Miracle Stories The She-Camel of Allah

Miracle Stories The She-Camel of Allah

Allah mentions the stories of various Prophets and their nations in the Quran. Some Prophets were just sent with clear speech such as Nuh alayhi salam. Others, like Musa alayhi salam, were sent with various miracles. Among the most interesting of stories in the Quran is a story that is not that well known and not oft-repeated, in spite of the multitude of lessons in it. This is the story of Prophet Saleh alayhi salam, his people— Thamud, and the she-camel of Allah.

Saleh (alayhi salam) is Sent to Thamud

The people of Thamud were people who were blessed with strength and intelligence. Buildings they built were carved into the mountains, and they were very oppressive and tyrannical to other people. Moreover, they denied the blessings of Allah upon them and were staunchly involved in their idol worship. Allah, out of His Mercy and Benevolence, sent to them a Messenger from among themselves, the Prophet Saleh alayhi salam. He invited his people to worship Allah alone.

He said,‘My people, worship God. You have no god other than Him. It was He who brought you into being from the earth and made you inhabit it, so ask forgiveness from Him, and turn back to Him: my Lord is near, and ready to answer.’ [1]

He invited his people to Allah, told them of the blessings of Allah in creating them, and reminds them of the mercy of Allah- my Lord is near, and ready to answer. Yet, Thamud make a mockery of him, and question his intelligence!

‘Saleh, We used to have such great hope in you. Will you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? We are in grave doubt about what you are asking us to do.’ [2]

Thamud demand a miracle

Thamud just wanted to live their lives as they knew it, not willing to go out of their comfort zone. They had comfortable lives doing idol worship, and attributed many of their successes to their idols. Moreover, they thought that Saleh alayhi salam was possessed and mentally disturbed.
However, on the ground things were different. Some people were being receptive to the message of the Prophet Saleh alayhi salam and they wanted an end to that. They didn’t want to be challenged by what they saw to be a new religion, and wanted to cut its root off.
One day Saleh alayhi salam called the people on a certain day, and he reminded them of Allah and advised them to be conscious of Allah and to believe in Him.

Then the people made a unique challenge to the Prophet Saleh:
“Ask your Lord to make a she camel, which must be 10 months pregnant, tall and attractive, issue from the rock for us.”

Saleh alayhi salam replied: “Look now! If Allah sends you what you have requested, just as you have described, will you believe in that which I have come to you with and have faith in the message I have been sent with?”
They answered: “Yes.” [3]

Saleh alayhi salam really wanted his people to believe in Allah. He wanted good for them so much that he prayed and prayed to Allah so that Allah sends a female camel, 10 months pregnant from the hills. Then, lo and behold, Allah split the rock asunder, and out came a camel!

The Camel had its rights; so does the Quran.

Scholars mention many of the characteristics of the camel. It produced so much milk that thousands of villagers could be fed. However, it would drink water from the well on one day, and everyone else could drink water from that well on the other day. It came with a lot of barakah but it had its conditions too.
Similarly, the Quran is a blessed book, and has given us more than just milk, it has given life to our dead hearts. However, it has its conditions as well. We are to obey what is in the book, we are to give the book and by extension the commands in it, their due rights.

Killing the camel

However, Thamud were not impressed. They hated the camel— some simply because they had to accept Allah, some because they didn’t want the people to accept Islam and some people simply because the camel was supposedly “restricting” their lives.
Similarly we at times feel that the Quran is “restricting” our lives and not letting us live the life we had wanted. A blessing from Allah comes with a responsibility. The Quran came with a responsibility and if we take it we are rewarded.
If we choose not to take it, we are going to be punished.
Similarly, Thamud decided to remove this camel from their lives and killed it. And then Allah sent down upon them a severe punishment. This is a warning sign to us, that if we are to get complacent with the Quran, try and remove it from our lives, we are asking for destruction, in this life and also in the hereafter

[1] Quran 11:61
[2] Quran 11:62
[3] Ibn Kathir, Stories of the Prophets, Chapter on Prophet Saleh

