Who Are the Children of Noah, Peace Be Upon Him?

The Sons of Noah, Peace Be Upon Him

Prophet Noah, peace be upon him, was mentioned in the Quran in forty-three instances, and he had four sons. According to scholars and historians, they were:

• Shem: the forefather of the Arabs.
• Ham: the forefather of the Abyssinians.
• Japheth: the forefather of the Romans.
• Canaan: known among the Arabs as Yam.

Those of Noah's Sons Who Believed

Allah, the Almighty, sent Prophet Noah, peace be upon him, to his people, who worshipped idols. They did not respond to his call. Allah says: (And they said, ‘Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwa‘ or Yaghuth and Ya‘uq and Nasr’). After their prolonged obstinacy, Noah prayed against them, saying: (And Noah said, ‘My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant’). Allah then revealed to him the command to build an ark and carry the believers in it. When the sign of the flood appeared, Noah carried those whom Allah commanded him to carry, including his three sons who believed with him:

• Japheth, son of Noah.
• Shem, son of Noah.
• Ham, son of Noah.

The Son of Noah Who Did Not Believe

Allah mentions the story of Noah’s son who did not believe in Surah Hud. He says in the Quran: (And it sailed with them through waves like mountains, and Noah called to his son who was apart [from them], “O my son, come aboard with us and be not with the disbelievers.” But he said, “I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the water.” [Noah] said, “There is no protector today from the decree of Allah, except for whom He gives mercy.” And the waves came between them, and he was among the drowned.) 

The name of Noah’s son who did not believe was Canaan. Prophet Noah, peace be upon him, called out to him to board the ark to save himself from drowning. However, Canaan believed the water would not reach him because he was on a high mountain. Prophet Noah told him that there would be no salvation that day except through Allah’s mercy. Nevertheless, Canaan persisted in his disbelief and was among the drowned.

The Spread of Noah’s Descendants on Earth

Historical accounts mention that genealogists agree that all the current nations are descendants of Noah’s sons who were aboard the ark, as there was no one else left on the earth. Allah says: (Descendants of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah), and He says: (And We made his descendants those remaining [on the earth]). Every nation traces its lineage back to one of Noah’s three sons. The details are as follows:

• Japheth, son of Noah: He was the eldest, and from his lineage came the Turks, and among their kind were the Tatars, Kipchaks, Circassians, Azakhs, and Russians. They are descendants of Turk, son of Gomer, son of Japheth. Also descending from his lineage were the Daylamites, Slavs, Chinese, Franks, Germans, Lithuanians, Estonians, Greeks, and Gog and Magog.
• Shem, son of Noah: He was the middle son, and from his lineage came the Jarhamites, Gilites, Syriacs, Hebrews, Kurds, Nabateans, and Arabs.
• Ham, son of Noah: He was the youngest, and from his lineage came the Sindhis, Abyssinians, Nubians, Zanjis, Goths, Indians, Canaanites, and Zawila