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Who was Nuh?
The Story of Nuh is the third book in Stories of the Prophets (Qisas al-Anbiya) by Imam Ibn Kathīr, the 14th-century scholar behind the history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah and a commentary on the Qurʾan. It answers the question of who Nuh (Noah), peace be upon him, was, why Allah sent him, and what happened to his people. Ibn Kathīr calls him the first messenger sent to the inhabitants of the earth, as the people will say on the Day of Judgment.
The book begins with the generations between Adam and Nuh, weighing the hadith of Abu Umama, which limits them to ten, and the view of Ibn Abbas that they were all upon Islam. Ibn Kathīr then explains that Nuh was sent when idols and tyrants were worshipped, as a mercy to the servants. He records the disagreement over Nuh's age when he was sent, whether fifty, three hundred and fifty, or four hundred and eighty. From there the book follows what the Qurʾan says about Nuh's people, the flood that punished those who disbelieved, and how Allah saved Nuh and those with him in the ark.
Throughout, Ibn Kathīr sets the claims of historians and the People of the Book against the Qurʾan and hadith, and says plainly where a claim cannot be confirmed and where the matter is left to Allah's knowledge. Joyful Muslims also offers The Story of Nuh in the Arabic original, and in editions where each passage is read in Arabic, then in English. The same Arabic-first editions are available in Indonesian, Turkish, and Urdu.
Is there an English audiobook of The Story of Nuh?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Story of Nuh as an English audiobook (about 68 minutes), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It is the story of Prophet Nuh, peace be upon him, from Ibn Kathīr's Qisas al-Anbiya, drawn from the Qurʾan and authentic traditions.
Is it free to listen?
The whole library is open to everyone. Every member gets five hours of listening free each month; Joyful+ removes the time limit.
How long is it?
About 68 minutes. It covers the generations between Adam and Nuh, why Nuh was sent, the disagreement over his age, what happened with his people, the flood, and those saved with him in the ark.
Last updated 2026-09-11
Forty seconds inside the book.
Inside the book.
Chapters
Word-synced with the narrator.
The first three minutes are transcribed here. In the app, the Living Manuscript scrolls through the entire book in rhythm with the audio — Arabic alongside English.
Living Manuscript
Listen to the full book in the app for the complete Living Manuscript.
The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.
