People of Thamud - Prophet Salih 

 

Description of the People of Thamud

 

Thamud achieved power and glory after the destruction of 'Ad and as far as progress in civilization is concerned, they followed in the footsteps of their predecessors.  The standards of living went on rising higher and the standards of humanity continued to fall lower, suffering one deterioration after the other.  The people of Thamud used to carve out grand houses in the hills.  These people also built castles in the plains to display wealth, power, and architectural skill.  On the one hand, they erected the large edifices on the plains and hewed beautiful houses out of the hills in the caves of Ellora and Ajanta in India, and on the other hand, they became addicted to idol-worship and the land was filled with tyranny and oppression.  The worst men became leaders and rulers in the land.  The tribe of Thamud inherited the territory in the north-western part of Arabia and is even today known by the name of Al-Hijr.  At the time of the revelation of the Quran, the trading caravans from Hijaz used to pass through the archaeological remains of Thamud.  When the Prophet Muhammad was leading his followers towards Tabuk, he passed by and pointed out towards the remains and asked them to bear in mind the lesson which such things hold out for every close observer.  He pointed out to a well from which she-camel of Prophet Salih drank water, and told them to drink water only from that well.  Then he showed them a pass over a hill and said that she-camel used to come through it to the well for drinking water.  That pass is still called Fajj-un-Naqah (the pass of the she-camel).  Then he said that, "this is the territory of the tribe on which Allah inflicted His scourge.  Therefore, pass through this with as much haste as you can, because this is not a place of enjoyment but a place of lamentation."

 

Salih's Teachings

 

Prophet Salih said to his people that Allah is near at hand: so they could invoke His help directly without the help of any interceder.  Allah answers prayers: so they can themselves receive the answer to their prayer. Though He is the Highest, each one of them will find Him so near himself that he will be able to convey his request even in a whisper, nay, they are permitted to convey their requests openly or secretly to Him.  Prophet Salih's message of Truth only appealed to the weak people belonging to the lower social strata and the people of the upper classes refused to believe in him.

 

As soon as the Prophet Salih embarked on his mission, his people were divided into two groups, the believers and the disbelievers, and a conflict started between them. 

The people of Prophet Salih themselves admitted that he was a man of great integrity and extra ordinary caliber.   They said that they had expected that by his wisdom, intelligence, foresight, serious behavior and dignified personality, he would become a great and prosperous man.  So they had looked forward to the great success he would achieve and to the manifold advantages they would gain over other clans and tribes because of him.  But he has disappointed them by adopting the Way based on Tauhid and the Hereafter which is bound to lead them to utter ruin.  Prophet Salih asked them to worship Allah,  Who has created them from the earth, and Who made it a living place for them.  They argued that those deities were also worthy of worship, and they would not give them up, because their forefathers had been worshipping them for long time.

 

Prophet Salih said that if he disobeyed Allah by discarding the Guidance he had received from Him in order to please them, they could not defend him against Him.  They would rather add to the intensity of his guilt of disobedience to Him.  He would incur additional punishment from Him for misleading them instead of showing the Right Way for which he had been sent to them.  He suggested that they should give up obedience to their chiefs, guides and rulers under whose leadership they were following an evil way of life.  Those people had transgressed all bounds of morality: they could not bring about any reforms and they would corrupt every system of life that they adopt.  He questioned if they considered that their life of indulgence and pleasure was everlasting, and they would never be asked to account for Allah's favors to them and for their own misdeeds.  They replied that his movement has proved to be an evil omen for them.  Since he and his companions had revolted against the ancestral religion, one or the other calamity was befalling them almost daily, because their deities had become angry with them.  His advent had stirred up divisions in their nation.  Before that  they were united people, who followed one religion.  His ominous coming had turned brother against brother, and separated son from father.  But, Prophet Salih replied that his advent has put them to the test.  Then a criterion had come against which they would all be judged and assessed.  He suggested that to ask His forgiveness for the sin they have been committing by worshipping others.

 

Salih's People Demand a Miracle

 

"We cannot believe you to be Messenger from God because you are just like us and we see no distinction in you.  However, if you are true in your claim that God has appointed you as His Messenger, you should present such a clear miracle as should make us believe that you have really been sent by the Creator and Master of the universe."

