the story begins with a divine message. the archangel gabriel (jibrīl) descended to prophet nūḥ (noah), greeting him with salutations from allah, the ever-forgiving. gabriel presented nūḥ with sacred gifts: a dress of patience, a garment of staunch faith, and the honorable robe of prophethood and messengership. he then delivered allah's command: nūḥ was to marry ’amūrah, the daughter of himran and granddaughter of idrīs. allah had chosen her, foretelling that she would be the very first to have faith in him.
emboldened by this command, nūḥ went to his people on the day of ’āshūrā’. it was a festive day, and the people were gathered in worship before their idols. nūḥ, carrying a white staff that was known to reveal the secrets of his people, stood before them and proclaimed the oneness of allah. he declared, "lā ilāha illallāh," and bore witness to the great prophets: ādam, idrīs, ibrāhīm, mūsā, ’īsā, and the final prophet, muḥammad. at his words, the idols trembled, the fires in the temples were extinguished, and the crowd was seized with terror.
the chieftains and oppressors demanded to know who he was. nūḥ, weeping, replied, "i am a servant of allah and a son of his servant. he has sent me to you after appointing me his prophet." he then warned them of a terrible punishment if they did not turn from their false gods.
’amūrah heard nūḥ’s powerful declaration, and her heart immediately accepted the truth. she became the first believer. her father, himran, was enraged. he feared the king’s retribution and chided her, "a single sentence from nūḥ has affected you so deeply?" but ’amūrah responded with wisdom, "father, where is your reason? nūḥ is a lonely, weak man. if he were not designated by allah, how could his voice frighten you so?"
her father’s heart remained unmoved. in his anger, he imprisoned ’amūrah for an entire year, depriving her of food and water. yet, throughout her ordeal, people heard of her unwavering faith and her strange well-being. when she was finally released, everyone was astonished. she was not emaciated or weak; instead, a great light shone from her, and she was in a better state than when she had entered. when they asked how she had survived, she revealed that she had called upon the sustainer of nūḥ, and in response, nūḥ had miraculously brought her sustenance throughout her imprisonment.
nūḥ then married ’amūrah, as allah had commanded, and from their union, their son sām was born. it is narrated that nūḥ had two wives: one was the faithful ’amūrah, who remained by his side on the ark, and the other was an unbeliever named rābiʿah, who rejected his message and perished in the great flood.
