The Story of Prophet Saleh

The Story of Prophet Saleh

Question
The Story of Prophet Saleh

Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

The way God chose to speak to the people of Thamud was through the story of a camel! The Story of Prophet Saleh By Idris Tawfiq Many of the Prophets mentioned in the Quran, are Prophets shared with Christianity and Judaism, for their stories are often told in the Bible. Such Prophets as Moses, David, Solomon, and Abraham are just a few of the famous names.

Islam, of course, recognizes all former Prophets, believing that God Almighty (Allah) sent them throughout the history of mankind to every nation to speak His message.
{Indeed! We sent a messenger to every nation} [An-Nahl:36] Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the very last in a long line of such messengers. His message was for all people and for all time. The Quran, though, also tells us about some Prophets who are not mentioned in the Bible. One of these is Prophet Saleh (peace be upon him). His story is interesting because God does not just tell it once in the Quran, but many times. Prophet Saleh lived in the region of Al-Hajr, which was located along the trade route from southern Arabia to Syria. The city of "Madain Saleh" lies several hundred kilometers north of Madinah in modern-day Saudi Arabia, is named after him. The rock dwellings in which the people lived are still to be seen there to this day. Saleh was called to preach a message to the people of Thamud. According to the Quran, these people cultivated very rich fertile land, and they had become very vain because of their wealth. They also worshipped many gods, oppressed the poor in their midst and lived lives which were far from the kind of lives Allah wanted them to lead. Saleh's message was very simple: He told his people to turn away from the bad behavior and to turn, instead, to the One God, Allah, who gave them all the good things they enjoyed. Now that doesn't seem a very difficult message to grasp, does it? Yet the people of Thamud were very stubborn in their ways, and refused to accept the message which Saleh was bringing them. God works in very strange ways, sometimes quite beyond our comprehension. The way God chose to speak to the people of Thamud was through the story of a camel! This is, perhaps, the first thing we should note about the story of Saleh as it is told in the Quran. God can choose any way to convey His message to us. We are often slow to understand, but He can speak to us through people and events, or He can even speak to us through the example of a camel. The fact that He tells us the story not once, but many times, is a sure sign that its message is important. The story as told in the Quran goes like this. The people of Thamud were very vain and they refused to accept that Saleh was a messenger sent from God, so they asked him for a sign to prove his credentials. [Hud:62] They asked him, in fact, not just for any sign, but something quite specific. They pointed at a huge rock that was standing by itself, and proposed to him that he ask his God to create a she-camel out of it. Despite their obstinacy, Saleh did this, on the condition that they would believe in God if he produced the she-camel from the rock, and to this they agreed. Saleh then fervently prayed to God to answer their request. The huge rock moved and split, and from it came a wonderful she-camel, which was pregnant and soon to give birth. God provided the Thamud people with this miracle to test them, to see if they would obey His orders. Saleh told them: {O my people! This she-camel of Allah is a sign to you. Leave her to feed on Allah's earth, and inflict no harm on her, or a swift punishment will seize you!} [Hud:64] The camel lived among people of Thamud, and soon gave birth to a calf. Some of the people accepted to believe in God because of what they had seen, and because of what they had promised. Others, however, did not, and they began to hate the camel, as it reminded them of Saleh and of the promise they had made to him. It used to graze among their herds and drink from their water. In fact, one day it would drink, and the next day the other animals would drink. Saleh told them to let it drink from the water of the well for one day, and leave it to them the second day as Allah ordered: {She has a right to drink (water), and you have a right to drink water, each on a day appointed} [Al-Qamar:28] Instead of convincing them to be kind to the animal, they actually chose to harm it. [Al-A`raf:75-7] As if their disbelief was not enough, they also challenged Saleh to bring down the punishment of God upon them if he was, indeed, a Prophet. Nine men amongst them, known for their mischief and prompted on by some of the women, went to the camel and its calf at night time, and they killed them both. Saleh was angry at what they had done. The camel had surely done them no harm, he said. {Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. This is a promise that will not be belied} [Hud:65] Despite their scoffing and scorn for his message, the people were destroyed. [11:67-68] Saleh and the people who were left moved from that place, never to return. Lessons From the Story The message of Saleh must be important or God would not have repeated it so often in the Quran. So what does it tell us today? How can this episode of a camel teach modern men and women how to live? Well, first of all it teaches us that we should not put God to the test, asking for signs and proofs from Him, when the whole of creation is surely one great sign of His goodness to the world. He has repeatedly sent His messengers to us, but we are very slow to believe. It teaches us, also, not to disobey God, but to listen to His Prophets and messengers and be prompt to do what they say. The story of Saleh teaches us an important fact about ourselves. We agree with God when things are going good for us, but then we go back on what we have promised to Him, turning back to our previous ways. Think of how many times we have pleaded for such and such a thing, promising to do all manner of good things in return. When we get what we want, we tend to forget our promises very quickly. Finally, the message of Saleh is a salutary one for today's world. It teaches us that God will not be mocked. He, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in between, is in charge of all things. Sometimes humans think they can fool Him and act against His will, but all things are within His grasp. He can put an end to our stubbornness at any moment if He chooses to. We think we are so important and so clever, with our nuclear weapons and our ability to send people into outer space, while at the same time, like the people of Thamud, we oppress the poor, and deny even simple people their rights. Prophet Saleh (peace be upon him) teaches us something very important: that doing God's will is a reward in itself. We need neither signs nor proofs nor congratulations for doing it. [26:145] You can find the story of Prophet Saleh told in full in these places in the Quran: the seventh chapter, called Al-A`raf, verses 73-78, the 11th chapter, called Hud, verses 61-68, the 26th chapter, called Ash-Shu`araa', verses 141-159, and the 27th chapter, called An-Naml, verses 45-53. It can teach us all to be better people.