The people of his tribe had themselves demanded from Prophet Salih to bring a clear sign of his appointment as Messenger of Allah. Prophet Salih said that it was the mercy of Allah that He had not shown such a Sign.  They presumed that such a Sign could not be presented.  He reminded them its denial inevitably would bring chastisement and the community annihilation.  Prophet Salih questioned about the haste in asking for a torment instead of some good from Allah, as many communities which disbelieved in the open Signs were utterly destroyed.  But when they persisted with their demand for a miracle, Prophet presented the she-camel as a Sign.  The birth of the she-camel had taken place in some miraculous manner.  The Quran does not say anything about its physique as to how it came into being.  Prophet Salih presented the she-camel to the disbelievers with a warning that (1) their lives were directly connected with the life of that she-camel, (2) that she-camel shall graze freely in their fields, (3) that she shall be privileged to drink water at the well one day al alone by herself, (4) all their cattle shall drink water the following day, turn by turn; and (5) if they touched her with an evil intention, Allah scourge would overtake them all of a sudden. 

 

They were so much afraid of her that to kill her they held long consultations and hatched secret plots.  They knew there was some hidden power behind her so bold as to roam about wherever she liked.  One day the she-camel will drink water all alone at their wells and springs, and one day they and their animals will take water, and this arrangement will not be violated in any way.  There could hardly be a greater challenge for the people of Arabia, for taking of water had been the foremost cause of feuds and fights among them, which mostly resulted in bloodshed, even loss of life.  The whole nation abided by Prophet Salih's orders submissively for quite some days.   The challenge was not only that the she-camel would drink water all alone every alternate days, but, she would freely move about and graze at will in their fields, gardens, palm groves, pastures and was not to be touched with an evil intention.

 

The Disbelievers Kill the She-Camel

 

When the she-camel became a problem for the whole nation, the hearts of the people were filled with rage, and they began to hold lengthy consultations as to how to get rid of her. At last, a haughty chief undertook the task of putting an end to her.  They hamstrung the she-camel.  Though only one man killed the she-camel, the whole tribe has been declared to be guilty of the crime.  The community was backing him as a whole, and he was, in fact, merely its tool.  Every crime which represents the will of a nation or is approved by it, is a national crime, even though it is committed by one individual.

 

Salih Warns of a Punishment

 

When the she-camel was killed, Prophet Salih declared that they had only three more days to enjoy yourselves in their houses, for then they would be seized by the torment.  There were nine tribes each of whom had a band of followers with him.  The guardian or the chief of the Prophet Salih's tribe could make a claim to any blood vengeance.  So they decided that men from all the clans would attack him in a body so that the chief of the tribe could not hold any one of the clans as responsible for the murder, and, therefore, would find it impossible to fight all of them at one and the same time.

 

Torment Hits Thamud

 

At this they might have thought that they must take the vengeance on Salih himself.  Therefore, most probably they chose the same night for the attack which Allah had appointed for sending the torment, and thus were struck down by Allah even before they could touch the Prophet Salih. 

When this time limit came to an end, a shocking explosion took place in the night at about dawn, followed by a violent earthquake, which destroyed the whole nations completely.  In the morning their dead bodies lay scattered here and there like dry pieces of bush trampled down by animals around an enclosure.  Neither their stony castles nor their rock-hewn caves could protect them against the calamity.

 

Their strong and secure buildings could not protect them from the blast.  They were themselves responsible for their destruction.  Allah had not enmity with them and had no desire to destroy them.  As a matter of fact, they themselves adopted the way of life that led to destruction, whereas Allah had sent His Messengers to them and afforded them the opportunities of thinking, understanding and reforming.  His Messengers admonished and warned them of the consequences of treading wrong paths, and presented very clearly before them the Way leads to success, and also the Way that lead to destruction.  But when they did not benefit from the opportunities that were offered to them to mend their ways, and persisted in treading the ways that led to destruction, they inevitably met with their end for which they were heading.  And this horrible end was not due to Allah's will but due to their evil doings.

 

Allah Delivers Salih and His Followers

 

Allah delivered them from the Torment.   The ignorant people will say that there is no link between the Prophet Salih and his she-camel and the earthquake which struck the people of Thamud.  These things have their natural causes.  Their occurrence and piety has nothing to do with the piety and wickedness of the people of a place. But the people who posses knowledge know that the universe is not being ruled by a deaf and blind God.  His decisions are not subject to physical causes, but the physical causes are subject to His will.  His decisions to debase or exalt nations are not taken blindly but with wisdom and justice.

