The wisdom rooted within the stories of the Prophets is boundless. These narratives serve as a universal message, reaching out to all of humanity—the righteous and the wicked alike. Across all cultures and faiths, such great human beings have always existed as a divine compass: guiding the pure-hearted toward light, and serving as a warning to the unruly against a tragic end. Were it not for the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Hadiths, Muslims would have remained unaware of the lives and struggles of the Prophets. As Allah Almighty states in the Holy Quran;
”There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was the Qur’an a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe.”

(لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ۗ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَٰكِن تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ) [Surah Yusef:111]. Among these stories is the story of Prophet Salih (peace be upon him).

     The story of Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) is repeated in many chapters of the Holy Quran, such as Surah Al-Araf, Hud, and Fussilat. He is Salih (peace be upon him), the son of Ubayd ibn Asif. He traces his lineage to Thamud ibn Aad, from the descendants of Iram ibn Sam ibn Nuh (Nuh, peace be upon him). He was an Arab prophet, and one of the four Arab prophets: Muhammad, Shuayb, Salih, and Hud (peace be upon them all). He was sent to the tribe of Thamud, one of the Arab tribes. Salih himself was one of them. Their dwellings were in Al-Hijr, a place that is now located between the northern borders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the eastern part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The people of Salih (peace be upon him) were blessed by Allah with aspects of civilization, particularly in construction and architecture. So they settled in the plains and carved homes into the mountains, and He granted them succession in the land after those before them;

”And remember when He made you successors after Aad (people) and gave you habitations in the land, you build for yourselves palaces in plains, and carve out homes in the mountains. So remember the graces (bestowed upon you) from Allah, and do not go about making mischief on the earth.”

(وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ مِن بَعْدِ عَادٍ وَبَوَّأَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِن سُهُولِهَا قُصُورًا وَتَنْحِتُونَ الْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًا ۖ فَاذْكُرُوا آلَاءَ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ) [Surah Al-Araaf:74].

The Prophethood of Prophet Salih (AS)

    Allah sent Salih to the people of Thamud, calling them to worship Allah alone with sincerity and to abandon all that they worshipped besides Him. He denounced them for the widespread corruption and great transgression they were upon. The response of Thamud was to ask Salih (peace be upon him) to bring them a sign as proof of his truthfulness; ”They said, “You are only of those affected by magic. You are only a human being like us, so bring forth a sign if what you say is true.”
(قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مِنَ الْمُسَحَّرِينَ. مَآ أَنتَ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُنَا فَأْتِ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ) [Surah Ash-Shu’rah:153-154]

   They sought to challenge him, asking for a miraculous sign to prove his truthfulness, and mockingly set conditions for it: That the great rock in their land split open and a she-camel emerge. That the camel be so large that when it drank, no water would be left for anyone else. That it be red in color and pregnant, about to give birth. So Salih (peace be upon him) took from them solemn oaths and covenants that if Allah answered their request, they would believe in him and follow him. Salih (peace be upon him) prayed to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and the rock moved. From it emerged a she-camel, as they had requested. Salih placed the camel and her calf among them for a time. The camel would drink from their well one day and leave water for them the next. On the days she drank, they would milk her, taking as much milk as they wished into their containers; ”And inform them that the water is shared between them, each [day of] drink attended [by turn].” (وَنَبِّئْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمَاءَ قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ كُلُّ شِرْبٍ مُّحْتَضَرٌ) [Surah Al-Qamar:28]. 

The stubbornness of the people of Thamud 

     Even after witnessing the miracle, the people’s disbelief in Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) grew stronger, and they plotted to kill the she-camel. Allah Almighty details these events within the poetic verses of Surah Ash-Shams;

”Thamud denied [their Prophet] through their arrogance.” (كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا)— that is, because of their tyranny, pride, and defiance against the messengers of Allah. ‘‘When the worst among them was sent forth” (إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا)— meaning the most wicked of the tribe, Qidar ibn Salaf — to hamstring the she-camel, as they had agreed and commanded him to do so. ”And the Messenger of Allah said to them” — that is, Salih (peace be upon him) warning them: ”Beware of Allah’s she-camel and its watering.” (فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا) — meaning, do not harm the she-camel that Allah had sent as a great sign, and do not repay Allah’s blessing with harm; yet they denied their Prophet Salih.
”So they hamstrung it, and their Lord destroyed them for their sin” (فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا) — meaning, Allah destroyed them and inflicted His punishment upon them. He sent a thunderous blast from above and a shaking from beneath, leaving them prostrate on their knees, with no one left to call for help or respond. ”He leveled them”— meaning, He made the punishment equal upon them. ”And none can fear its aftermath except Him” (وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا) — meaning, who can fear after Him? None, for He is the All-Powerful, and nothing can escape His control; He is Wise in all that He ordains and legislates.

   Salih said to them: ”Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days.” — that is, except for that day. Yet they did not believe him even in this certain promise. When evening came, they plotted to kill him. They intended, as they claimed, to reach him along with the she-camel. They said, ”Let us conspire by Allah to trap him in his house with his family so that we may kill him, and then deny having killed him if his supporters demand retribution.”

the punishment of thamud

    It was narrated in some narrations that on the first day, their faces turned yellow. On the second day, they turned red. On the third day, they turned black. Then they realized the truth of Salih (peace be upon him) and began digging their own graves with their hands. Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) felt sorrow for his people and grieved over their disbelief: ”So he turned away from them and said, ”O my people, I have conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you, yet you do not love those who give sincere advice.” (فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَاتِ رَبِّي وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ ۖ فَكَيْفَ آسَىٰ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ كَافِرِينَ) [Surah Al-Araf:93]. Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) then lived with those who believed alongside him in the city of Al-Ramla in Palestine until Allah, as it was narrated in some historical books, (Glorified and Exalted is He) took his soul.