Properties of The She-Camel

This she-camel has special properties which make her distinctive from other she-camels, such as the large size of her body and its attractive color that is mainly brown with yellow and her dense hair, and her ability to drink the water of all the people so that nothing of it is left at the day of her drink, and also giving milk so much that it was enough for the people at that day, the youngs and adults, to drink, and also whatever was on earth of plants was a pasture for her and no one has the right to prohibit her from that, and she didn't use to hurt or do damage towards anyone either in self or his plants or his trees, and she did not need a guard, and the rest of the animals used to get afraid of her and get off her way.
What is understood from the Holy Phrases about the she-camel is that no one of thamud should do harm to her or to her food or her drink that was appointed for her at her appointed day, and she also don't approach the water at the day of their drinking, so her meanings and her characteristics are not obvious except for the One who created her. For this they were warned and the threat was directed to them whenever they wanted to harm her, and the punishment will befall on them for the slightest harm they might do or for killing her, and Sâlih (PUH) did his best with his people to advice them for he had the pity on them with sincerity, and carried so much of their cause and had patient with them to the fullest, and he was lonely with sorrow for them for they were his people and his tribe and his beloved if only they obeyed God, but what a sorrow (You would be heard if you were calling a living, but there is no such life when the one you're calling).
He used to remind them of the gifts of God to them and try to prohibit them to do mischiefs on earth and worship other gods instead of the true God, and also prohibited them to be tyrants on earth with pride, and for the main heads and tyrants in his people had the pride upon him and they didn't accept to be governed by the commandments and prohibitions of Sâlih like the other people and become under his rule after their pride and their rule, and for them such matter is something not to be discussed and not to be taken as it is for their pride keeps them from being under the rule of a man that had no money nor power, and they never look at what they were worshipping of idols that have no benefits nor harm, no feelings and don't talk to them or guide them, and they would know that the Creator is some One else only if they did meditate and understand.
Sâlih (PUH) is His messenger to them and his prophecy was proved by the miracles that none of the creatures would make, and the mischiefers that had the rule among the people of Sâlih went to the believers that followed him and asked them as if they were mocking: do you know that Sâlih was sent from his God? And their answer to them was: we are believers in whatever he was sent for.
Then the tyrants said: we disbelieve in what you've believed in. We've pointed out before that the destruction of the people of Sâlih ,for their killing of the she-camel and refusing the commandments of God and His prophet, was done by the Cry as was mentioned in the Holy Quran in God's saying: And the (awful) Cry overtook those who did wrong, so that morning found them prostrate in their dwellings(Hud:67). Yes, and Quran also mentioned several ways of punishing them with the quake, the thunders, tyranny..etc as in the chapters of Al-A`râf, Al-Ðâriyât, Al-Hâqqah and Al-Sho`arâ' , and no doubt that all of the other ways of punishing were revealed all together, because the Cry which is the great noise, is done by the thunder and mostly accompanied with the quake and we shall believe that the conditions for the Cry are all satisfied in the Holy Phrases, and also the tyranny which is the expansion of the circle of destruction that was revealed upon them and upon what they used to worship and upon where they used to live, so tyranny overcame them and their homes as mentioned in His saying: Then see the nature of the consequence of their plotting, for lo! We destroyed them and their people, every one, See, yonder are their dwellings empty and in ruins because they did wrong. Lo! herein is indeed a portent for a people who have knowledge(Al-Naml:51-52).
With no doubt it is apparent that the people of Sâlih were in doubt about his prophecy and his message and his truthfulness about everything he claimed about the prophecy and the message of God to them before the foundation of the she-camel and her weanling, especially the main tyrants of them, and it is probable that some of them believed just by calling them back to God with showing them the clues for that as it is with the rest of the messengers and prophets for such people had wisdom and kind hearts and the good-will, and mostly they are the weak people on earth, and they said to the tyrants of the people of Sâlih: Lo! In that wherewith he hath been sent we are believers(Al-A`râf:75).
Yes, and when he got with the great miracle of his which was the she-camel out of the rock as they requested, those who were on faith been even more faithful, and it is probable that all of them believed in him at that time if it wasn't for the devil's seduction and the soul that runs after mischiefs and the stubbornness of the harsh disbelievers that grabbed with them those of weak faith and those who have no working mind or wisdom. And in a famous speech (Hadith) [this line probably taken from a famous Hadith for the prophet Muhammad PBUH]: People are following their kings religions for their greediness for this life's wreckage and their fear of power. So from here and there, those of stubborness got back from being faithful without a clue or a prove, and been doubting and disbelieving, and said to him: Let whatever you were promising come over us if you were saying the truth. And as a witness for this we have God's saying: And as for Thamud, We gave them guidance, but they preferred blindness to the guidance(Fossilat:17).
So, the she-camel is the miracle to prove the truthfulness of Sâlih and his message from God to them, and it is a test for them, for God did say: Lo! We are sending the she-camel as a test for them; so watch them and have patience(Al-Qamar:27), so by her, the prove was done and the forbidden happened along with the torture, and all is said and done, and God did say about this: We never punish until we have sent a messenger(Al-Isrâ':15).