 

References Al-A'raaf 7:73-79  At-Taubah9:70  Hud 11:61-68 11:95  Ibrahim 14:9  Al-Hijr 15:80-84 Bani Israil17:59  Al-Hajj 22:42-46  Al-Furqan 25:35-40  Ash-Shu'araa'26:141-159 An-Naml 27:45-53  Al-'Ankabut 29:38-39  Suad 38:12-16  40:31  41:13-17  50:12

51:43  53:31  54:23  69:4-5  85:18  89:9  91:11-14

 

Al-A'raaf 7:73-79

 

And to Thamud, EN7:57 We sent their brother Salih.  He said, "O my people, worship Allah for you have no other deity save Him.  A clear proof has come to you from your Lord; here is Allah's she-camel, a sign EN7:58 for you, so let her graze at Allah's land; do not touch her with any evil intention, let a woeful scourge from your Lord seize you.  7:73

 

EN7:57 The tribe of Thamud inherited the territory in the north-western part of Arabia and is even today known by the name of Al-Hijr.  At the time of the revelation of the Quran, the trading caravans from Hijaz used to pass through the archaeological remains of Thamud.  When the Prophet Muhammad was leading his followers towards Tabuk, he passed by and pointed out towards the remains and asked them to bear in mind the lesson which such things hold out for every close observer.  He pointed out to a well from which she-camel of Prophet Salih drank water, and told them to drink water only from that well.  Then he showed them a pass over a hill and said that she-camel used to come through it to the well for drinking water.  That pass is still called Fajj-un-Naqah (the pass of the she-camel).  Then he said that, "this is the territory of the tribe on which Allah inflicted His scourge.  Therefore, pass through this with as much haste as you can, because this is not a place of enjoyment but a place of lamentation."

 

EN7:58 The people of his tribe had themselves demanded from Prophet Salih to bring a clear sign of his appointment as Messenger of Allah.  In response to this, the Prophet presented the she-camel as a Sign.  The birth of the she-camel had taken place in some miraculous manner.  Prophet Salih presented the she-camel to the disbelievers with a warning: "Your lives are directly connected with the life of this she-camel.  She shall graze freely in your fields and she shall be privileged to drink water at the well one day al alone by herself, and all your cattle shall drink water the following day, turn by turn; and if you touch her with an evil intention, Allah scourge will overtake you all of a sudden."  They were so much afraid of her that in order to kill her they had to hold long consultations and hatch secret plots, though Prophet Salih had no worldly power to prevent them from this.  They knew there was some hidden power behind her so bold as to roam about wherever she liked.  The Quran does not say anything about its physique as to how it came into being.

 

And remember the time when Allah made you successors of 'Ad and established you in the land with dignity and enabled you to make castles on the plains and hew out houses in the hills. EN7:59  So do not be neglectful of the manifestations of Allah's powers, and do not spread disorder on the earth." EN7:60 7:74

 

EN7:59 The people of Thamud used to carve out grand houses in the hills.

 

EN7:60 That is, "You should take a warning from the woeful end of 'Ad."

 

The chiefs of his tribe, who were full of pride, said to those who had believed from among the oppressed people, "Do you know it for certain that Salih is a Messenger from his Lord?"  They replied, "Indeed we believe in the Message with which he has been sent."  7:75

 

But those who had arrogant assumption of superiority said, "We deny that thing which you believe." 7:76

 

Then they killed the she-camel, EN7:61and very insolently defied their Lord's command, and challenged Salih, "Bring that scourge with which you threaten us, if you really are one of the Messengers."  7:77

 

EN7:61 Though only one man killed the she-camel, the whole tribe has been declared to be guilty of the crime because it was backing him as a whole, and he was, in fact, merely its tool, for every crime which represents the will of a nation or is approved by it, is a national crime, even though it is committed by one individual.  According to the Quran, even that crime, which is committed openly by an individual, and is tolerated by the community, is a national crime.

 

Consequently, a shocking catastrophe EN7:62 overtook them and they lifeless on their faces in their dwellings.  7:78

 

EN7:62 The catastrophe that overtook Thamud has been called rajfa (the terrifying shocker), but in other places it has been called saiha (a cry) and saiqa (a thuderboldt) and taaghiya (a roaring noise).

