General Quality of Movie: 6

Islamic Teachings: 3

Morals/Values: 8

Overall Benefit: 7

Imams MUST Connect with the Masses

When I first heard this movie was being released, I asked the laymen of our community – young and old – if they were going to see it. Actually most of them said they would either go out of curiosity or go in thinking it would be a morally based form of entertainment. The praise is God’s that He guided us to make a real connection with the average Muslims who are struggling with spirituality and are actually looking for guidance. This silent majority among us often feels shunned and/or alienated from religion by the chastising judgmental “conservative” Muslims whom I call the HARAM police. Many Imams pander to these peoples’ narrow and often rigid understanding of Islam. Sadly, if a status-quo Imam asked a layman about something, the answer of which could in any way be perceived as immoral, they will lie in fear of blame. This disconnect from the guidance of inclusive understanding of spiritual leadership is hindering the healthy growth of the Muslim community. Surely the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) knew the evils and vices of Makkah, but outside of polytheism and grave immorality he would not deal with the new Muslims with a judgmental attitude which is precisely why many chose to continue to so devoutly follow him even with such grave consequences. The Sunnah is:

“It was an act of God’s mercy that you were gentle and easy going with them. Had you have been rigid or harsh hearted then they wouldn’t have followed you…”(3:159)

It is of the utmost importance for Imams to not only connect with the masses, but to also build an environment that is conducive to spiritual growth. An environment that respects differences of opinion to encourage and empower all facets of the community.

Watching a Movie Depicting a Prophet

I have discussed this issue with some of my teachers and read the fatwas (rulings) of others. The basis of the majority position of prohibition is not that the Qur’an or Sunnah forbade it per say, but rather, they fear the harmful response which could be caused by the ignorance of the Muslim world.

I would say that this particular movie stayed true for the most part to the biblical Noah (peace be upon him) which, as we will see in the review, is quite contrary to the Qur’anic Noah (pbuh). So the point of this movie was by no means to make jest or speak ill of the life or person of Noah. Rather it was an attempt at capturing his greatness according to the Bible with a modern Hollywood touch to get the current generation to appreciate Noah and his story.

I can’t speak for the eastern world because I don’t understand their circumstances and how this ruling would apply to them. For the educated, diverse place I was raised in and live in, I would say that the concerns of the scholars in the East do not apply. For example, I grew up watching the 10 Commandments and Jesus of Nazereth. At no point did I believe that the actor was really the prophet and I have never seen anyone with a picture of those actors in their homes. I have never met or heard of an American who worshipped a picture of anyone. Finally, there are some hardline people here, Muslim and non-Muslim, who didn’t like the movie and disagreed with its depiction. None of those people caused any real harm as a result in terms of rioting and vandalism.

I would only advise a Muslim planning to see it or those who have seen it that if you don’t know the true story of Noah as depicted in the Qur’an then you shouldn’t take it as some sort of learning experience since it is far from the Qur’anic message of Noah (pbuh).

The Need for Muslims to Enter the Real World of Influence

Back in the 1950’s, when cinema and TV started to take root, the vast majority of scholars across the Muslim world addressed the issue of acting and filming as prophets, companions, or the great sages and leaders. They agreed that none of these should be portrayed. In the 1970’s, the scholars of Azhar agreed that there is a benefit to be derived from making some sort of depiction of the Seerah (the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ). So they agreed that neither the Prophet ﷺ nor the major companions who were given glad tidings of heaven could be depicted, but that they will make an exception for Hamza and Bilal radi Allahu `anhum (may God be pleased with them). This didn’t make much sense because indeed these were of the greatest companions, both of whom were also given the glad tidings of paradise, according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. So a few years ago, a group of prominent scholars including Sh. Salman al-Ouda gave their blessing for the content and plan to make a series on Umar’s (ra) life. Sh. Salman has given talks and advised Muslims to use film/television for da`wah (making people aware of Islam). Here is one of those: http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-431-4760.htm

In another article he says, “Fatwas have never stopped the general Muslim public from watching romantic movies and television series, most of which were imported from Turkey, South America, and Korea. The Gulf States were the largest market for such films, with almost no oversight or monitoring. At the same time, gifted Muslims with creative vision and a noble message to convey were being stifled. Investors were hesitant to support their projects because of the questions surrounding Muslim drama, and this potentially huge market was being left untapped.

