Aboard Noah's Ark - 2

It is interesting that in the Quran, there is almost no mentioning of the situation of the people aboard the ark during the flood. The two exceptions to this are the communication between Noah (pbuh) and his son and the prayer taught by God to the believers, both of which are linked to the beginning of the voyage. Following these, we are only told that the ark was cruising under the supervision of God Almighty. Then we are provided with a conversation between Noah and God after the flood, in which a message of blessing is given.

And when you have boarded the ship, you and those with you, then say, 'Praise to Allah who has saved us form the wrongdoing people.' Say, "Lord, grant us a blessed landing from the Ark; You are the One who provides the safest landing". (23/28-29)

Sailing under Our observation as reward for he who had been denied. (54/14)

It was said, "O Noah, disembark in security from Us and blessings upon you and upon nations [descending] from those with you... (11/48)

A rather plausible idea about what happened while on the ark during the flood is that the passengers all slept. If you read through the Quran, you see that sleep is a blessing that has been given to the servants of God on special occasions. The first of these cases is that of prophet Joshua pbuh. We are told that God made him sleep for hundred years, and then woke him to show a sign about how He is going to resurrect the dead (2/259). The second case of sleep is that of the Seven Sleepers, who were among the believers to the message of Jesus pbuh and who were made by God sleep for three centuries (18/25). Their sleep was a protection from the oppression of their people who were pushing them to revert to idolatry. Their awakening generations later was a sign of resurrection both for themselves and for the people living at the time.

The third example of sleep as a blessing is that before the battle of Badr between the first Muslims and the Meccan disbelievers. It was a situation where the intention of the believers was nothing more than retrieving their belongings and goods that were plundered by the disbelievers and were being sent to the markets of Damascus. So, the believers were not really there for a war, but God's plan was different. All-Seeing God descended upon them serenity and they couldn't help sleeping, whereas the opponents were overstressed. When the war broke out, with the help of angels sent by God, it didn't take too long for the believers to defeat the disbelievers.

When He made the slumber fall upon you as a reassurance from him and sent down water from the sky upon you, that thereby He might purify you, and remove from you the fear of Satan, and make strong your hearts and firm (your) feet thereby. (8/11)

When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike above their necks and strike every fingertip of them. (8/12)

With all these in mind, if we return to the believers on the ark during the flood, the fact that nothing mentioned about them on the ark could be a sign that there actually was nothing to be mentioned after all, because they were sleeping all along the journey, which was overseen and guided by God. Furthermore, when they woke up with all the serenity from the sleep, which probably happened shortly before they came out, they were mentally and bodily ready to tackle with everything else. 

At this point, it is noteworthy to remember that sleep is an essential part of brain operations. During the sleep, unlike what we suppose, brain is very active; especially during the deep sleep that is referred to as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. It has been scientifically proven that sleeping is an integral part of memory consolidation and the ability to perceive. In other words, thinking critically and deeply and making thoughtful decisions require a brain that has had its proper sleep.

Having had their deep sleep and a good rest, what were they thinking before they fell asleep: Why did all this happen and how to prevent a replay? Now, they can analyze things better and arrive at more objective conclusions thereof. Thanks to the events they have witnessed within their own lifetime, they can more wisely establish whys, what fors and hows. And in fact, this is a must on them, because they have the duty of starting a new line on a clean page that is going to trace a picture pleasing to their beloved Lord.

Aboard Noah's Ark - 1

To be or not to be in the ark... That was the stark line that separated life and death. But it also revealed for many the result of an exam on an eternal bliss vs eternal loss... Still, the life on the ark was that of this world and the passengers were confined to human conditions. That meant all of the worries, fears, hopes, angers, desires and question marks composing the human nature.

Are we going to survive these mountain-like waves? Even if we survived, how are we going to start life again, given the destruction of the flood? We've got limited food and water supply... 

These and many more uncertainties would face a strong answer, though.

We could have been among the crowd that has already drowned. God saved us by our faith and He is the guarantor of everything else during our voyage on this ark. His messenger is with us, too.

Yes, outside, the monstrous waves are smashing the hull of the ship, the wind is roaring wildly, which are scary, but at the same time, you are protected inside despite all that turmoil. You just need to learn to trust your Lord, the Sustainer. And with that trust, comes calmness that penetrates your body, and you fall asleep...

When you wake up, you see that you are still alive. Yes the waves are still smashing the hull, the wind is still roaring, and you are still protected. Although you are in a confined space, from another perspective, it is the events outside that are in a cage. They can't and don't penetrate the ark. So, you get used to this situation. Then, you start thinking more subtle and serious issues. Why and how did all this happen?

Yes, why did all this happen? Simple answer, because the others not only did not believe but also created a social system in which nobody could dare to approach Noah, let alone become a believer. They made sure that not only themselves but also future generations, too, are not going to fall to the calls of Noah. So, when all was done on both sides and when every attempt has failed, Noah prayed for the destruction of the disbelievers, for their society is going to bear none but those who violate and manipulate the freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and who create conflict on earth.