The effects of sin upon Individuals and upon Society

All praise is due to Allah the One in whose hands is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. Sovereignty and praise belong to Him and He is a witness over all things. He possesses wisdom in His affairs, in His law and ability. He does as He wishes and judges as He likes and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone having no partner and that He is the Protector, the Praised. I also bear witness that Muhammad (Prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), is His slave and Messenger, seal of the Prophets, their leader and chief of the believers, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and upon his family, upon his Companions and those who follow them in righteousness until the last day. To proceed - Verily Allah, the Most High, spoke clearly of the completeness of His power, the perfection of His wisdom and that the command and legislation are for Him alone and that He is the Ruler over His servants as He wishes in regards to security, fear, prosperity, severity, ability, anxiety, deficiency, abundance, etc. Allah says: "All that are in the heavens and the earth entreat Him. Every day He is upon some task." [al-Qur'aan 55:29] So for Allah, the Most High, in His creation there are affairs for which he exercises Judgment, which is sometimes necessitated by His wisdom and His Graciousness, and sometimes by His Wisdom and Justice, and your Lord does not oppress anyone. "We did not wrong them, but they themselves were unjust." [al-Qur'aan 44:76] O Muslims, indeed we believe in Allah and His divine decree; indeed having faith in the divine decree of Allah is one of the pillars of belief. We believe that which benefits us from goodness and prosperity, it is from the favour of Allah upon us. It is an obligation upon us to thank the benefactor and patron of this favour by returning to his obedience, abstaining from what He has forbidden and doing what He has commanded. Verily if we stand in obedience to Allah, then we are those that are thankful for His favours and thus are deserving of what Allah has promised us and conferred upon us from an increase of this favour. Allah says: "And whatsoever blessing you have, it is from Allah ... " [al-Qur'aan 16:53] And Allah, the Most High, says: "And when your Lord proclaimed: 'If you are thankful I will increase you. But if you are ungrateful, My torment shall be severe." [al-Qur'aan 14:7] O Muslims, indeed we who are in this kingdom, we live, and all praise is due to Allah, in safety and prosperity, but this safety and security will not stay forever except by obedience to Allah, the Most High, and until we stand in obedience to Allah, until we command the good and forbid the evil, until we help those who command the good and forbid the evil, because these people who command the good and forbid the evil are the standpoint of the Ummah. They are the ones who drive away the causes for penalty and punishment, so it is upon us to help them and to be amongst their ranks, it is also upon us, if they make a mistake, to realise the mistake and to warn them from it and to guide them to that within which there is guidance, not that we make an excuse in what they have made a mistake in as a cause of removing them and pushing them away on this basis, indeed this custom is not good. O Muslims, indeed whatever befalls the people from harm or constraint be it monetary or from a position of trust, be it upon the individual or the society, then certainly it is because of their sins and their neglect of the commands of Allah and their forgetfulness of the law of Allah and their seeking of judgment amongst the people, without the law of Allah, the One who created the creation and is more merciful to them than their mothers and father and is more knowledgeable about their affairs than they are. O Muslims, I return to this sentence because of its importance and because of the avoidance that many of the people show to it. Certainly I say (again), indeed whatever befalls the people from harm or constraint be it monetary or from a position of trust, be it upon the individual or the society, then certainly it is because of their sins and their neglect of the commands of Allah and their forgetfulness of the law of Allah and their seeking of judgment amongst the people, without the law of Allah, the One who created the creation and is more merciful to them than their mothers and father and is more knowledgeable about their affairs than they are. Allah, the Most High, says that clearly in His Book so that we become clear on the matter. Allah, the Most High, says: "Whatever misfortune befalls you, is for what your own hands have earned, and He pardons much." [al-Qur'aan 42:30] Whatever has come to us from good favours and security, then it is from Allah. It is He who bestowed it upon us from the beginning to its end. He is the One who conferred benefit upon us and we have become steadfast because of Him. He is the One who conferred benefit upon us and bestowed it amply upon us. As for what has befallen us from those things which are evil, from drought, fear and things of this nature that afflict us, then that is from ourselves, we are the reasons for it, we, the ones who have oppressed ourselves and have brought it upon ourselves in ruin and destruction. O Mankind, verily there are many from the people today who ascribe the difficulties that they are facing (whether they are monetary, economic or political security issues) to material, political or monetary reasons or to limiting factors. There is no doubt that this is from the shallowness of their understanding and the weakness of their faith as well as their heedlessness on the contemplation of the Book of Allah and the Prophetic traditions. O Muslims, O Believers in Allah and His Messenger, Indeed the basis of these reasons are