The Doctrinal Factor in the Emergence of the Second Human Civilization
Selections from the Book Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) And the Causes for the Demise of the Civilization of the People of Aad…
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (03)
The first thing that Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) began with in his call to his people was to invite them to worship Allah alone. This is no surprise, for the call to monotheism is the foundation of every divine message and the establishment of every godly civilization.
By observing the verses that mention Noah's (peace be upon him) invitation, we notice the repetition of the central idea for emphasis. He began by calling his people to worship Allah alone, out of his concern for them from the punishment of Allah, as Allah Almighty said: {We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day."} [Al-A'raf: 59].
Thus, we notice that the Holy Qur'an does not repeat secondary meanings but repeats the central truth, or what is known in literature as the "main idea" or "theme". Therefore, we say that the events repeated in the Holy Qur'an are those containing an important central truth, such as matters of belief. Belief is the foundation of the entire religion, and everything in the religion, in general or in detail, is connected to belief, either directly or indirectly. Hence, the truth of belief needs to be continuously repeated due to its special importance. Therefore, we find this theme repeated in Noah's dialogues with his people to affirm and establish the belief in their hearts. There is no civilization without a firmly rooted belief in the hearts of its followers.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) And the Causes for the Demise of the Civilization of the People of Aad, pp. 133-134.
- Educational Methods in the Call of the Messengers through Surah Al-A’raf, Yasser Hassan Arif, Master’s Thesis, Umm Al-Qura University, 1429 AH, p. 131.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) And the Causes for the Demise of the Civilization of the People of Aad on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
