Noah

Noah is considered a Manifestation of God in the Bahá’í Faith.

Station

The Báb referred to Noah as a Manifestation of God who came after Adam, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá confirmed the Biblical genealogy designating Adam as an ancestor of the Patriarchs in the Bible.

Bahá’u’lláh refers to Noah in the Kitab-i-Iqan describing Him as a Prophet who attempted to bring security to His people through His teachings and being persecuted as a result writing:

"Among the Prophets was Noah. For nine hundred and fifty years He prayerfully exhorted His people and summoned them to the haven of security and peace. None, however, heeded His call. Each day they inflicted on His blessed person such pain and suffering that no one believed He could survive. How frequently they denied Him, how malevolently they hinted their suspicion against Him!"

He also noted Noah was attached to material things and the traditions of His forefathers prior to His Revelation describing Him and His followers as being reborn through His acceptance of God's Message:

"For instance, consider that among the Prophets was Noah. When He was invested with the robe of Prophethood, and was moved by the Spirit of God to arise and proclaim His Cause, whoever believed in Him and acknowledged His Faith, was endowed with the grace of a new life."

Teachings

Little is written about the religion of Noah in the Bahá’í writings.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá noted that the fundamental basis of the Law of Noah on spiritual matters was identical to the other religions in the Adamic Cycle. Regarding societal laws ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written that Noah made it lawful to eat seafood.

Background

Christianity/Judaism

Noah is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible as a descendant of Adam. Genesis 6 recounts increasing corruption in society in the time of Noah and God enters into a Covenant with Noah commanding Him to construct an Ark to preserve His family and two of each kind of creature to save them from an impending flood.

Noah and His family are preserved from the flood in the ark and He constructs an altar to God sacrificing some animals to God on it, and God promises not to destroy life again attributing evil to mankind being in its youth. Noah is then recounted as establishing a vineyard and becoming drunk and naked in his tent. His sons Shem and Japheth are recounted as placing a garment on Him to cover His nakedness without looking at Him, however Ham did look at Him and Noah cursed His son Canaan. The exact nature of Ham and Canaan's sin in the Biblical story is ambiguous.

Islam

Noah is also mentioned in the Qur'an. It is stated that society was licentious in the time of Noah, and Noah is described as calling upon God for assistance and being answered. Noah is described as bringing the Message of God to His people but being rejected, dismissed as mad, and threatened with being stoned.

A flood is described as occurring with some of mankind being preserved in a ship constructed by Noah, with the people of Noah being destroyed for disobeying God and Noah as His Messenger.

Symbolism

Regarding the cursing of Canaan Bahá’u’lláh referred to the story in a Tablet in which He expounded on why people reject a Manifestation of God writing:

"Verily I say, such is the greatness of this Cause that the father flieth from his son, and the son flieth from his father. Call ye to mind the story of Noah and Canaan. God grant that, in these days of heavenly delight, ye may not deprive yourselves of the sweet savors of the All-Glorious God, and may partake, in this spiritual Springtime, of the outpourings of His grace."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá also explained that the story of Canaan symbolically shows that spirituality and character are not necessarily heritable traits writing:

". . . it is evident that inherited character also exists, and to such a degree that if the characters are not in conformity with their origin, although they belong physically to that lineage, spiritually they are not considered members of the family; like Canaan, who is not reckoned as being of the race of Noah."

He also used the story in the context of the Covenant explaining that there is precedent for people to be expelled from a religion for the good of the community if they reject the Covenant and their actions become detrimental to the community:

"Consider! The Divine Gardener cuts off the dry or weak branch from the good tree and grafts to it, a branch from another tree. He both separates and unites. This is that which His Holiness Christ says: that from all the world they come and enter the Kingdom, and the children of the Kingdom shall be cast out. Noah’s grandson, Canaan, was detested in the sight of Noah and others were accepted. The brothers of the Blessed Beauty detached themselves from Him, and the Blessed Beauty never met them. He said: “This is an eternal separation between you and Me.” All this was not because the Blessed Beauty was despotic; but because these persons, through their own actions and words deprived themselves from the bounties and bestowals of the Blessed Beauty."

Regarding Noah's lifespan as recorded in the Bible and the story of the flood itself a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi states:

"The years of Noah are not years as we count them, and as our teachings do not state that this reference to years means His dispensation, we cannot interpret it this way.
We have no way of substantiating the stories of the Old Testament other than references to them in our teachings . . ."