Do Muslims believe in Noah's Ark?
Yes. Muslims believe Noah (called Nuh in Arabic) was a real prophet who built an ark by God's command, and that a great flood drowned the people who rejected his message. The story appears several times in the Quran, and a whole chapter, Surah Nuh (chapter 71), is named after him.
The story in the Quran
The Quran tells the story in its own way, with a focus on faith and patience rather than measurements of the ark:
- A long mission: Noah called his people to worship God alone for "a thousand years minus fifty years" (Quran 29:14).
- Building the ark: God told him to "construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration" (Quran 11:37), while his people mocked him.
- Pairs of animals: he was told to take "of each [creature] two mates", his family and the few who believed (Quran 11:40).
- His son: one of Noah's sons refused to board, hoping a mountain would save him, and he drowned (Quran 11:42-43).
- The landing: the ark "came to rest on the [mountain of] Judiyy" (Quran 11:44), not on Mount Ararat as in the Bible.
Similar to the Bible, with differences
Christians and Jews will recognize most of this from Genesis. The main differences are details: the Quran names al-Judi as the resting place, mentions the son who refused, and focuses on Noah's long, patient preaching. Muslims believe the Quran preserves the core of the true story. See Do I have to believe in all the prophets to become Muslim?
Was the flood worldwide?
Scholars differ here. Many classical scholars understood the flood as covering the whole earth. Others, past and present, note that the Quran describes it as a punishment for "the people of Noah" and that prophets before Muhammad ﷺ were sent to their own nations, so the flood may have covered their land rather than the entire planet. Both views exist within Islam, and neither affects the core belief that the event really happened. If questions of science and faith are on your mind, see Can I believe in evolution as a Muslim?
Why the story matters
The Quran says of the ark:
For Muslims, Noah is a model of patience. He kept calling people to God for centuries with very few followers. The Prophet ﷺ also said that on the Day of Resurrection, Noah will be asked whether he delivered the message, and the followers of Muhammad ﷺ will bear witness that he did (Sahih al-Bukhari 3339).
Want to read the story yourself? See Which English translation of the Quran should I read?
- Muslims believe Noah's Ark and the flood really happened.
- The Quran says the ark rested on al-Judi.
- Scholars differ on whether the flood was global or regional.
- The story teaches patience and trust in God.
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