religious. Reasons for these difficulties are greater, mightier and more severe in their effects than material reasons, but it is possible that the material reasons are placed as an intermediary. Allah says: "Corruption has appeared on land and in the sea for what men's hands have earned, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, that they may return." [al-Qur'aan 30:41] O Mankind, O Muslims, O people of Muhammad (Prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), Be thankful of the favour of Allah upon you. Indeed you, O people of Muhammad, are the best of peoples and the most noble of them to Allah. Indeed Allah did not place the punishment of this nation upon it's sins and wrong-doings as were the punishments of the nations that came before. He did not bring about a destruction for the Ummah as what transpired with the people of 'Ad when they were destroyed by a ferocious raging wind, that he subjected them with for a grueling seven nights and eight days, in which you the people fell down demented as if they are the devastated stumps of palm trees- look around, do you think there is anyone left from amongst them? He did not bring about a punishment similar to that of Thamud, those people that were taken by the loud piercing scream and mighty tremors. Not like the punishment of the people of Lot, those to whom Allah sent upon stones from the sky and Allah turned their houses upside-down. O Muslims, indeed Allah with His wisdom and His mercy for this nation has placed their penalties upon their wrong-doings and sins in order that they should impose penalties upon each other. Allah, the Most High, has said: "Say: 'He is Able to send torment upon you from above you or from beneath your feet, or to bewilder you with dissension and make you taste the violence of one another. See how We display the signs so that they may understand.' " [al-Qur'aan 6:65] And certainly al-Hafidh Ibn Kathir mentioned in his commentary on the Qur'aan numerous narrations in connection with this verse. From these narrations is what Imam al-Bukhari authenticated on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah, may Allah be pleased with them both, where it is reported that when this verse was revealed, the Prophet (Prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), said: "I seek refuge in Your Face." And what has been authenticated by Imam Muslim on the authority of Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "We were accompanying the Prophet (Prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), until we passed by the Masjid of Bani Mu'awiyah. So the Prophet entered the Masjid and prayed two rak'at, and we prayed with him. Then he said something in secret to his Lord, the Most High, for a long time. Then he said: "I asked my Lord for three things; I asked Him that He should not destroy my nation by a flood, so He granted me that and I asked Him not to destroy my nation by a drought as what transpired with the people of the Pharoah so He granted me that, and I asked Him that they did not fight one another, which He has refused to me." And on the authority of Jabir ibn al-Urut, may Allah be pleased with him: "I came before the Prophet, peace be upon him, at night and we prayed until it was close to the time of the morning prayer, so the Prophet, peace be upon him, ended his prayer. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, certainly you have prayed this night a prayer that which I have not seen you pray the like of.' The Messenger of Allah (Prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), said: "The reason for that is because it was a prayer between desire and fear. I asked my Lord, the Most High, in the prayer for three qualities for which He gave me two and denied me one. I asked my Lord that He not destroy us in the way He destroyed the previous generations and so He granted me that, and I asked my Lord that He not cause us to be overcome by an enemy so He granted me that. Then I asked my Lord, the Most High, that He not make us into factions and that he not make us inflict harm upon each other but he did not grant this to me." [Reported by Ahmad, Nisa'i and at-Tirmidhi] O Muslims, indeed you believe in these verses and you believe in these narrations. Those which have been authenticated on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (Prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), so why do you not contemplate on them? Why do you not contemplate on them? Why do you not ascribe these difficulties, those which arise, to the laxness in your worship so that you may return to your Lord and save yourselves from the causes of disastrous annihilation? So fear Allah and look to your affairs and seek repentance from your Lord. Rectify your journey to Him and know that these punishments that come down to you O people and these trials that befall you are indeed from your own souls and your sins, so bring forward for every punishment, repentance and a return to Allah and seek refuge with Allah, the Most High, from the trials. Material trials that are with people, with killing, with injury with frightening and with money, with deficiency and destruction. And the religious trials that are in the heart with misconceptions, desires that block the nation from Allah's religion and distance it from the success of it's predecessors and blow it to the Fire, for indeed the trial of the hearts is mightier and greater and with a more evil result that the worldly trials because if the worldly trials were to befall someone, there would be no loss except that of this world and the world will eventually waste away sooner or later, as for the religious trials then with it is the loss in this life and the hereafter. " ... The real losers will be those who lose themselves and their housefolk on the Day of Arising. That will be the manifest loss." [al-Qur'aan 39:15]

