by MOSTAFA AL-BADAWI

In the fifth part of the series on Ancient Prophets of Arabia, Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi looks at the life of Prophet Salih who was sent to the people of Thamud

On his way north during the Tabuk expedition, the Prophet Muhammad (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) and the Muslim army came upon al-Hijr, the location where the extinct tribe of Thamud used to dwell. Al-Hijr (known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as Hijra, Hegra or Egra) is about nine miles northeast of today’s town of al-‘Ula, the ancient Dedan, itself 250 miles north of Medina. When the Muslims entered the Thamud territory, they began to make camp and drew water from the well, using it to knead dough and to fill their cooking pots. One of the Muslims then alerted the Prophet (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) about where they were. He came rushing and ordered the army to empty the pots, feed the dough to the camels and strike the camp.[1]

The Prophet (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) then led them to the well where the she-camel of Thamud had drunk and permitted them to draw water from it. Holding a short spear in his hand, he called the people to him and asked them, “Why did you enter the land of a people with whom God was wrathful?” A man answered, “So that we may wonder at them, O Messenger of God.” The Prophet (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) replied, “Shall I tell you of that which is even more wondrous? A man from among you who is informing you of what was before you and what is to be after you. Therefore, be upright and do your best for God shall care nothing should He torment you, and He will be dealing with people entirely incapable of defending themselves.”

The Prophet (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) also said, “Do not pass through the dwelling place of those who wronged themselves without weeping. If you cannot weep, then do not enter lest you be stricken with that which they were stricken.” Then he covered his head with his shawl, even as he rode his camel.[2]

The Prophet (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) not only taught the Muslims that accursed places such as the land of Thamud should be avoided and dreaded, but he also took the opportunity to teach them lessons drawn from the plight of an ancient people who had denied their prophets and were destroyed by divine wrath. The Prophet (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) reminded them that his presence among them was even more wondrous than the story of Thamud, for was he not a man of their own stock, who had been chosen to receive knowledge of ancient humanity as well as of what would happen until the end of time? He warned them that if they did not submit to the divine authority and follow the straight path, God would destroy them and they would be incapable of defending themselves as the people of Thamud.

The Thamud were Arab Semites of the same stock as the people of ‘Ad, who used to dwell in Wadi al-Ahqaf in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, in what is now called the Hadramawt Valley. The Prophet Hud (may peace be upon him) had been sent to the people of ‘Ad, who had been wiped out by a violent tempest after having rejected his message. The people of Thamud dwelled in mud-brick mansions, and were said to have had such long life spans that they had to rebuild their mansions many times. They eventually carved out their dwellings in the rocky hills nearby.[3] They were prosperous and life was relatively easy; although they lived in the desert, there was enough water in the wells to irrigate palm-tree groves and other crops to meet their needs.[4] Secure in this here, among gardens and fountains, sown fields, and palms with soft fruits. (26: 146–148)

The Prophet Salih (may peace be upon him) like all other divine messengers, called his people to recognize only one God, the Absolute. He was Salih, son of ‘Ubayd, son of Jabir, son of Thamud, son of Jabir, son of Shem. He was said to be white-skinned with a reddish complexion and had lank hair, resembling Jesus, who came more than two millennia later. And like Jesus, he walked barefoot and never used perfume. On his right hand was a mole.[5] Salih (may peace be upon him) attempted to arouse a natural prerational certitude in his people that affirmed that there could never be two absolutes. He invited them to seek God’s pleasure by obeying Him. The Qur’an says, And to Thamud, (We sent) their brother Salih. He said, “O my people! Worship God, you have no other god than He. It is He who produced you from the earth and gave you to live therein, so ask forgiveness of Him, and then repent to Him. My Lord is indeed near, responsive. (11:61)

Salih’s tribe had sunk into idolatry, forgetting that there was only one Power in the universe and that this Power demanded recognition and service. The people of al-Hijr denied the messengers. We sent them Our signs but they turned away from them; and they hewed out dwellings from the hills, living in security. But the cry seized them in early morning and all that they had earned availed them not. (15:80–84) When the Qur’an says that they denied the messengers in the plural, it is because all the messengers came with the same message; thus, to deny one messenger is to deny them all. The Qur’an mentions three kinds of signs of a messenger: