Tarikh (al-Tabari) 101
The story of Salih (peace and blessings be upon him)
مُلَخَّصُ قِصَّةِ صَالِحٍ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ: أَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ نَبِيَّهُ صَالِحَ بْنَ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ أَسِفِ بْنِ مَاشِجَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ جَادِرِ بْنِ ثَمُودَ، إِلَى قَوْمِهِ ثَمُودَ وَهُمْ قَبِيلَةٌ مَشْهُورَةٌ تَسَمَّوْا بِاسْمِ جَدِّهِمْ وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَابِرِ بْنِ إِرَمَ بْنِ سَامَ بْنِ نُوحٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ. أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ لَهُمْ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا يُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا فَعَتَوَا عَنْ أَمْرِ رِبِّهِمْ وَأَبَوْا إِلَّا الْعِنَادَ فَلَمَّا اسْتَمَرَّ عَلَى دَعْوَتِهِمْ مُحَذِّرًا لَهُمْ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ مِنَ الضَّلَالِ أَنْ يُصِيبَهُمْ مِثْلَ مَا أَصَابَ قَوْمُ عَادٍ قَالُوا لَهُ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ آيَةً فَائْتِنَا بِبَيِّنَةٍ وَطَلَبُوا أَنْ يَسْتَخْرِجَ لَهُمْ مِنْ صَخْرَةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ نَاقَةً عُشَرَاءَ طَوِيلَةً ذَكَرُوا مِنْ أَوْصَافِهَا وَتَعَنَّتُوا فِي وَصْفِهَا فَأَخَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعُهُودَ وَالْمَوَاثِيقَ إِنْ هُوَ أَجَابَهُمْ لِمَا طَلَبُوا أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ فَأَعْطَوْهُ عَهْدَهُمْ وَمِيثَاقَهُمْ، فَقَامَ وَصَلَّى لِلَّهِ وَدَعَا فَأَجَابَ اللَّهُ دُعَاءَهُ وَأَخْرَجَ لَهُمُ النَّاقَةَ وَجَعَلَهَا لَهُمْ فِتْنَةً بِأَلَّا يَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ وَإِلَّا أَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ، وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ شِرْبَ الْمَاءِ يَوْمًا وَلَهَا يَوْمٌ عَلَى أَنْ يَأْخُذُوا مِنْ لَبَنِهَا وَيَنْتَفِعُوا بِهَا، وَلَمَّا أَجَابَ اللَّهُ دُعَاءَهُمْ آمَنَتْ طَائِفَةٌ كَثِيرَةٌ وَكَفَرَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ وَكَانَ رَأْسُ كُفْرِهِمْ قُدَارُ بْنُ سَالِفٍ، فَلَمَّا طَالَ أَمَدُ النَّاقَةِ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ زَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ قَتْلَهَا لِيَسْتَأْثِرُوا بِالْمَاءِ، وَاتَّفَقَ تِسْعَةُ رَهْطٍ مِنْهُمْ وَسَعَوْا فِي قَوْمِهِمْ وَزَيَّنُوا لَهُمْ قَتْلَهَا فَكَمَنُوا لِلنَّاقَةِ وَعَقَرُوهَا فَرَغَتْ لِيَهْرُبَ وَلَدُهَا، فَقِيلَ إِنَّهُ هَرَبَ وَدَخَلَ فِي صَخْرَةٍ وَغَابَ عَنْهُمْ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهُمْ عَقَرُوهَا أَيْضًا، وَقَالُوا ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ يَا صَالِحُ إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ. فَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ تَمَتَّعُوا فِي دَارِكُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَعْدًا غَيْرَ مَكْذُوبٍ فَعَتَوَا مَعَ ذَلِكَ وَهَمُّوا بِقَتْلِ صَالِحٍ إِلَّا أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَ النَّفَرَ الَّذِينَ هَمُّوا بِذَلِكَ، وَأَصْبَحَ قَوْمُ صَالِحٍ وَوُجُوهُهُمْ مُصْفَرَّةٌ فِي الْيَوْمِ الْأَوَّلِ، وَفِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّانِي احْمَرَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ وَفِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ اسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ وَأَيْقَنُوا الْعَذَابَ فَجَاءَهُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَصْبَحُوا جُثَثًا خَامِدَةً كَأَنْ لَمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيهَا، وَنَجَّا اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ صَالِحًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ، كَمَا نَجَّا أَبَا رِغَالٍ حَيْثُ كَانَ فِي حَرَمِ اللَّهِ فَمَنَعَهُ الْعَذَابُ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ مِنَ الْحَرَمِ لَحِقَهُ مَا لَحِقَ قَوْمَهُ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ فَدُفِنَ وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الصَّحَابَةَ بِمَكَانِ قَبْرِهِ وَقَالَ: إِنَّ مَعَهُ غُصْنًا مِنْ ذَهَبٍ دُفِنَ مَعَهُ فَنَبَشَ الصَّحَابَةُ قَبْرَهُ وَاسْتَخْرَجُوا الْغُصْنَ. وَقَدْ سَارَ صَالِحٌ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ أَرْضَ فِلَسْطِينَ بِالشَّامِ ثُمَّ انْتَقَلَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأَقَامَ بِهَا وَمَاتَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي عُمْرِهِ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ ثَمَانِيَةً وَخَمْسِينَ عَامًا، وَقَالَ الْبَعْضُ مِائَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ عَامًا. وَقَدْ نَهَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لَمَّا مَرَّ بِدِيَارِ ثَمُودَ فِي طَرِيقِهِ إِلَى تَبُوكَ أَنْ يُسْتَقَى مِنْ مَائِهِمْ أَوْ أَنْ يَدْخُلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا بَاكِينَ أَوْ مُتَبَاكِينَ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يُصِيبَهُمْ مَا أَصَابَهُمْ.