 

So, Salih left their habitations, saying, "O my people! I conveyed the Message of my Lord to you and I did my very best for your good, but I am helpless because you do not like your well-wishers." 7:79

 

At-Taubah 9:70

 

Has notEN9:77 the story reached them of those who had gone before them - the people of Noah, tribes of 'Ad and Thamud, the people of Abraham and the Inhabitants of Midian and of the overturned cities? EN9:78 There Messengers came to them with clear signs; then it was not Allah Who would wrong them, but they wronged their own selves. EN9:79  9:70

 

EN9:77 Again they are mentioned in the third person.

 

EN9:78 These were the people of Lot.

 

EN9:79 "They wronged themselves" for they were themselves responsible for their destruction.  Allah had not enmity with them and had no desire to destroy them.  As a matter of fact, they themselves adopted the way of life that led to destruction, whereas Allah had sent His Messengers to them and afforded them the opportunities of thinking, understanding and reforming.  His Messengers admonished and warned them of the consequences of treading wrong paths, and presented very clearly before them the Way leads to success, and also the Way that lead to destruction.  But when they did not benefit from the opportunities that were offered to them to mend their ways, and persisted in treading the ways that led to destruction, they inevitably met with their end for which they were heading.  And this horrible end was not due to Allah's will but due to their evil doings.

 

Hud 11:61-68

 

And to Thamud We sent their brother Salih.EN11:66  He said, "O my people! Worship Allah" you have no other Deity than He.  It is He Who has created you from the earth and made it a living place for you. EN11:67  So ask His forgiveness EN11:68 and turn to Him in repentance.  Most surely my Lord is near at hand and answers prayers." EN11:69 11:61

 

EN11:66 See EN7:57

 

EN11:67 This is the proof of the claim: "…you have no other Deity than Allah".  The argument is based on the fact which the mushriks themselves acknowledged that it is Allah Who is the Creator. "You yourselves acknowledge that it is Allah Who has created your wonderful human body out of the lifeless particles of the earth and that it is Allah Who has made the earth suitable place for you to live.  How can then there be any Deity other than Allah Who may be worthy of Godhead, service and worship?"

 

EN11:68 That is, "So ask His forgiveness for the sin you have been committing by worshipping others."

 

EN11:69 Prophet Salih said, "Allah is near at hand: so you can invoke His help directly without the help of any interceder.  He answers prayers: so you can yourselves receive the answer to your prayer. Though He is the Highest, each one of you will find Him so near yourself that you will be able to convey your request even in a whisper, nay, you are permitted to convey your requests openly or secretly to Him."

 

They replied "O Salih, till now you were such a person among us of whom we had great expectations. EN11:70  What! Do you forbid us to worship gods whom our forefathers worshipped? EN11:71 Indeed we have a strong doubt about the way to which you are calling us, and this has caused a feeling of distraction in us." EN11:72 11:62

 

EN11:70 That is, "We had expected that by your wisdom, intelligence, foresight, serious behavior and dignified personality, you would become a great and prosperous man.  So we had looked forward to the great success you would achieve and to the manifold advantages we would gain over other clans and tribes because of you.  But you have brought to nought all of our hopes by adopting the Way based on Tauhid and the Hereafter which is bound to lead us to utter ruin."

 

EN11:71 Prophet Salih argued like this: "Worship Allah… Who has created you from the earth, and Who made it a living place for you."  They argued, as if to say, "These deities are also worthy of worship, and we will not give them up, because our forefathers have been worshipping them since a long time."

 

EN11:72 IT becomes simply impossible for anyone to continue treading the paths of deviation with that peace of mind which one had before the coming of the Message.  For it impels everyone to think whether one is following the Right Way or any of the wrong ways of "ignorance".

 

Salih said, "O my people! Just consider it yourselves: if my Lord had sent me with a Clear Sign, and bestowed His special blessings on me, who will help save me from Allah if, after this, I become disobedient to Him?  You cannot help me any way, but might hasten my ruin. EN11:73  11:63

 

EN11:73 "If I disobey Allah by discarding the Guidance I have received from Him in order to please you, you cannot defend me against Him.  You will rather add to the intensity of my guilt of disobedience to Him.  Thus I shall incur additional punishment from Him for misleading you instead of showing the Right Way for which I have been sent to you."

