Son of Prophet Noah (a): Difference between revisions

'''The Son of Noah''', better known as '''Canʿān''', was the son of Prophet [[Noah (a)]] who did not believe in his father and was drowned in the [[Flood of Noah]] together with other unbelievers. The [[Qur'an]] has referred to the story of the Son of Noah in [[verse]]s 40 to 47 of [[Sura Hud]]. Many [[exegetes]] of the Qur'an hold that these verses appear to show that Noah (a) was not aware of his son's disbelief and this was the reason why he called his son to board on the [[Ark of Noah (a)|ship]].

At the end of the story of the son of Noah (a) in the Qur'an, there are verses whose interpretation is a matter of dispute among the exegetes. In verses 45 to 48 of Sura Hud, the story ends like this:  

"Noah called out to his Lord, and said, ‘My Lord! My son is indeed from my family. Your promise is indeed true, and You are the fairest of all judges.’" Said He, ‘O Noah! Indeed, He is not of your family. Indeed, he is [personification of] unrighteous conduct. So do not ask Me [something] of which you have no knowledge. I advise you lest you should be among the ignorant.’" He said, ‘My Lord! I seek Your protection lest I should ask You something of which I have no knowledge. If You do not forgive me and have mercy upon me I shall be among the losers.’ It was said, ‘O Noah! Disembark in peace from Us and with [Our] blessings upon you and upon nations [to descend] from those who are with you, and nations whom We shall provide for, then a painful punishment from Us shall befall them.’<ref>Translation by Qara'i</ref>}}

The verse 46 of [[Sura Hud]], "O Noah, indeed he is not of your family", led some exegetes to doubt about Can'an being Noah's (a) son. According to ''Tafsir al-Qurtubi'', the son who was drowned was not Noah's (a) son; rather he was an illegitimate son of Noah's (a) wife, since in verse 46 of Sura Hud, [[God]] says: "O Noah! Indeed, He is not of your family. Indeed, he is [personification of] unrighteous conduct."<ref>Translation by Qara'i</ref>. Attributing to this verse as well as the verse 10 of [[Sura al-Tahrim]], in which Noah's (a) wife is characterized as a betrayer<ref>Qara'i: Allah draws an example for the faithless: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot.

They were under two of our righteous servants, yet they betrayed them.

So they did not avail them in any way against Allah, and it was said [to them] ‘Enter the Fire, along with those who enter [it].’ [[Qur'an 66]]:10</ref>, some have mentioned that the drowned son was not Noah's (a) son.

However, many [[Shiite]] and [[Sunni]] exegetes have appealed to [[hadith]]s interpretating verses 45 and 46 of Sura Hud to show that this remark is unfounded. They believe that the phrase "betrayed them"<ref>[[Qur'an66]]:10</ref> in the Qur'an does not imply that Noah's (a) wife was an adulterer and the "Son of Noah (a)" was her illegitimate child.

[['Allama Tabataba'i]] maintains that the son of [[Noah (a)]], who was drowned in the storm, was Noah's (a) true and legitimate son. This can be inferred from an address in the verse 42 of Sura Hud: "O my son! Board with us", since such an address implies the addressor's kindness and passion<ref>What really means "my son" is "Ibni" ({{ia|إبنی}}) in Arabic. Hence, the phrase "Bunayya" ({{ia|بُنَیَّ}}) does not exactly imply "my son"; rather -in addition to "my son"- it conveys a sense of affection and fondness for the addressee.</ref>—Noah (a) wanted to convey to his son that he loved him and wanted the best for him. Thus, when God says about the son that "O Noah!(a) Indeed, He is not of your family. Indeed, he is [personification of] unrighteous conduct", it means that he is not among people whom God had promised to rescue from the storm as in the verse "Carry in it a pair of every kind [of animal], along with your family"<ref>[[Qur'an11]]:40</ref>, because only the [[Taqwa|righteous]] members of Noah's (a) family were promised to survive. So, although the son was Noah's (a) son and family, he was not the family of Noah (a) who could survive. The view that the "Son of Noah (a)" was Noah's (a) true son is also accepted in ''[[Tafsir nemune]]'', ''[[Majma' al-bayan]]'', and ''[[Tafsir al-Tabari]]''.

Some exegetes appeal to the way Noah's (a) conversation with his son is narrated in the Qur'an as evidence that Noah (a) was unaware of his son's disbelief. They say that if Noah (a) knew about his son's disbelief, then instead of saying: "Do not be with the faithless!"<ref>[[Qur'an11]]:42</ref>, he would say: "Do not be a faithless". The former sentence—which appears in the Qur'an—implies mere companionship with unbelievers; thus, it shows that Noah (a) was unaware of his son's [[disbelief]]. 'Allama Tabataba'i believes that Quranic verses appear to imply that God had promised Noah (a) to save his family from the storm, and since Noah (a) was not aware of his son's disbelief, he appeals to God's promise in the verse 45 of Sura Hud, and in fact he wants to say: "Oh my Lord! My son is my family and Your promise is true, so You will not punish him as You punish the disbelievers and You will not drown him. However, the verdict is up to You and You are the best of all judges".

{{Family tree of the Prophet (s)}}