Prophet Saleh

God said in Quran that Prophets and Messengers were sent to every nation on earth and that they all spread the same message - to worship One God, alone, without partners, sons, or daughters. The majority of Prophets mentioned in the Quran and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad are recognisable, and considered prophets in both the Jewish and Christian faiths. Prophet Saleh however, is one of only four Arab prophets and his story is not universally known. {And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad); of some of them We have related to you their story and of some We have not related to you their story, and it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign except by the Leave of God.} [Quran 40:78[ {وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِّن قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّه} [غافر:٧٨] Transliteration: Wa Laqad 'Arsalnā Rusulāan Min Qablika Minhum Man Qaşaşnā `Alayka Wa Minhum Man Lam Naqşuş `Alayka Wa Mā Kāna Lirasūlin 'An Ya'tiya Bi'āyatin 'Illā Bi'idhni Allāhi Ad and Thamud were two great civilisations destroyed by God due to their excessive wickedness. After the destruction of Ad, Thamud succeeded them in power and grandeur. The people led wealthy excessive lives, built grand buildings, both on the plains, and carved into the hills. Unfortunately with their extravagant lifestyles came idol worship and wickedness. Prophet Saleh was sent to warn the people of Thamud, that God was not pleased with their behaviour, and would rain down destruction upon them, if they did not mend their evil ways. Saleh was a pious, righteous man who held a position of leadership in the community, but his call to worship God alone infuriated many people. Some understood the wisdom of his words, but the majority of the people disbelieved and harmed Saleh with both words and actions. {O Saleh! You have been among us as a figure of good hope and we wished for you to be our chief, till this, new thing, which you have brought that we leave our gods, and worship your God alone! Do you now forbid us the worship of what our fathers have worshipped? But we are really in grave doubt as to that which you invite us to monotheism.} [Quran 11:62] {قَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ قَدْ كُنتَ فِينَا مَرْجُوًّا قَبْلَ هَٰذَا ۖ أَتَنْهَانَا أَن نَّعْبُدَ مَا يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا وَإِنَّنَا لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ} [هود:٦٢] Transliteration: Qālū Yā Şāliĥu Qad Kunta Fīnā Marjūwāan Qabla Hādhā 'Atanhānā 'An Na`buda Mā Ya`budu 'Ābā'uunā Wa 'Innanā Lafī Shakkin Mimmā Tad`ūnā 'Ilayhi Murībin The people of Thamud gathered at their meeting place, in the shadows of a great mountain. They demanded that Saleh prove that the One God he spoke of was truly mighty and strong. They asked him to perform a miracle - to cause a unique and incomparable she camel to emerge from the nearby mountains. Saleh addressed his people asking, if the camel appeared would they then believe in his message. They answered a resounding yes, and together the people prayed with Saleh for the miracle to occur. By the grace of God, an enormous, ten month pregnant she camel emerged from the rocks at the bottom of the mountain. Some of the people understood the magnitude of this miracle but the majority continued to disbelieve. They saw a great and dazzling sight yet remained arrogant and stubborn. {We sent the she camel to Thamud as a clear sign, but they did her wrong.