He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day. But my call has only made them flee the more. And verily! Every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in pride. (71/5-7)

Noah said, "My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children will not increase him except in loss. And they have devised a tremendous plot. (71/21-22)

And Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant. If You leave them, they will mislead Your servants, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers. (71/26-27)

So he invoked his Lord, "I am defeated; so, help!" (54/10)

Seeing the before and after of the events, you would definitely be engulfed in a mix of feelings. Relieved of the constant pressure and mockery of the disbelievers, but grieved at the loss of loved ones. Angry at the stubbornness of the wicked people in their despicable lives, but fearing your own existence and future... But an eventual thought would hit you. If you and other believers are saved along with the messenger of God, that means there is a continuation to this story. If there is a continuation, that means there is life, prosperity, family and a community of believers who are committed to each other. But would this dramatic end repeat itself somehow?

First of all, whether there is a possibility of a replay or not, you are responsible of teaching the faith to the new generations. For that, you sure are going to tell them what happened in the past, and the ark is going to be the ideal school building for that purpose. A school, a worship place, a sign for all future generations to come... This is all good but, what else can you do to ensure that people are not going to revert to the same atrocities against each other, even if they are personally in disbelief?

Conservation of Solitude

Reason, anger and lust are considered as the three fundamental powers of the ego. Each of these powers has its own source of energy and a field of deployment. In this article, I would like to delve into the power of reason, and then use it as a telescope to understand prophet Muhammad pbuh in a different way so that we can better emulate his example in our lives.

There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often. (33/21)

Reason is a distinctive property of the humans. Although the initial connotation of reason is individualistic, there is also collective reasoning through communication and through writing among individuals. Still, though, history testifies that revolutionary ideas and actions take spark from key figures, and spread from them. Masses, on the other hand, are associated with status-quo and constancy, and so, they need those unique individuals' initiative to reach a new state. As you can guess, such acceptance of a revolutionary idea or movement does not happen instantly. The society that will be the future home for that idea, more often than not, plays the antagonist during the developmental stage of the story. During this initial time period, those unique individuals who are the mothers of those ideas find solace in solitude.

If you think of solitude, it may sound negative, especially in this time of ubiquitous social media invasion and addiction. Historically, solitude is especially sought by those who are after wisdom and enlightenment. Imagine yourself sitting around a camp fire with a group of people. Although you are with others, watching the fire captures your soul, and you find yourself being dragged into a world of your own where you are blown away by thoughts, emotions and inspirations. That is you find solitude, despite being surrounded by people. Be careful, this solitude is not being lonely!

Seeking solitude and having ample time for contemplation alone are traits observed in the lives of many timeless leaders of humanity, messengers of God most prominent among them. The life details of Muhammad, the last and the best documented messenger of God, provide a fertile ground of study in this regard. It is well known that he used to climb the Mount Nour, and take shelter in the cave of Hira to contemplate. These sessions would last for days or weeks. His wife, Khatijah, would bring him food and water during these periods so that he, Muhammad, could go on with his seclusion without interruption.

Nevertheless, it was not normal for anyone to stay alone in the wilderness for so long. Therefore, this state of seclusion was alarming at the same time. Muhammad himself can be included among those who were concerned about this strange state of his, since when eventually the angel brought the first revelation, his reaction was to question whether he was going crazy or being possessed.

Before we go on, I think it is important to take a moment and see the big picture so far. Wisdom is sought and found not by masses but by individuals. Furthermore, wisdom is found not among people but in solitude. Plus, wisdom is fast embraced not by the society but by the individuals of critical thought. Life stories of messengers of God, especially prophet Muhammad for that matter, make a good example of all these points.

With all the known facts about wisdom and the events prior to the onset of the mission of Muhammad, you would guess that seeking solitude and wisdom at mountain tops would remain as an indispensable component of the messenger's routine, but it does not!

On the contrary, in an increasing rate, he becomes a public figure who is almost always surrounded by others, and whose house is visited by people even at inconvenient times. Those who are familiar with the occasions of revelations for certain verses in the Quran and are well versed in the prophet's life would appreciate the severity of these situations.

So, what happened to the solitude-seeking person? Ask anyone who loves solitude, they are going to tell you that being alone is like water and air for them, and that they cannot do without it. We understand that the same was true of Muhammad pbuh. Then, what happened to this intrinsic need of his? Did it miraculously disappear?

No! As his mission to convey the message of God to people required him to be with people, he also needed to refuel himself by being one-to-one with his Lord. That is, being alone in his former life transformed into being alone during his salaah. However, since he had to do the obligatory prayers in congregation, his thirst for being alone was channeled by God towards the voluntary salaah, which he could do alone.

In this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my comfort has been provided in prayer. (Sunan an-Nasa'i, 3939, grade: hasan)

Indeed, if you read through the books of hadith, you may not find too many occasions where the prophet was alone, but you can find countless occasions when he was offering voluntary prayers to Allah during the day or night. So, the "lonely thinker" of the former life was transformed to the "lonely worshiper" of the latter life.

Returning to us, here and now, along with the communication age, staying alone and contemplating has become a rare property. The business routine and the increasing pace of life are not favorable to the timeless attitude of wisdom. In all this, one way for the believers to accommodate this essential ingredient in their lives is by working on their salaah, and transforming it to the alone-time with the Eternal Light, as in the example of the messenger of God.

This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah -who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, (2/2-3)