God subsequently sent Noah as His messenger. He was granted an exceptionally long life of nine hundred and fifty years. During this extended period, he continued to show people the right path, generation after generation. Only a few people heeded his words. The rest persisted in their sinful ways. Then, in accordance with the ways of God, a huge flood engulfed them by way of punishment. Noah and his small band of followers were saved in an ark, while all the rest were drowned.
At that time, human population was probably concentrated only in the region of Asia known as Mesopotamia. The men and women saved in the wake of this flood settled afterwards in other parts of the world. Their race multiplied until it spread over the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.
After the death of Noah, his people continued for a considerable time to adhere to the divine path shown by him. But again degeneration set in amongst later generations and they deviated from the path of monotheism and justice. God’s messengers—the Quran has mentioned twenty-six by name—continued to come for several thousand years. The corpus of Hadith informs us that about one hundred thousand messengers came to the world. In this way a long period elapsed between Adam and Jesus, when God’s messengers continued to come to the world in almost every generation. But each time only a few individuals believed in them. The majority continued to reject these prophets in every age.
I will tell you something very serious. If we don’t devote ourselves to dawah work, we won't be successful. God will protect us only when we do dawah, or conveying God's message to the world.
Once there was a gathering of scholars in Hyderabad. People there had supposed that in India, Muslims' life and wealth were not protected. This is what people there believed. I don’t believe so. But people generally believe that in India, Muslims' life and property are not protected. People were speaking according to their mindset. Some were blaming the police. Some were saying other things.
I stood up in the end and recited this verse: Copy Arabic text (5:67)
All scholars were present. I said: This verse tells us that the secret of protection from people is dawah ilallah. Ismat means protection. If you want protection, do dawah. Protection from people comes when you convey God's message to people. The situation in the world today is marked by anarchy, killing and the problem of global warming. I want to say that if we want to be safe from difficulties that afflict us, we have to do dawah work. This is what happened in Prophet Noah's time. A flood came in Prophet Noah's time. There was water everywhere. Prophet Noah's son didn’t support him. Prophet Noah asked him to come aboard his ark. He replied that he would climb up the mountain. The water level rose to such a great extent that it overcame the mountain. The son was drowned in this flood. Prophet Noah had told him that he wouldn’t be safe anywhere except on the ark. We have no ark today, but we can do dawah work. Only dawah work can protect you. Otherwise, you cannot save yourself.