The Land of Sâlih's (PUH) People

We've pointed out previously their living places although there is some controversy that had not been under discussion, so after tracing back we've found out that it lies between Shâm (modern Syria and surroundings) and Hijâz (in KSA) in a place called Al-Hijr. God said: Though ye hew out dwellings in the mountain, being skilful?(Al-Sho`arâ':149), and from Ibn-`Abbâs as reported in interpreting the meanings of this holy phrase: they used to build castles in every position and hew houses in the mountains to be their dwellings places in winter so it is better and warmer, and Þemud was in Wâdi Al-Qurâ [= Valley of Villages] between Medina and Shâm, and A'ad was in Yemen, and the ages of thamud's people used to range between one thousand years and three hundred years.
And in His saying: Ye choose castles in the plains(Al-A`râf:74), meaning that they used to build the castles in the plains, and it is said that they used to make it there to take a rest in them. Abdul-Wahâb Al-Najjâr [another person that has also a book about prophets] said in his stories: Their homes were in Al-Hijr and it is between Hijâz and Shâm in Wâdi Al-Qurâ and they are apparent still till this very day, and some of my friends visited it and got into the king's home and it was a house with some rooms and has a large hall and carved into stone, and the place of their dwellings is known today as Faj Al-Nâqah [= The Hole of The She-Camel].
Al-Mas'udi said: Their remains are still obvious in the way as you come back from Shâm, and Al-Hijr of Þemud is in the southern-east part of the land of Midian and it is near the bay of Aqabah. And in the speech of Sâlih (PUH) as been told by the Holy Book: And remember how He made you viceroys after A'ad and gave you station in the earth. Ye choose castles in the plains and hew the mountains into dwellings(Al-A`râf:74) and this is a point to denote the origin of Þemud and their time and that they are the remains of A'ad, and this is as said by some historians. The people of Hadramawt claim that the lands of Þemud were part of A'ad colonies, so Abdul-Wahâb Al-Najjâr said: This is closer to the logic and doesn't conflict with what was said before, and also he reported some speeches and tidings in this section from european orientalists and also copied from the book of Jorji Zedân (Al-`Arab Qabl Al-Islâm) [=Arabs before Islam] and also from so many others discussing Þemud and the origin of Þemud and their time, and he mentioned his point of view about all of that in a long speech that we don't need to mention here after stating the holy phrase that discusses their situation and after what was traced from the Prophet and his Household (PUT), and we've explained as much as possible for those who has an attentive ears and an awakened heart.

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Camel Urine as Treatment

There are several scientific proofs in the past as well as present time that camel urine is beneficial in certain diseases.
Ibn Seena said the most beneficial of the urine is the urine of Bedouin Camels which are called Najeeb. (Zaad Al Ma’aad 4/47, 48)
Camel’s Urine is effective in treatment of skin diseases like ringworm, tinea and abscesses, sores on body and dry and wet ulcers. It is also useful in making hair lustrous and thick and in prevention of dandruff.
(Prof Dr Abdul Fattah Mahmood Idrees)
Laboratory Tests indicate that Camel’s Urine contains potassium, albuminous proteins and small amounts of uric acid, sodium and creatinine.
Dr Ahlaam Al Awadi, a microbiologist, scientifically proved that Camel’s Urine can be used for treatment of skin diseases like eczema, allergies, sores, burns, acne, nail infections as well as hepatitis, dropsy, etc. It is also helps the hair to grow, become strong and thick and in treatment of dandruff.
Dr Faten Abdul Rahman Khurshid researched and concluded that Camel Urine is a potential cure for cancer.
According to Journal of Cancer Science & Therapy camel urine has anti cancer properties and can be used in treatment of cancer. (OMICS International)

MEDICINE OF THE PROPHET (PBUH)

Narrated Anas (ra): The climate of Al Madina did not suit some people, so the Prophet (pbuh) ordered them to proceed along with his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine) ..." Saheeh Al Bukhaari - Vol 7, Hadith 5686