How Long Did Nuh Stay Among His People?
كم لبث نوح في قومه؟
950 years. "Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them for a thousand years, less fifty. Then the Flood overtook them, while they persisted in wrongdoing" (Surah Al-Ankabut 29:14).
950 عاما. وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا فَأَخَذَهُمُ الطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ (سورة العنكبوت: 14).
1. The Longest Recorded Ministry in the Quran | أطول رسالة مسجلة في القرآن
950 years is the only specific duration the Quran gives for any Prophet's mission among his people, making Nuh's patience a uniquely documented example of perseverance. Across nearly a millennium, he continued calling his people using every method available to him, covered in How Did Nuh Admonish and Warn His People?
تُعد 950 عاما المدة المحددة الوحيدة التي يذكرها القرآن لرسالة أي نبي بين قومه، مما يجعل صبر نوح مثالا موثقا بشكل فريد على المثابرة. وعلى مدى ما يقارب الألف عام، استمر في دعوة قومه مستخدما كل وسيلة متاحة له، كما تناولنا في مقال كيف وعظ نوح قومه وحذّرهم؟
2. A Precise Number, Not an Approximation | رقم دقيق لا تقريبي
The Quran's phrasing, "a thousand years less fifty," states the figure exactly rather than as a round number. This precision reinforces how extraordinary the length of Nuh's ministry was, spanning what by any human standard is an entire era rather than a single lifetime.
صياغة القرآن، "أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا"، تذكر الرقم بدقة لا رقما مقربا. وهذه الدقة تعزز مدى استثنائية طول رسالة نوح، إذ امتدت بأي مقياس بشري عصرا كاملا لا عمرا واحدا.
3. Centuries of Rejection Before the Flood | قرون من الرفض قبل الطوفان
The flood that ultimately overtook Nuh's people, covered in What Punishment Did Allah Send to the People of Noah?, came only after this entire span of near-millennial patience and repeated invitation. The Quran presents Allah's judgment as arriving only after every possible avenue of guidance had been extended across generations.
الطوفان الذي أهلك قوم نوح في النهاية، كما تناولنا في مقال ما العقاب الذي أرسله الله لقوم نوح؟، لم يأتِ إلا بعد كل هذه المدة المقاربة للألف عام من الصبر والدعوة المتكررة. ويعرض القرآن حكم الله بوصفه لم يأتِ إلا بعد أن استُنفدت كل وسيلة ممكنة للهداية عبر الأجيال.
Scholarly Insight: Ibn Kathir, on Nuh's long mission (29:14): “This is consolation from Allah, exalted is He, for His servant and messenger Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. He tells him about Nuh: that he remained among his people for this period, calling them to Allah by night and day, privately and publicly. Despite this, it only increased their flight from the truth, their turning away from it, and their rejection of it. Only a few of them believed with him.” See Nuh's people's response to his call. Read the fuller context in the tafsir of Surah Al-Ankabut.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How long did Nuh stay among his people?
950 years, as stated in Surah Al-Ankabut 29:14.
Is this the only specific duration given for a Prophet's mission in the Quran?
Yes, it is the only Prophet's ministry the Quran gives an exact length for.
What happened at the end of this period?
After Nuh had stayed among them for 950 years, the Flood overtook his people while they persisted in wrongdoing (Al-Ankabut 29:14).
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →