let’s look at 11:25-49 to get a clear and accurate picture of the event.
[11:25] We sent Noah to his people, saying, “I come to you as a clear warner. [11:26] “You shall not worship except GOD. I fear for you the retribution of a painful day.”
God knew exactly what was happening in the world, and He sent Noah as a warner out of mercy, giving the evil humans a chance to repent and reform.
But the leaders protested and most people followed those leaders. There were a few who believed, but the leaders labeled them as “the worst among us.” Noah continued to deliver the message, telling them to worship only God. And the people continued to turn a deaf ear, finally challenging him “to bring the doom you threaten us with, if you are truthful.”
Noah knows that everything comes from God and that he, Noah, was simply a warner, offering sound advice, but knowing that if they refuse to listen, no advice will help them. Finally, Noah is inspired by God that no one else is going to believe, so he’s told to build the ark.
[11:37] “Build the ark under our watchful eyes, and with our inspiration, and do not implore Me on behalf of those who have transgressed; they are destined to drown.”
[11:38] While he was building the ark, whenever some of his people passed by him they laughed at him. He said, “You may be laughing at us, but we are laughing at you, just as you are laughing.
[11:40] When our judgment came, and the atmosphere boiled over, we said, “Carry on it a pair of each kind,* together with your family, except those who are condemned. Carry with you those who have believed,” and only a few have believed with him.
Then we have the footnote for these verses which helps us better understand what really happened.
*11:40 & 44 This is God’s proven truth: Noah’s ark was made of logs, tied together with primitive ropes (54:13). Contrary to common belief, the flood was limited to the area around today’s Dead Sea, and the animals were only Noah’s livestock; not every animal that lived on earth.
Much more realistically in this time and place, they climbed onto a raft—just a few people and a few animals.
An important narrative in the Quran that has been left out of the Biblical story is about Noah’s son. Noah begs him to come on board, but his son insists that he will be safer on high ground.
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