Why is Noah referred to as “the Second Adam”?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The Prophet Noah preached the religion of Allah among his people for 950 years (al-Ankabut, 29/14), but his people did not accept Noah as a prophet. Thereupon, he invoked a curse upon his people, and they were drowned in the waters of the Great Flood.

Prophet Noah is called “the second Adam”. Some say that all the human races on the earth now are descended from the three sons of Prophet Noah: “Ham, Sam (Shem) and Yafas (Japheth)”. They base this on the complete destruction of the unbelievers during the Flood. In this context, it is noted, for example, that the Arabs and Jews descended from Shem, while the Turks descended from Japheth.

What is overlooked here is this: It was not only the sons of Prophet Noah who were on the ark; some believers—though few in number—were also on the same ark. The Quran describes it as follows:

حَتّٰٓى اِذَا جَٓاءَ اَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ التَّنُّورُۙ قُلْنَا احْمِلْ ف۪يهَا مِنْ كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَاَهْلَكَ اِلَّا مَنْ سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ وَمَنْ اٰمَنَۜ وَمَٓا اٰمَنَ مَعَهُٓ اِلَّا قَل۪يلٌ

“At length, behold! there came Our command, and the fountains of the earth gushed forth! We said: “Embark therein, of each kind two, male and female, and your family - except those against whom the word has already gone forth,- and the Believers.” but only a few believed with him.” (Hud, 11/40)

Some narrations state that there were eighty-one people who boarded the ship. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsirul-Quranil-Azim, II, 445)

The following address of Allah Almighty in the same chapter is also highlighted:

يَا نُوحُ اهْبِطْ بِسَلاَمٍ مِنَّا وَبَرَكَاتٍ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلٰٓى اُمَمٍ مِمَّنْ مَعَكَۜ ​”O Noah! Come down (from the Ark) with peace from Us, and blessing on thee and on some of the peoples (who will spring) from those with thee.”

It means that the people who lived after the Flood were not limited to the descendants of Noah’s three sons. The descendants of the other believers who were with Noah also received divine blessings. (Yazır, Hak Dini Kur’ân Dili, IV, 2785)

In fact, if we go back a little further, we encounter Adam and Eve; all people and races trace their origins to them. From this point of view, it is possible to regard all people as relatives descended from the same parents. Based on this, we can state the following:

We are all descendants of prophets because our forefather Adam was a prophet.

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