Prophet Saleh [PBUH]

Prophet Saleh [PBUH]



Allah says about the people of Thamud [And to the tribe of Thamud We send their brother Saleh. He said, ‘O my people worship Allah; you have no God but Him. He raised you up from the earth, and settled you therein. So ask forgiveness of Him, then turn unto Him repentant. Verily, my Lord is Nigh, Responsive] Houd 11:61.

His name is Saleh ibn Ebeid ibn Asef ibn Maseh ibn Ebeid ibn Hazer ibn Thamud ibn Aram ibn Sam. He was sent to the people of Thamud, who were the successors of the people of 'Aad. They used to live in houses carved in the stone, which was located between Hijaz in Saudi Arabia and Sham [Syria]. When the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] and his companions passed by it, he said to them (don't enter to those people in torture, unless you were crying, for the fear of getting what their fate).

The people of Thamud were famous for their long lives, as their houses used to be destroyed, while they were still alive. Therefore, they carved their houses in the stony mountains so that it would not be affected by time. They also enjoyed fertile farm lands. So, they were corrupted and worshipped idols. Allah sent them Saleh [PBUH] who was one of their nobles, but they accused him of being a liar; [Thamud contradicted the Messengers ¤ When their brother Saleh said to them, ‘Will you not be pious? ¤ Surely, I am unto you a faithful Messenger ¤ So fear Allah, and obey me ¤ And I ask of you no reward for it. My reward is only from the Lord of the worlds] ash-Shura 26:141-145.

Saleh [PBUH] warned them that their gardens, springs, fields, palm trees and carved houses in the mountains would not protect them from the punishment of Allah. He said to them that they would only be saved, when they worship Allah, obey Him and abandon the corrupters.

They said to him: We thought that you were a man of a great importance, but how could you ask us to stop worshipping the idols that our fathers worshiped?! You must have been bewitched to the extent of being out of your mind. If you were right, bring forth a Sign! Allah said [They said, ‘You are but one of the bewitched ¤ You are only a man like ourselves. So bring a sign, if you are one of the truthful] ash-Shura 26:153-154.

When they asked him for a sign he replied "what Sign do you need?". They said "Join us in our feast and let's pray to our god and you pray to yours! Whosever prayers would be fulfilled shall be followed". He agreed and went out with them. They prayed to their idols and their prayers were not fulfilled. Their leader, Janda' ibn Amr, pointed at a rock called al-Kathiba and asked Saleh [PBUH] to produce a pregnant she-camel from such a rock which should be free of any fault. They promised to believe him, if he did. Prophet Saleh [PBUH] took their oath: "If I do you be believers?" Janda' said: Yes. Prophet Saleh [PBUH] prayed to his Lord and the rock gave birth to an expectant camel with the same description they asked for. Then the camel gave birth to a calf as great as she was. Janda' with some people believed in him, while others did not. Dho'ab ibn Amr, al-Habbab, the keeper of their idols, and Rabab, their priest stopped the other people from believing. Prophet Saleh [PBUH] said to them as in Qur'an [He said, ‘Here is a she-camel: she has her turn of drinking, and you have your turn of drinking on an appointed day] ash-Shura 26:155; [And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allah as a sign for you, so let her alone that she may feed in Allah’s earth, and touch her not with harm lest a near punishment seize you] Houd 11:64.

The camel lived among them with her calf, eating from the trees, drinking water from the well. She used to drink so much water, in her day of drinking, that she never rises her head until she drank all the water of the well. The she would separate between her legs in order for them to milk her. They would milk her until they fill all their pots, and so they would drink all they can and save also save some. The she-camel used to go out in the summer to the valley, then their cattle would escape to the belly of the valley, and in the winter she used to go to the belly of the valley, then their cattle would go up to back of the valley. They did not like that, then two women of them: Aneiza Om Ghanam and Sadfa bent al-Mokhtar made the killing of this she-camel look good to them. The two women arranged with a man called "Qadar" to kill her. It is told that the man refused to kill her, unless everyone agreed to that. So they got the approval of each one of them. They would enter to a woman in her boudoir and say: do you consent? and she would say: yes. They also got the approval of their children. Qadar made use of another man to help him killing her. Qadar hid behind a hill until she finished drinking, the other man shot her with an arrow and Qadar slaughtered her with a sword. Her calf ran away, climbed a mountain called Qarah then he grumbled three times and entered his mother's rock. When the news of its murder was spread, all people hurried to take from its flesh until there was no home left without have some of its meat. People kept eating and laughing. Prophet Saleh [PBUH] was absent. When he came back, he was told of what happened. Some people told Saleh [PBUH] that they were not to be blamed for her killing, but Qadar did. Prophet Saleh [PBUH] told them to catch up with the calf so that they may be saved from torture. They could not, because he had already entered the rock. Prophet Saleh [PBUH] said to them "Tomorrow, your faces will turn yellow, and day after, your faces will turn red. In the third day, your faces will turn black and then punishment will befall upon all of you".

It was also told that when Prophet Saleh [PBUH] asked them to catch up the calf, they looked for it and found it on the mountain. They went to catch it, but Allah inspired the mountain to become higher so that no one could reach it, not even the birds. When Prophet Saleh [PBUH] came and the calf saw him, the calf then cried until his tears fall down, then he faced prophet Saleh [PBUH] and he grumbled once then a second then a third time. Prophet Saleh [PBUH] said to his people "You have been delayed one day for every grumble. So enjoy your homes for three days. It is a true promise". Allah said [But they hamstrung her; so he said, ‘Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. That is a promise not to be belied] Houd 11:65. When they started seeing the signs, they tried to kill Prophet Saleh [PBUH], but Allah saved him and sent him to the land of Palestine. In the morning of the fourth day, they wore their shrouds with their scent and waited for the punishment. The divine punishment befell to them, so they all perished, every last one of them; [So the punishment overtook them. In that verily there is a sign, but most of them would not believe] ash-Shura 26:158.



Edited by Ahmed Abbas

Translated by Nahed Aboel-Hasan

======
site - page : http://almagalla.info/2011e/mar3.htm