“If poetry had been the repository of Arab culture in the old days, then film/tv has become the repository of culture of most of the nations of the Earth today. It is in these movies and television series that people’s customs, lifestyles, and approaches to problem solving are depicted. It is where their fears, anxieties, and dreams are given expression.

“It has an enormous potential to express ideas, effect change, and form public opinion. It engages multiple senses, not just hearing or sight in isolation, and it addresses all human interests. It entertains, educates, and persuades all at the same time.”

Detailed Review of “Noah”

As a movie among movies, it was often boring, seemingly long, and drawn out. There was some good action sequences and some awesome special effects. The plot and main character was dark and hard to stomach, but the ending was good.

As far as general compatibility with our morals and values, it was void of profanity or any considerable nudity other than what you might see in public. Strangely it seemed not to endorse the institution of marriage as Noah’s son just made relations with his adopted sister and thus they were considered a couple with no sort of marriage. The violence was intense, but not so graphic. There was a segment where a spiritual experience was induced by some sort of hallucinogenic drink and in the end the lead character got drunk to relieve the pain of his depression.

The biggest concern for a Muslim regarding this movie is the major difference in the depiction of Noah (pbuh) and his message between the Bible and the Qur’an. First and foremost is the source of the conflict. The movie is depicting all of the people as believing in God, The Creator, whereas the Qur’an teaches that Noah’s people had deviated into polytheistic beliefs. Similarly the movie depicts a group of fallen angels whom God punished by turning into rock creatures. The Qur’an teaches that angels, by nature, act in full accordance to God’s will without exception and they are not tested with choice. Thus there is no such thing as a fallen angel in Islam.

The movie’s plot is that God has decreed irreversible damnation for the people’s corruption and iniquity from the get-go. It depicts Noah, not as a messenger of God, but rather as a servant to carry out His will in saving life to start over without humanity. The Qur’an teaches that God sent Noah as a messenger of divine mercy to teach his people pure monotheism and morality in order to save them from destruction and damnation. The movie makes the mission of Noah as an outsider nomad; there with his family simply to build the ark to save the means for future life on Earth without people. The Qur’an teaches that Noah lived integrated among society calling them to monotheism and submission to God. Only after hundreds of years of obstinate rebellion does Noah express his hopelessness in his people and God responds by informing him to build the Ark.

The movie depicts Noah’s people believing in Noah’s warning of a flood and so they devised a plan to survive by taking the ark by storm. The Qur’an teaches that the people mocked and ridiculed Noah while building the ark and even when the rain and floods began they still saw it as coincidence and sought to survive on the mountain. The movie depicts the end of humanity with no followers of Noah whereas the Qur’an teaches that there were many believers who embraced the prophethood and message of Noah and thus joined him on the ark.

The movie is in accordance with the Qur’an in that Noah himself was a very strong and devoutly obedient servant of God. The movie depicts him as a dark, semi-confused man who sees no hope for anyone from the very first time he receives revelation, whereas the Qur’an teaches that he was a merciful man who worked hard calling people to repentance and divine forgiveness. The movie depicts Noah as getting drunk to alleviate the pain of his confusion in understanding God’s will. The Qur’an teaches that all prophets of God are blessed and strive spiritually to moral excellence, and although capable of human error and minor sin; none committed a major sin. They are God’s emissaries on Earth and are the best human examples of piety.

The movie depicts a worldwide flood that destroys everything except what is on the ark. Some Muslim scholars made that common Biblical interpretation as the verses could be interpreted as such, yet they stipulate the condition that Noah’s message had reached all of mankind and they rejected it. Otherwise many Qur’anic commentators cite various points in the linguistics of the story that show the flood to be localized to the vicinity of Noah’s people.

The Overall Benefit

I saw huge benefit in this movie in that it confirmed my faith in the Qur’anic version that fits a comprehensive form of reasonable morality. This movie emphasized why people struggling with faith talk about “the god” of the Bible being illogical and merciless. Obviously we believe that God revealed the original scriptures that now make up the Bible, but it is clear through the miracle of the Quran, historical evidence, and common sense that man has altered its message.