 

And, o my people, behold: here is Allah's she-camel, a Sign for you.  So let her graze at will in Allah's land, and do not touch her with evil intention, lest a scourge should seize you from your Lord in the near future." 11:64

But they killed the she-camel.  At this Salih warned them, "Well you have only three more days to enjoy yourselves in your houses.  This is a time limit that will not prove false." 11:65

So when Our judgment came to pass, We delivered through Our mercy Salih and those who had believed with him, and kept them safe from the ignominy of that Day EN11:74.

 

EN11:74 Allah delivered them from the Torment and led them there.  There is a mount near Jabal-i-Musa, known by the name of Prophet Salih where, it is said, the Prophet Took refuge after the destruction of his people.

 

As regards those who were iniquitous, a dreadful shock overtook them and they lifeless and prostrate in their homes, 11:67

as if they had never flourished there. Listen! Thamud disbelieved their Lord: listen! Cast away were people of Thamud. 11:68

 

Indeed your Lord is All-Might and All-Powerful. 11:69

 

Hud 11:95

 

Listen! Cast away were also the people of Madian as were Thamud cast away! 11:95

 

Ibrahim 14:9

 

Has not the story reached you of those who have gone before you of the people of Noah and 'Ad and Thamud, and of those who came after them?  Allah alone knows their number.  When their Messengers came to them with plain teachings and manifest Signs, they thrust their hands into their mouths, saying, "We reject the Message with which you have been sent and we have a disquieting doubt about that thing to which you are inviting us. 14:9

 

Al-Hijr 15:80-84

 

The people of Al-HijrEN15:45 also treated the Messengers as imposters and We sent Our Revelations and showed Our Signs to the, but they went on ignoring all these things.  They hewed their dwellings into the mountains and apparently lived in full security.  But at last a violent blast overtook them with the approach of the morning, and all that they had achieved proved of no avail to them. EN15:46

 

EN15:45 Al-Hijr was the capital city of the people of Thamud, and its ruins are found near the modern city of Al-'Ula which is the north west of Al-Madinah, and lies on the route from al-Madinah to Tabuk.  Tough the caravans had to pass through the valley of Al-Hijr, the Holy Prophet had forbidden the Muslims to stay in the valley on their journey.

 

EN15:46 That is, "Their strong and secure buildings, which they had hewed into the mountains, could not protect them from the blast."

 

Bani Israil 17:59

 

And nothing has hindered Us from sending SignsEN17:67 except that the former people refused to acknowledge them as such.  (For example,) We sent the She-camel as an open sign to Thamud but they treated her with cruelty; EN17:68 whereas We send signs only by way of warning. EN17:69

 

EN17:67 Here "Sign" means those visible miracles which are presented as a proof of Prophethood.

 

EN17:68 This is to warn the disbelievers, as if to say, "It is the mercy of Allah that He is not showing such a Sign so that you might mend your ways but in your folly you  presume that such a Sign cannot be presented.  You should know that a Sign is not being sent because its denial inevitably brings chastisement and the community is annihilated.  You can learn from the history that those communities which disbelieved in the open Signs were utterly destroyed, such as the people of Thamud.

 

EN17:69

 

Al-Hajj 22:42-46

 

O Prophet, if theyEN22:87 treat you as false, (you should remember that) before them the people of Noah and the tribes of 'Ad and Thamud, 42:22

 

EN22:87 The disbelievers of Makkah

 

and the peoples of Abraham and Lot 42:23

 

and the dwellers of Midian had treated  their Prophets as false and likewise Moses was also rejected.  At first I gave respite to all these disbelievers and then seized them. EN22:88Now you can see how terrible was my chastisement! EN22:89 42:24

 

EN22:88 The instances of some peoples who rejected their Prophets have been cited to impress that they were given respite to reform themselves before they were punished.  Therefore, "O people of Makkah, you should not be deluded by the delay in your punishment.  When the term of respite comes to an end, you shall also be punished like the former people, if you do not mend your ways in the meantime."

 

EN22:89 The Arabic word nakir is very comprehensive and implies two meanings: (1) Displeasure at the evil conduct of the other, and (2) a terrible punishment which disfigures the culprit so badly that he cannot be recognized.  The sentence therefore will mean" "Just see when I seized them for this evil conduct, how terrible was my chastisement.

