Mention in the Quran
Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH) is mentioned several times in the Qur’an. He was sent to the people of Thamūd (ثمود), a tribe that lived in the Arabian Peninsula. They are known for their rejection of Ṣāliḥ’s message and their punishment as a result.
Surah Al-A’raf (7:73–79)
Arabic:
وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَٰلِحًا ۚ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ هَـٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةُ ٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ ءَايَةًۭ فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِىٓ أَرْضِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍۢ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ
Transliteration:
Wa ilā Thamūda akhāhum Ṣāliḥan, qāla yā qawmi uʿbudū Allāha mā lakum min ilāhin ghayruh, qad jāʾatkum bayyinatun min rabbikum, hādhihi nāqatu Allāhi lakum āyatan fatharūhā taʾkul fī arḍi Allāhi walā tamassūhā bisūʾin fayakhudhakum ʿadhābun ʾalīm
English Translation:
“And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, ‘O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. This is the she-camel of Allah [sent] to you as a sign. So leave her to eat within Allah’s land and do not touch her with harm, lest there seize you a painful punishment.'”
Surah Hud (11:61–68)
Arabic:
وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَٰلِحًا ۚ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا فَٱسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌۭ مُّجِيبٌۭ
Transliteration:
Wa ilā Thamūda akhāhum Ṣāliḥan, qāla yā qawmi uʿbudū Allāha mā lakum min ilāhin ghayruh, huwa anshaʾakum mina al-arḍi wastʿamarakum fīhā fastaghfirūhu thumma tūbū ʾilayhi, ʾinna rabbī qarībun mujīb
English Translation:
“And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, ‘O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it, so ask forgiveness of Him and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive.'”
Surah Ash-Shu’ara (26:141–159)
Arabic:
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ
Transliteration:
Kadh-dhabat Thamūdu al-mursalīn
English Translation:
“Thamud denied the messengers.”
Arabic:
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ صَٰلِحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ
Transliteration:
ʾIdh qāla lahum akhūhum Ṣāliḥun, ʾalā tattaqūn
English Translation:
“When their brother Salih said to them, ‘Will you not fear Allah?'”
Surah An-Naml (27:45–53)
Arabic:
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَٰلِحًا أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَإِذَا هُمْ فَرِيقَانِ يَخْتَصِمُونَ
Transliteration:
Walaqad ʾarsalnā ʾilā Thamūda akhāhum Ṣāliḥan ʾani ʿbudū Allāha faʾidhā hum farīqāni yakhtaṣimūn
English Translation:
“And We had certainly sent to Thamud their brother Salih, [saying], ‘Worship Allah,’ and at once they were two parties conflicting.”
Surah Fussilat (41:17)
Arabic:
وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَٰهُمْ فَٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْعَمَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَٰعِقَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Transliteration:
Waʾammā Thamūdu fahadaynāhum fa-istaḥabbū al-ʿamā ʿalā al-hudā faʾakhadhathum ṣāʿiqatu al-ʿadhābi al-hūn bima kānū yaksibūn
English Translation:
“And as for Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance, so the thunderbolt of humiliating punishment seized them for what they used to earn.”
Hadith related to Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH):
Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH) is also mentioned in Sahih Hadith in the context of the punishment given to Thamud. For example:
- Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3378:
Narrated Abdullah bin Umar:
“When the Prophet passed by (a place called) Al-Hijr, he said, ‘Do not enter the places of those who were punished, unless you do so weeping. If you do not weep, do not enter lest what befell them should befall you.'”
This hadith refers to the ruins of the Thamud people who disobeyed Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH) and were destroyed.
- Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2981:
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) passed by Al-Hijr, and he said: ‘Do not enter upon these people who were punished, unless you are weeping, lest there befall you what befell them.’ Then he covered his head and hastened until he had passed through the valley.”
The She-Camel (Naqat Allah) – The Divine Miracle
The most famous miracle associated with the Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH) is the she-camel, known as Naqat Allah (the she-camel of Allah). The Thamūd people, despite their disbelief, demanded a miraculous sign from Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH) to prove his truthfulness. Allah responded to their demand by sending a special she-camel, which was unlike any other animal.
- Surah Al-A’raf (7:73):
- “…This is the she-camel of Allah [sent] to you as a sign. So leave her to eat within Allah’s land and do not touch her with harm, lest there seize you a painful punishment.”
The she-camel was a miraculous sign sent by Allah, and the people were commanded to let her graze freely and not harm her. Prophet Ṣāliḥ warned them that any harm to the camel would bring severe punishment from Allah.
Slaughter of the She-Camel
Despite Prophet Ṣāliḥ’s (PBUH) warnings, the majority of Thamūd remained arrogant and continued in their disbelief. They not only rejected Ṣāliḥ’s message but also conspired to kill the she-camel. As described in Surah Ash-Shu’ara (26:141–159) and Surah An-Naml (27:48–50), they plotted against both the camel and Prophet Ṣāliḥ:
- Surah Ash-Shu’ara (26:141–159):
- “When their brother Salih said to them, ‘Will you not fear Allah?’ But they denied him and hamstrung the she-camel, and so they were seized by the punishment of Allah.”
The people of Thamūd not only killed the she-camel but openly defied Allah’s command. They hamstrung the camel, an act of sheer arrogance and rebellion. After killing the camel, they challenged Ṣāliḥ and asked him to bring the punishment he had warned them about:
- Surah Al-A’raf (7:77):
- “But they hamstrung her and so he [Ṣāliḥ] said, ‘Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. That is a promise not to be denied.'”
The Punishment of Thamūd
As Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH) had warned, the people of Thamūd were given a three-day respite after the slaughter of the she-camel. Despite this warning, they did not repent, and Allah’s punishment descended upon them. The punishment was a mighty earthquake, along with a thunderous blast, that destroyed them all.
- Surah Hud (11:67–68):
- “And the shriek seized those who had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone as if they had never prospered therein.”
- Surah Fussilat (41:17):
- “And as for Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance, so the thunderbolt of humiliating punishment seized them for what they used to earn.”
The entire tribe of Thamūd, except for a few who believed, was annihilated by the severe punishment of Allah. The Qur’an describes how their homes and cities were left empty as a sign for future generations.
Prophet Ṣāliḥ’s (PBUH) Departure
After the destruction of his people, Prophet Ṣāliḥ (PBUH) addressed those who had perished, expressing sorrow for their rejection of Allah’s mercy. This moment is captured in Surah Al-A’raf (7:79):
- “So he [Ṣāliḥ] turned away from them and said, ‘O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you, but you do not like those who give advice.'”
Hadith on the Punishment of Thamūd
The ruins of the Thamūd people serve as a reminder of the consequences of rejecting Allah’s guidance. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), during his lifetime, passed by the site of Thamūd’s destruction and advised his followers to reflect upon their fate with humility and fear of Allah’s wrath:
- Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3378:
- “The Prophet passed by (a place called) Al-Hijr, he said, ‘Do not enter the places of those who were punished, unless you do so weeping. If you do not weep, do not enter lest what befell them should befall you.'”
- Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2981:
- “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) passed by Al-Hijr, and he said: ‘Do not enter upon these people who were punished, unless you are weeping, lest there befall you what befell them.’ Then he covered his head and hastened until he had passed through the valley.”
Also, read the Story of Prophet Hud (Heber) (Pbuh)