Surah Hud, Ayah 61

The Story of Salih and the People of Thamud

Allah, the Exalted, says,

و

(And) This is an introduction to that which is implied, "Verily, We sent."

إِلَى ثَمُودَ

(to Thamud) They were a group of people who were living in cities carved from the rocks, between Tabuk and Al-Madinah (in Arabia). They lived after the people of `Ad, so Allah sent to them,

أَخَاهُمْ صَـلِحاً

(their brother Salih.) He (Salih) commanded them to worship Allah alone. He said to them,

هُوَ أَنشَأَكُمْ مِّنَ الاٌّرْضِ

(He brought you forth from the earth) This means: `He began your creation from it (the earth). From it He created your father, Adam.'

وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا

(and settled you therein,) This means: `He made you prosperous in the earth. You are settled in it and you treasure it.'

فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ

(then ask forgiveness) `This is in reference to your previous sins. '

ثُمَّ تُوبُواْ إِلَيْهِ

(and turn to Him in repentance.) `This is in reference to the future.'

إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌ مُّجِيبٌ

(Certainly, my Lord is Near (to all by His knowledge), Responsive.) This is similar to Allah's statement,

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

(And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed Near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me.) 2:186

After that, the next eight verses (61-68) carry the story of Sayyidna Salih peace be upon him. He was sent to the people of Thamud, another branch of the tribe of ` Ad. He too invited his people to believe in Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah. As customary, his people belied him and insisted that he must first make a she-camel of a specified description come out from the rock of the mountain in front of them in order to have them believe that he was a true prophet of Allah.

Sayyidna Salih (علیہ السلام) warned them: If Allah Ta` ala shows you your custom-ordered miracles, and you still fail to believe, then, according to the customary practice of Allah, the punishment will come and destroy all of you. But, they remained obstinate and Allah Ta` a1a, in His perfect power, made the miracle they demanded manifest before them. The rock of the mountain in front of them split asunder. Out from it came the she-camel bearing the features specified by them. Allah Ta` ala ordered them not to harm that she-camel in any manner, otherwise the punishment will come upon them. But, they disobeyed this order as well, and killed the she-camel. Consequently, they were seized by Allah Ta` ala, Sayyidna Salih (علیہ السلام) and his companions were saved from the punishment, and the rest of those people were destroyed by a Sound which was severe and terrifying.

Those who ignore God’s word, are ignored by God. This happens to a lesser degree in the present world but, on Doomsday, this will be a total reality. At that time all the arrogant and insolent people will be denied God’s grace; the grace of God will be shared only by those who lived in the world as His loyal and obedient subjects. God has introduced the principle of succession (istikhlaf) in this world, that is, the removal of a community from its position of prominence and the installing of another community in its place. This temporary prominence in the world is for the purpose of putting people to the test. In the Hereafter, in the perfect world of God, such prominence will be granted only to people of true Faith as an everlasting reward. The system of this world of trial has been formulated in such a way that, here, a man is always placed between good and bad. He has the option to follow either of these two ways. Furthermore, evil is largely dominant in this world. Only the strength of theoretical arguments is on the side of goodness. On the contrary, material power weighs in on the side of evil, and that too in such great measure that its flag-bearers develop attitudes of arrogance and hauteur and create such an atmosphere of pressure in the environment that the common man loses the courage to proceed towards the Truth.