The second lesson is in the huge potential of conveying the message of Islam, if we were to take Sh. Salman’s guidance and if many prominent scholars and donors can get over the scripturally baseless ruling prohibiting people from acting as prophets. It would be hugely advantageous to Islam and the Muslims if we made high-quality, well-funded, scripturally proper, and well-acted depictions of the prophets and our great history.

These are just my personal honest and sincere reflections, and God knows best.

The Prophet ﷺ is our best role model, but he taught us to also love the previous Messengers and to learn from their lives (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all). Contained in the Qur’an are riveting stories and beautiful characteristics of the Prophets and Messengers that we rarely learn about. Unlike other religious texts, the Qur’an praises, honors and gives us a real glimpse into the lives of these great men from Nuh (Noah), to Zakariyah (Zakariah), and Ibrahim (Abraham) to Dawud (David).

Shukr: Gratitude

Allah swt describes many of the Prophets and Messengers as being grateful and thankful to Him. Shukr (gratitude) is not only to recognize Allah’s Favors, but it also means to use His Favors for good and to thank them, through worship or other means, for blessing you with them. Shukr necessitates action, and it is not just lip service. We learn this from the famous narration of A’isha radi Allahu anha (may Allah be pleased with her) when she asked the Prophet ﷺ why he was still praying the night prayer when Allah has forgiven his past and future sins. He replied, “Shall I not be a thankful servant?”

Allah azza wa jal says about Nuh (peace be upon him):

“Indeed, he was a grateful servant.” (17:3)

Nuh `alayhi sallatu wa sallam (may Allah send his peace and blessings on him) was the first Messenger sent to the earth, and Allah swt specifically mentions his gratitude in this verse, referring to him as “shakoora,” very grateful. The structure of this word points to how the gratefulness of Nuh (as) was constant and consistent. Nuh (as) called to the way of Allah for 950 years, so why wasn’t he described as an `abdan saboora, a very patient servant?  Why has Allah highlighted his shukr? When Allah calls Nuh (as) a grateful servant, it illustrates the type of patience he really had. With all of his problems, he found a way to thank Allah ta’ala! And this is why he is ‘abdan shakoora, a very grateful servant.

Mujahid says in the commentary of this verse that “Nuh would not eat anything without thanking Allah for it and he would not drink anything without thanking Allah for it, so Allah described him as a grateful servant.”

In another narration, Muhammad ibn Ka’b said regarding this verse, “When Nuh would eat, he would say: Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah), and when he would drink, he would say Alhamdulillah, and when he put on his clothes, he would say Alhamdulillah, and when he would ride his animal, he would say Alhamdulillah, so Allah called him a grateful servant.”

Nuh (as) would praise and thank Allah every time he was given a blessing, even blessings such as clothing and food, which often slip our minds because they are so abundant in our societies. We learn from this that thanking Allah for His favors doesn’t only mean that we thank Allah whenever we are given something great like a child or a job, but we even thank Allah for the simple things like food, clothing, and shelter. Nuh (as) did not forget to thank Allah for these things, and because he thanked Allah for his food, clothing, and transportation, Allah described him as a thankful servant.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say specific supplications for eating, drinking, putting on clothes and riding. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah will be pleased with His slave who praises Him (i.e., says alhamdulillah) when he eats and praises Him when he drinks.” [Muslim]

We should memorize these supplications and put them into practice in our daily lives, and make it a habit to say Alhamdulillah in all situations, like Nuh (as).

