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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
Listen!
Cast away were also the people of Madian as were Thamud cast away! 11:95
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
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
EN15:46 That is, "Their strong and secure buildings, which they had hewed
into the mountains, could not protect them from the blast."
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
"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