 

There are (the ruins of) many a wicked habitation which We destroyed: today they are lying upside down upon their roofs.  How many a well has been rendered useless, EN22:90 and how many a lofty castle is lying in ruins! 42:25

 

EN22:90 In Arabic a "well" is synonymous with a "habitation".  Thus "many a well…useless" means "many a habitation has been destroyed".

 

Have they not got about in the land so as to make their hearts think and ears hear?  The fact, however, is that it is the hearts in the breasts and not the eyes that become blind. EN22:91 42:26

 

EN22:91 The words "… the hearts …blind" have been used in the metaphorical and not in the literal sense.  Since the heart is regarded as the center of emotions, feelings, and of mental and moral qualities, these words have been used to imply that their obduracy has inhibited them from feeling and acting rationally.

 

Al-Furqan 25:35-40

 

We gave Moses the BookEN25:48 and appointed his brother Aaron as his counselor: 25:35

 

EN25:48 Here by "the Book" is not meant the Torah, which was given to Prophet Moses after the Exodus from Egypt, but it implies that Divine Guidance which was given to him after his appointment as a Prophet up to the Exodus. It included the orations delivered by him in the court of Pharaoh and also the instruction given to him during the conflict with Pharaoh as mentioned in the Quran.  Most probably these things were not included in the Torah; the Torah began with the Ten Commandments which were given to Moses engraved on stone tablets on Mount Sinai after the Exodus.

 

then We said to them, "Go to the people who have treated Our Revelations as false." EN25:49 So We annihilated those people utterly.  25:36

 

EN25:49 "Revelations": The Divine teachings which had reached them through Prophet Jacob and Joseph, and which had been preached to them by the righteous people of Israel for centuries.

 

The same was the case with the people of Noah when they charged the Messenger with imposture: EN25:50 We drowned them and made them a sign of warning for entire mankind, and We have prepared a painful chastisement for the unjust. EN25:51 25:37

 

EN25:50 They did not charge only Prophet Noah with imposture because he was a man, but, in fact, charged all the Prophets with imposture because they were all human beings.

 

EN25:51 That is, a painful chastisement in the Hereafter.

 

Likewise were destroyed the 'Ad and the Thamud and the people of the Russ,EN25:52 and many a generations in between. 25:38

 

EN25:52 They were a people who had killed their Prophet by throwing him into or hanging him down a "Rass" (an old or dry well).

 

We admonished each one of them by citing the examples (of those who were destroyed before them) and ultimately annihilating all of them.  25:39

Surely, these people have passed by that habitation on which was rained an evil rain; EN25:53 have they not seen in ruins?  But they do not expect another life in the Hereafter. EN25:5425:40

 

EN25:53 The habitation referred to was that of the people of Prophet Lot, which was destroyed by a rain of stones.  The people of Hijaz while traveling to Palestine and Syria passed by its ruins and heard the horrible tales of its destruction.

 

EN25:54 As the disbelievers did not believe in the Hereafter, they looked at these ancient ruins as mere spectators and did not take any warning from them.

 

Ash-Shu'araa' 26:141-159

 

Thamud rejected the Messengers.EN26:95  26:141

 

EN26:95 Thamud achieved power and glory after the destruction of 'Ad and as far as progress in civilization is concerned, they followed in the footsteps of their predecessors.  The standards of living went on rising higher and the standards of humanity continued to fall lower, suffering one deterioration after the other.  On the one hand, they erected the large edifices on the plains and hewed beautiful houses out of the hills in the caves of Ellora and Ajanta in India, and on the other hand, they became addicted to idol-worship and the land was filled with tyranny and oppression.  The worst men became leaders and rulers in the land.  As such, Prophet Salih's message of Truth only appealed to the weak people belonging to the lower social strata and the people of the upper classes refused to believe in him.

 

Remember the time when their brother Salih said to them, "Do you not fear? 26:142

I am a Messenger to you worthy of full trust: EN26:96 26:143

 

EN26:96 The people of Prophet Salih themselves admitted that he was a man of great integrity and extra ordinary caliber.  