Allah azza wa jal also describes Ibrahim (as), the close friend of Allah (khalilullah), as Shaakiran Li An’umihi, grateful for His favors:

“[He was] grateful for His favors.” (16:121)

Imam ibnul Qayyim rahimahullah (Allah have mercy) says regarding this verse,

“Allah swt describes Ibrahim as an Ummah, meaning he was a leader. Then He describes him as a Qaanit Lillah, meaning one who is very obedient and constant in obeying Allah, and a Haneef, meaning he turned away from all that was worshipped besides Allah. Then He swt ends by saying Ibrahim was grateful for His favors, showing that his gratefulness was the best of his honorable traits.” [Uddat al-Saabireen, 113-114]

Allah swt also commanded Dawud (a) and his family to be grateful; He says:

“Work, O family of David, in gratitude.” (34:13)

Thabit al-Binani says regarding this verse, “Dawud would divide the hours of the night and day between his family so that there wouldn’t be an hour of the night or day except that a person from the family of Dawud would be praying, so Allah addressed them all by saying, ‘Work, O family of David, in gratitude.’” [Uddat al-Saabireen]

Returning to Allah

Allah (the Most High) describes many of the Prophets in Surah Sad as Awwaab, returning and repenting to Him. He (ta’ala) says about Dawud, Sulayman, and Ayyub (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them):

“Indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah].” (38:19, 30, 44)

Awwaab comes from the root which means to turn back. When it is used as a description for someone, it means they constantly repent to Allah and return to His obedience. Imam as-Sa’di explains this characteristic to mean one who is“constantly returning to Allah with hope, fear and love, and turning to Allah with regards to matters of this worldly life and the hereafter. [It is to] call upon Allah for all of your needs, to remember Him and to repent to Him whenever you fall into error.”

Allah (azza wa jal) describes Dawud, Sulayman, and Ayyub – three of the Prophets who were tested greatly – with these traits showing their status with Allah and their complete reliance and love for Him. We learn from this that tests and trials should bring us closer to Allah and should make us awwaab. Allah may send trials our way so that we can repent to Him, raise our hands in supplication to Him and turn back to His Obedience.

We also learn that even though they were among the best of mankind, they were still humble in front of Allah. Unfortunately, one of the greatest diseases we suffer from nowadays is being amazed with oneself and self-contentment. Many Muslims feel that they are above worshiping Allah, while others feel that because they seek knowledge or volunteer at the masjid, they are doing enough good. This is a dangerous path to be on. We must look to the example of the Prophets and Messengers who were awwaab and turned to Allah in every situation, called upon Him in hope and fear, love Him, and repented to Him.

Racing to Good Deeds

Allah (The Most High) describes Zakariya, his wife and their son, Yahya (peace be upon them),

“So We responded to him, and We gave to him John, and amended for him his wife. Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate to Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive.” (21:90)

After Allah mentions that He provided Zakariya and his wife with a righteous child, He mentions their good qualities, the first one being that they raced to good deeds. Imam As-Sadi explains, “They would race to do good deeds at every opportunity and perform them during the best times. They would do these good deeds willingly and happily, and they would not leave any good deed that was within their ability.”

The scholars say that Allah (the Most High) mentions their good qualities immediately after mentioning that He answered their supplication for a righteous child because their good deeds led to their supplications being answered. We learn from this that doing good deeds is a cause of our supplications being answered.

We also learn from this that they did good deeds as a family unit – we saw with the family of Dawud (as). Many times we see very practicing people in our communities who are well-mannered and doing good deeds in the masjid but when they go to their homes, they become ill-mannered, careless and do not teach their families. The Prophets and Messengers were not like this; in fact they called their families to good first and taught them just as they taught their people.

Repentant and Kind

Allah describes Ibrahim (a):

“Indeed Abraham was compassionate and patient.” [9:114]

Imam Sa’di  describes these two characteristics in his tafsir:

“[He was] awwaah meaning: He was continually returning and turning back to Allah in all of his affairs and he was one who supplicated to Allah, remembered Him, repented to Him and sought forgiveness a lot. [He was] haleem meaning: very merciful and kind to the creation and in overlooking the wrongs they committed against him. Their ignorance did not faze him, nor did their crimes affect him. Rather when his father said to him, “I will surely stone you!” [19:46], he replied to him, “Peace be upon you, I will seek my Lord’s forgiveness for you.” [19:47]

Ibrahim (as) worshipped Allah in every way he could, and he was also a man of great character. Many times we find Muslims who do many acts of worship, but at the same time, they are harsh and rude to the people. This is not the way of the Prophets! We should give more importance to improving our character as the Prophet ﷺ said, “The best of you is the best among you in conduct.” [Bukhari and Muslim] He also said, “Bad character ruins good deeds just as vinegar ruins honey.” [At-Tabarani]

We learn from these traits that worshiping Allah and having good character are equally important to a Muslim, and we should strive in attaining both good character and being an obedient slave of Allah.

