| Saleh | |
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An imagining of Saleh inviting his people to see the She-Camel, from an illuminated manuscript version of Stories of the Prophets. |
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| Prophet, Seer, Apostle to Thamud | |
| Born | Thamud |
| Honored in | Islam |
| Major shrine | Nabi Salih |
| Influenced | Many Muslim saints |
| This article is part of the series: |
| Islam |
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Saleh or Salih (Arabic: صالح; meaning Pious) was a prophet of ancient Arabia mentioned in the Qur'an, who prophesied to the tribe of the Thamud.[1][2] He is mentioned nine times throughout the Qur'an and his people are frequently referenced as a wicked community who, because of their sins, were ultimately destroyed.[3] Saleh is sometimes equated with the Shelah of the Hebrew Bible, however there is almost nothing in common between the Qur'anic narrative of Saleh and the Biblical narrative of Shelah. The preaching and prophecy of Saleh is linked to the famous Islamic story of the She-Camel, which was the gift given by God to the people of the Thamud when they desired a miracle to confirm the truth of the message Saleh was preaching. Chronologically, scholars believe Saleh's prophesying to have been post-Antediluvian but pre-Abrahamic.
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The Thamud people are believed to have been the successors to the ancient tribe of 'Ad. Their ancestral descendant may have been Eber, the great-grandson of Noah[4] and their location is likely to have been in the Northwest corner of Arabia, between Madinah and Syria. In later Islamic history, when Muhammad led his expedition to Tabuk against the Romans, on a reported Roman invasion from Syria, the prophet - and his companions - came across the remains of Thamud. With the advance of material civilization, the people of the Thamud became materialistic and arrogant as well as godless. Thus, God sent the prophet and seer Saleh, to warn them about the impending doom they would face if they did not mend their sinful ways.
Thamud cannot be equated with the Edomites at Petra. Salih was born before Abraham and the Edomites were a Semitic race. Historic Petra had several places of worship, and the main mountain at the site - Jebel al-Madhbah - is topped by two stone obelisks, suggesting the worship of deities via stone phallic symbols. The narrow gorge leading to the site - known as the Siq - can sometimes channel the wind to produce a loud trumpet-like sound, and it is known by local Bedouin as the trumpet of God. The Edomite occupants of Petra were, however, not obliterated, but instead just migrated to the Negev; neither were the subsequent Nabataean occupants of Petra destroyed by divine command, but instead were weakened by the Roman Emperor, Trajan, and reduced to mere peasants. The name of Saleh may originate in the name of the city, as it was historically known as Sela, a word deriving from the Hebrew term Se'lah, meaning rock; the Greek name Petra has the same meaning.
The prophet Saleh is not mentioned in any other Abrahamic scripture or contemporary historical text, and his account is only found in the Qur'an. Furthermore, the account of Thamud's destruction in connection with prophet Saleh is also mentioned solely in the Qur'an and there are no other contemporary historical accounts detailing the destruction of Thamud's population and the existence of prophet Saleh. Later Islamic historical texts regarding prophet Saleh and Thamud only refer to the accounts in the Qur'an the reference material, with no other accounts from contemporary Roman, Jewish or Christian sources. Therefore, prophet Saleh has remained as one of the lesser-known prophets and the story about Thamud is not as well-known as the stories about Sodom and Gomorrah and other cities that have faced the wrath of God.
Saleh's life in his community had been so righteous that the people of the Thamud virtually relied upon him for support.[5] In fact, he might have been chosen as their leader or king if he had too followed their idolatrous ways. But Saleh was chosen by God as a prophet and he was born for a higher mission - to preach against the selfishness of the wealthy and to condemn the practice of idolatry. Although Saleh preached the message for a sustained period of time, the people for the Thamud refused to hear his warning and instead began to ask Saleh to obtain a miracle for them.
Saleh kept telling his people to look around them and remember the numerous miracles God had bestowed upon them. In monologues of preaching, Saleh reminded his people of the countless castles and palaces they built,[6] and of their technological superiority over neighboring communities. Furthermore, he told them about their ancestors - the 'Ad tribe - and how they too were destroyed for their sins. As usually happened in such events, the poor and needy were the steadfast believers from the community[7] and the suppressive were the rich and arrogant townsfolk. As Saleh took the side of the underprivileged, the chieftains of the tribe reviled the prophet and mocked his words.
Although Saleh had told his people about God's mercy, they argued and demanded that he obtain a miracle. This showed a weakness on the part of the Thamud people, and represents in them a childish reliance on visual miracles rather than spiritual faith. Thus, God gave the Thamud tribe a she-camel, to provide them with sustenance, as both a blessing and a test. Pasture was considered a free gift of God, and this camel would be a trial to see if the arrogant and greedy would let the camel graze peacefully or whether they would slay her.[8] The rich and wealthy, instead of accepting the test of God, hamstrung the innocent she-camel and gruesomely slew her.
The people of the Thamud had three more days for further repentance to God.[9] But in the next three days, the people of Saleh asked for no repentance. Thus, a terrible earthquake came by night[10] on the third day, preceded by a mighty blast in the sky. The explosion stuck their community and, in a matter of minutes, the people were buried in the ruins of their own homes.[11] While the majority of the people perished, Saleh and the believers were saved, being just and righteous people. Saleh left them lamenting over the destruction of his people for their sinning against God.[12]
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