 

so fear Allah and obey me.  26:144

I do not ask of you any reward for this duty, for my reward is with the Lord of the worlds.  26:145

Will you be left in security amidst all that is around you here? EN26:97 - 26:146

 

EN26:97 That is, "Do you consider that your life of indulgence and pleasure is everlasting, and you will never be asked to account for Allah's favors to you and for our own misdeeds.?"

 

in the gardens and water springs? - 26:147

in the corn-fields and the date-groves laden with juicy fruit? EN26:98  26:148

 

EN26:98 Hadim: heavy bunches of ripe, juicy and soft date-palm fruit hanging from trees.

 

You proudly carve out dwellings in the hills. EN26:99  26:149

 

EN26:99 The most prominent feature of the 'Ad civilization was that they built large edifices with high pillars.  Thamud civilization was known for carving out dwellings in the hills.  These people also built castles in the plains to display wealth, power, and architectural skill.

 

Fear Allah and obey me, 26:150

and do not follow the transgressors 26:151

who spread mischief in the land and reform nothing." EN26:100  26:152

 

EN26:100 That is, "You should give up obedience to your chiefs, guides and rulers under whose leadership you are following an evil way of life.  These people have transgressed all bounds of morality: they cannot bring about any reforms and they will corrupt every system of life that they adopt. 

 

They replied, "You are only an enchanted person: EN26:101 26:153

 

EN26:101 "Enchanted person": Mad and insane person who has lost reasoning power.  Madness was conceived either due to the influence of a jinn or magic.  That is why a mad person was either called majnun (one under the influence of a jinn) or one enchanted by the magic.

 

You are no more than a man like us: bring forth a sign if you are truthful." EN26:102  26:154

 

EN26:102 That is, "We cannot believe you to be Messenger from God because you are just like us and we see no distinction in you.  However, if you are true in your claim that God has appointed you as His Messenger, you should present such a clear miracle as should make us believe that you have really been sent by the Creator and Master of the universe."

 

Salih said, "Here is a she-camel. EN26:103  One day will be for her to drink, and one day for you all to take water. EN26:104  26:155

 

EN26:103 From the context it appears that it was not a common she-camel, but it was brought about in a supernatural manner because it was presented in response to the demand for a miracle.

 

EN26:104 That is, "One day the she-camel will drink water all alone at your wells and springs, and one day you and your animals will take water, and this arrangement will not be violated in any way."  There could hardly be a greater challenge for the people of Arabia, for taking of water had been the foremost cause of feuds and fights among them, which mostly resulted in bloodshed, even loss of life.  The whole nation abided by Prophet Salih's orders submissively for quite some days.   "Here is Allah's she-camel, a Sign for you.  So let her graze at will in Allah's land, and do not touch her with an evil intention."  The challenge was not only that the she-camel would drink water all alone every alternate days, but, she would freely move about and graze at will in their fields, gardens, palm groves, pastures and was not to be touched with an evil intention.

 

Do not at all molest her; otherwise you will be overtaken by the torment of a dreadful day."  26:156

Yet they hamstrung her, EN26:105 and then became regretful, 26:157

 

EN26:105 When the she-camel became a problem for the whole nation, the hearts of the people were filled with rage, and they began to hold lengthy consultations as to how to get rid of her. At last, a haughty chief undertook the task of putting an end to her.

 

for the torment overtook them. EN26:106 Indeed there is a Sign in this, but most of these people would not believe; 26:158

 

EN26:106 When the she-camel was killed, Prophet Salih declared: "You have only three more days to enjoy yourselves in your houses."  When this time limit came to an end, a shocking explosion took place in the night at  about dawn, followed by a violent earthquake, which destroyed the whole nations completely.  In the morning their dead bodies lay scattered here and there like dry pieces of bush trampled down by animals around an enclosure.  Neither their stony castles nor their rock-hewn caves could protect them against the calamity.  "We sent against them a single blast and they became as the trampled twigs o f the fence of a fold-builder." "Consequently a shocking catastrophe overtook them and they lifeless in their dwellings."  "At last a violent blast overtook them with the approach of the morning, and all they had achieved proved of no avail to them."

 

and the fact is that your Lord is Mighty as well as Merciful. 26:159

 

An-Naml 27:45-53

 

AndEN27:57 to Thamud We sent their brother Salih (with the message) that they should worship Allah, but they divided themselves into two wrangling groups. EN27:58  27:45

 

EN27:57

EN27:58 That is, as soon as the Prophet Salih embarked on his mission, his people were divided into two groups, the believers and the disbelievers, and a conflict started between them.