Strength and Understanding

Allah says about Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Ya’qub (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them),

“And remember Our servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – those of strength and [religious] vision.” [38:45]

Allah describes them as Ulil Aydi wal Absar, those of strength and understanding. The meanings of this description are many:

• Ibn Jareer at-Tabari says regarding this description, “Aydi meaning strength. They were strong in their worship of Allah and upon His obedience. Al-Absar meaning they were people of insight, possessed hearts of understanding, and true intellect.”
• Ibn Abbas radi Allahu `anhuma (may Allah be pleased with him) says, “They were honored with strength and worship, and understanding of the religion. “
• Qatadah says, “They were given strength in their worship and insight in the religion. Ulil Aydi can also mean that they worked righteous deeds.”
• Finally, ibn Katheer says, “They worked good deeds, possessed beneficial knowledge, strength in their worship and clear insight.”

Allah specifically describes Dawud (as) with the characteristic of strength,

And remember Our servant, David, the possessor of strength. (38:17)

Dawud (as) was known for his avid worship. Here we see Allah describing him as Dhal Aydi , meaning that he was strong both in physical worship and spiritually with his heart. Az-Zujjaj says that the strength of Dawud (as) with regards to his worship was the best, as the Prophet ﷺ told us that the best of fasting is the fasting of Dawud (as). Allah (The Most High) continues to describe,

“Indeed, We subjected the mountains [to praise] with him, exalting [Allah] in the [late] afternoon and [after] sunrise. And the birds were assembled, all with him repeating [praises].” (38:18-19)

The worship of Dawud (as) was so great that even the birds and mountains praised and glorified Allah along with him!

We learn from this description Ulil Aydi wal Absar that these Prophets were great worshipers of Allah, had understanding of their religion and intellect. To have strength in worship means that you are consistent in good deeds and that you perform many acts of worship even if they are small. Unfortunately, many of the community activists and students of knowledge focus on benefiting their community and wane in their worship of Allah. We see here that the Prophets’ worship was described with strength, showing how much they worshiped Allah and how great their quality of worship was. Allah (swt) points to their strength before their knowledge and understanding, showing the importance of being strong in worship. As callers and students in our communities, we should never fall short in our worship.

Remembering the Hereafter

Allah swt continues to describe Ibrahim, Ya’qub and Ishaq (peace be upon them),

“Indeed, We chose them for an exclusive quality: remembrance of the home [of the Hereafter].” (38:46)

Allah (the Most High) selected these Prophets because they would remember the hereafter and they would remind their people of the hereafter. Mujahid says, “Allah chose them for their remembrance of the hereafter, because it was most important to them and as a result, made them do the deeds of the hereafter.” Malik ibn Dinar says, “Allah removed the love of this world from their hearts and replaced it with exclusive love from the hereafter and its remembrance.”

Allah (the Most High) focuses only on this one trait in this verse, highlighting the importance of remembering the hereafter, working towards it and also reminding others of it. Allah (the Most High) raised their rank and chose them from all of mankind because of the importance they gave to the hereafter, He says:

“And indeed they are, to Us, among the chosen and outstanding.” (38:47)

We learn from this description of the Prophets that Allah (the Most High) raises people through their remembrance and working for the hereafter. It is not enough to only remember death, the grave and the Day of Judgment when a friend or family member passes away.  The hereafter should be a constant reminder and should be one of the greatest motivators for us to do good deeds.

The Prophet ﷺ narrated a supplication, “O Allah, do not make this world our biggest goal nor the height of our knowledge.” We should learn this supplication and ask Allah to remove the love of this world from our hearts, and to make our focus for the hereafter.

We now have a glimpse into the lives of these great men with this short and brief analysis on their characteristics and qualities. These men, with the help of Allah, called their people to Allah for years, they ruled nations, they were leaders – but they were also strong worshipers of Allah, possessed firm hearts, remembered the hereafter, were kind and gentle and were grateful to their Lord. Let us try our best to emulate these men who are the best to have ever walked this earth.