} [Quran 17:59] { وَآتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ النَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً فَظَلَمُوا بِهَا} [الإسراء:٥٩] Transliteration: Wa 'Ātaynā Thamūda An-Nāqata Mubşiratan Fažalamū Bihā Quran commentator and Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir informs us that there are a number of accounts of the she camel and her miraculous nature. It is said that the camel appeared from a rock that split open, and some people pointed out that the camel was so huge it was able to drink all the water in the town's wells in one day. Other people said the camel was able to produce enough milk every day to feed the entire population. The camel lived among the people of Thamud and sadly, the disbelievers who had harassed Saleh turned their anger and resentment towards the camel. Although many people believed in God, listened to Prophet Saleh, and understood the miracle of the she camel, many others stubbornly refused to listen. People began to complain that the camel drank too much water, or that she frightened the other livestock. Prophet Saleh began to fear for the camel. He warned his people of a great torment that would befall them if they harmed the she camel. {O my people! This she camel of God is a sign to you, leave her to feed on God's earth, and touch her not with evil lest a near torment will seize you.} [Quran 11:64] {وَيَا قَوْمِ هَٰذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ قَرِيبٌ} [هود:٦٤] Transliteration: Wa Yā Qawmi Hadhihi Nāqatu Allāhi Lakum 'Āyatan Fadharūhā Ta'kul Fī 'Arđi Allāhi Wa Lā Tamassūhā Bisū'in Faya'khudhakum `Adhābun Qarībun A group of men encouraged their womenfolk, plotted to kill the she camel and took the first opportunity to shoot her with an arrow and pierce her with a sword. The she camel fell to the ground and died. The murderers cheered and congratulated each other and the disbelievers laughed and mocked Saleh. Prophet Saleh warned the people that a great torment would be upon them with in three days, but he continued to hope that they would see the error of their ways and seek God's forgiveness. Prophet Saleh said. {O my people! I have indeed conveyed to you the Message of my Lord, and have given you good advice but you like not good advisers.} [Quran 7:79] {فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّي وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُحِبُّونَ النَّاصِحِينَ} [الأعراف:٧٩] Transliteration: Fatawallá `Anhum Wa Qāla Yā Qawmi Laqad 'Ablaghtukum Risālata Rabbī Wa Naşaĥtu Lakum Wa Lakin Lā Tuĥibbūna An-Nāşiĥīna However, the people of Thamud jeered at Saleh's words and planned to destroy him and his family as callously as they had killed the she camel. {And there were in the city nine men (from the sons of their chiefs), who made mischief in the land, and would not reform. They said: 'Swear to another by God that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household, and afterwards we will surely say to his near relatives, "We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and verily! We are telling the truth.'} [Quran 27: 48 & 49] {وَكَانَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ تِسْعَةُ رَهْطٍ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا يُصْلِحُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾ قَالُوا تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ وَأَهْلَهُ ثُمَّ لَنَقُولَنَّ لِوَلِيِّهِ مَا شَهِدْنَا مَهْلِكَ أَهْلِهِ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ} [النمل:٤٩] Transliteration: Wa Kāna Fī Al-Madīnati Tis`atu Rahţin Yufsidūna Fī Al-'Arđi Wa Lā Yuşliĥūna(48) Qālū Taqāsamū Billāhi Lanubayyitannahu Wa 'Ahlahu Thumma Lanaqūlanna Liwalīyihi Mā Shahidnā Mahlika 'Ahlihi Wa 'Innā Laşādiqūna God saved Prophet Saleh and all his followers; they packed some meagre belongings, and with heavy hearts, moved to another place. After three days, Prophet Saleh's warning came to pass. The sky was filled with lightening and thunder and the earth shook violently. God destroyed the city of Thamud and her people died in a torment of fear and disbelief. Ibn Kathir said that Saleh's people fell down dead, one and all, all at the same time. Their arrogance and disbelief could not save them, nor could their idols. Their large and extravagant buildings afforded them no protection at all. God continues to send clear guidance to humankind but the disbelievers persist in their arrogance and denial. God is the most Merciful and the most Forgiving: He loves to forgive. However, God's warnings should not to be ignored. God's punishment, as the people of Thamud experienced, can be swift and severe.