 

Salih said, "O my people, why do you hasten for the evil in preference to the good? EN27:59  Why don't you ask forgiveness of Allah?  Maybe that you are shown mercy" 27:46

 

EN27:59 That is, "Why do you hasten in asking for a torment instead of some good from Allah?"

 

They said, "We regard you and your companions as a sign of bad omen." EN27:60  Salih said, "Your good and bad omens issue forth from Allah.  The fact is that you are a people on trial. EN27:61  27:47

 

EN27:60 One meaning could be, "Your this movement has proved to be an evil omen for us.  Since you and your companions have revolted against the ancestral religion, one or the other calamity is befalling us almost daily, because our deities have become angry with us."  Other meaning could be, "Your advent has stirred up divisions in our nation.  Before this we were united people, who followed one religion.  Your ominous coming has turned brother against brother, and separated son from father."

 

EN27:61 That is, "My advent has put you the test.  Now a criterion has come against which you will all be judged and assessed."

 

There were in that city nine ring-leaders of the men, EN27:62 who spread mischief in the land and reformed nothing.  27:48

 

EN27:62 That is, nine chiefs of the tribes each of whom had a  band of followers with him.

 

They said to one another, "Let us pledge on an oath by Allah that we shall attack Salih and his household by night and then tell his guardian EN27:63 that we were not even present at the time his family were killed: we are telling the truth." EN27:64  27:49

 

EN27:63 "The guardian"; the chief of the Prophet Salih's tribe, who could make a claim to blood vengeance.

 

EN27:64 They decided that men from all the clans would attack him in a body so that the chief of the tribe could not hold any one of the clans as responsible for the murder, and, therefore, would find it impossible to fight all of them at one and the same time.

 

They plotted thus, and We too devised a plot of which they were unaware. EN27:65  27:50

 

EN27:65 That is, "Before they could make the night attack on the Prophet Salih at the appointed time Allah sent down His scourge which destroyed their whole nation completely.  It appears that they made this plot after hamstringing the she-camel.  When they had killed the she-camel Prophet Salih gave them a notice to enjoy life in their houses for three more days, for then they would be seized by the torment.  At this they might have thought that they must take the vengeance on Salih himself.  Therefore, most probably they chose the same night for the attack which Allah had appointed for sending the torment, and thus were struck down by Allah even before they could touch the Prophet Salih.

 

Just see how their plot ended.  We annihilated them and all their people together.  27:51

There, their houses lie desolate in consequence of their wicked deeds.  There is a lesson in this for those who have knowledge; EN27:66 27:52

 

EN27:66  That is, "The ignorant people will say, 'There is no link between the Prophet Salih and his she-camel and the earthquake which struck the people of Thamud.  These things have their natural causes.  Their occurrence and piety has nothing to do with the piety and wickedness of the people of a place."  But the people who posses knowledge know that the universe is not being ruled by a deaf and blind God.  His decisions are not subject to physical causes, but the physical causes are subject to His will.  His decisions to debase or exalt nations are not taken blindly but with wisdom and justice.

and We saved those who had believed and avoided disobedience. 27:53

 

Al-Ankabut 29:38-39

 

And We destroyed 'Ad and Thamud.  You have seen the places where they lived.EN29:65

 

EN29:65 Every Arab was acquainted with the lands where these two nations had lived.  The whole of southern Arabia now known as Ahqaf, Yaman and Hadramaut, was the land of 'Ad in the ancient times, and the Arabs knew it.  The whole area in the north of the Hijaz, from Rabigh to 'Aqabah and from Madinah and Khaibar to Taima and Tabuk, still abounds with Thamudic monuments, which must have been more prominent than they are today in the time when the Quran was being revealed.

 

Suad 38:12-16

 

"Before them did the people of Noah and 'Ad and the Pharaoh of the stakes, 38:12

and Thamud and the people of Lot and those of Aiykah reject (the Messengers).  Hosts were they.  38:13

Each one of them treated the Messengers as liars, and justly deserved the decree of My chastisement.  38:14

These people too await but a single blast after which there will be no other blast.  38:15

And they say, "Our Lord, hasten to us our share even before the Day of Reckoning." 38:16

 

Al-Mumin 40:30-32