Translation
✧ Summary of the story of Ṣāliḥ (peace and blessings be upon him): Allah, glorified be He, sent His Prophet Ṣāliḥ b. ʿUbayd b. Asif b. Māshij b. ʿUbayd b. Jādir b. Thamūd to his people Thamūd. They are a famous tribe named after their ancestor, who was the son of ʿĀbir b. Iram b. Sām b. Nūḥ (peace be upon them both). Allah, glorified be He, sent him to them with monotheism, that they should worship Him and not associate anything with Him. But they were arrogant regarding the command of their Lord and refused anything but obstinacy. When he persisted in calling them, warning them that the misguidance they were in might cause them to be struck by the like of what struck the people of ʿĀd, they said to him: 'Every prophet has a sign, so bring us a clear proof.' They asked him to bring forth for them from a great rock a pregnant, tall she-camel. They mentioned some of its characteristics and were obstinate in describing it. He took from them covenants and oaths that if he answered what they asked, they would believe in Allah, the One, the Subduer. They gave him their covenant and oath. He stood and prayed to Allah and supplicated, and Allah answered his supplication and brought forth for them the she-camel. He made it a trial for them, on condition that they should not touch it with harm, otherwise a great punishment would seize them. He made the share of water theirs one day and the she-camel's another day, on condition that they take from its milk and benefit from it. When Allah answered their supplication, a large group believed and most of them disbelieved. The head of their disbelief was Qudār b. Sālif. When the she-camel's stay among them grew long, Satan made killing it attractive to them so that they might monopolize the water. Nine men among them agreed, worked on their people, and made killing it attractive to them. They lay in wait for the she-camel and hamstrung it. It cried out for its young to flee. It is said that the young fled and entered a rock and disappeared from them, and it is said that they hamstrung it as well. They said: 'Bring us Allah's punishment, O Ṣāliḥ, if you are one of the truthful.' Their Prophet ﷺ said to them: 'Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days; that is a promise not to be belied.' But they remained arrogant and resolved to kill Ṣāliḥ. However, Allah killed the group that resolved that. The people of Ṣāliḥ woke up with their faces yellow on the first day, and on the second day their faces turned red, and on the third day their faces turned black, and they became certain of the punishment. It came upon them from above them and from below them, and they became lifeless corpses, as if they had never dwelt there. Allah, glorified be He, saved Ṣāliḥ and those who believed with him, just as He saved Abū Righāl when he was within the sanctuary of Allah, and the punishment spared him. But when he left the sanctuary, the same death that overtook his people overtook him, and he was buried. The Prophet ﷺ told the Companions the location of his grave and said: 'With him is a branch of gold buried with him.' The Companions dug up his grave and extracted the branch. Ṣāliḥ ﷺ traveled until he settled in the land of Palestine in Syria, then later moved to Makkah, where he resided and died ﷺ. They differed about his age; some said fifty-eight years, and others said two hundred and seventy years. When the Prophet ﷺ passed by the dwellings of Thamūd on his way to Tabūk, he forbade drawing water from their water or entering upon them except weeping or pretending to weep, out of fear that what struck them might strike the Muslims.
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