Qur’an commentators say that Saleh belonged to the Thamud tribe who is Thamud ibn Ather, Ibn Eram, Ibn Sam and Ibn Noah. Thamud is the grandfather of the Thamudis and had a brother called Gaddis ibn Ather. All of them are of the Perished Arab. Thamud tribe succeeded Ad tribe, which lived in South Arabian Peninsula in Hadramout.

After the destruction of Ad, the tribe of Thamud succeeded them in power and glory. They also fell to idol worshipping. As their material wealth increased, so did their evil ways while their virtue decreased. Like the people of Ad, they erected huge buildings on the plains and hewed beautiful homes out of the hills. Tyranny and oppression became prevalent as evil men ruled the land.

So, the Prophet Saleh (PBUH) called them to worship Allah alone and to not associate partners with Him, saying compassionately to them: "Oh my people! Worship Allah, you have no other Allah (God) but Him."

Saleh was known for his wisdom, purity, goodness and had been greatly respected by his people before Allah's revelation came to him.

His people worshiped idols, rocks, birds etc. He frequently reminded them that the she-camel they requested as a sign of Him being a prophet existed between them, urging them not to harm it and that it was an evidence against them not for them, where they were who asked for the sign. They suggested that it come out from a certain dumb rock, they identified themselves. It was a single rock or mountain to the west of Madain Saleh, called Mount Huwara, the location of which is still known until today. They asked him to bring forth for them a ten-month pregnant she-camel.

He took firm covenants from them that if Allah granted them their request, they would believe in and follow him and would not harm the camel, because he knew that they were criminals and that the abuse of the Allah’s signs would expose them to immediate punishment.

So, after taking a vow from them on this, he prayed to Allah the Almighty to grant their request. The mountain moved and split asunder, bringing forth a great ten month pregnant she camel. When their eyes set on it, they were amazed. They saw a great thing, a wonderful sight, a dazzling power and clear evidence!

A number of Saleh's people, including their chieftain, Janda’ ibn Amr and his followers believed and some others wanted to believed but Zou’ab ibn Amr ibn Lobaid, Al-Habab, the servant of the idols and another person called Rabbab ibn Sar ibn Jahlas, prevented them. Janda’ ibn Amr’s uncle, who was one of the nobles of the Thamud, wanted also to believe, but those people prevented him.

Allah, the Almighty addressee the people, through His Prophet, Saleh, in the verses of Surat Hud, telling them that Allah alone Who created the creatures, created them, their offspring, grandparents, Adam and Noah; and made you settle the land after them, urging them to repent and seek His forgiveness. But the people continued in their intransigence. Now after you started to forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshipped, you are really the true man we had known. The Surat Al-Shu’ara verses shows the comfortable and happy life the people of Thamud enjoyed at that time except what they worshiped of idols, reminding them of the beautiful gardens and orchards and their crops and fruits and water springs, between their orchards, without toil or difficulties, especially the palm tree with its abundant and delicious fruits.

He continued reminding his people of the graces and bounties that Allah endowed them and the homes they built in the mountains. Verses refer to the advanced level they achieved in the arts of sculpture, engraving, homes and synagogues ornamentation reminding them that not all of this would have achieved without the will of Allah and his ability.

Accordingly, he called them to worship Allah, the One, and go away from the corrupt. However, criminals of the people they insisted on their disobedience, ingratitude and denial, describing Saleh as enchanted and a liar.

People continue in their disobedience and stubbornly denying blessings. So, they were divided into two groups, the minority, which believed with Saleh and the majority, that continued in their disbelief, stubbornness, and going astray.

In Al-Hijr (Madain Saleh), there were nine wicked people, who were dealing with usury. The nine wicked persons agreed to kill Saleh after they kill the camel, attacking on him at night and telling his household and near relatives that they had not witnessed the destruction of his household and did not know anything about it.

Some commentators say that the nine wicked persons, after killing the camel, set off to kill Saleh on Wednesday night. They said, "If he is truthful, we should finish him before we are finished. If he is a liar, we will make him follow his camel.'' Then they conspired to kill Saleh and gathered at night to carry out their plot, Allah, to Whom belongs all might and Who protects His Messengers, rained down stones that smashed the heads of these nine people before the rest of the tribe. On Thursday, the first of the three days of respite, the people woke up and their faces were pale (yellow), just as Prophet Saleh had promised them. On the second day of respite, Friday, they woke up and found their faces had turned red. On the third day of the respite, Saturday, they woke up with their faces black. On Sunday, they wore the fragrance of Hanut [the perfume for enshrouding the dead before burial] and awaited Allah's torment and revenge; we seek refuge with Allah from it. They did not know what will be done to them or how and from where the torment would come. When the sun rose, the Sayhah (loud cry) came from the sky and a severe tremor overtook them from below; the souls captured and the bodies became lifeless, all in an hour.

They became dead and lifeless and none among them, whether young, old, male or female, escaped the torment. The scholars of Tafsir said that none from the offspring of Thamud remained, except Prophet Saleh and those who believed in him. A disbelieving man called Abu Righal was in the Sacred Area at the time and the torment that befell his people did not touch him. When he went out of the Sacred Area one day, a stone fell from the sky and killed him. `Abdul-Razzaq narrated that Ma`amar said that Ismail ibn Umayyah said that the Prophet passed by the gravesite of Abu Righal and asked the Companions if they knew whose grave it was. They said, "Allah and His Messenger know better'', He said.

In the verses of Al-Araf, regarding the she-camel story and its killers, Saleh (PBUH) addresses his people saying, "Indeed there has come to you a clear sign from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign unto you;'' meaning, a miracle has come to you from Allah testifying to the truth of what I came to you with. Saleh's people asked him to produce a miracle and suggested a certain solid rock that they chose which stood lonely in the area of Hijr and which called Al-Katibah. They asked him to bring a pregnant camel out of that stone. Saleh took their covenant, promises that if Allah answers their challenge, they would believe, and follow him. When they gave him their oaths and promises to that, Saleh started praying and invoked Allah to produce that miracle. All of a sudden, the stone moved and broke apart, producing a she-camel with thick hair. It was pregnant and its fetus was visibly moving in its belly, exactly as Saleh's people asked.

This is when their chief, Jundu` ibn `Amr and several who followed him believed. The rest of the noblemen of Thamud wanted to believe as well, but Dhu'ab ibn `Amr ibn Labid, Al-Habbab, who tended their idols and Rabbab ibn Sa`ar ibn Jahlas stopped them. One of the cousins of Jundu` ibn `Amr, whose name was Shihab ibn Khalifah ibn Mehlah ibn Labid ibn Haras, was one of the leaders of Thamud and he wanted to accept the message as well.

However, the chiefs whom we mentioned prevented him and he conceded to their promptings. The camel remained in Thamud, as well as its offspring after she delivered it before them. The camel used to drink from its well on one day and leave the well for Thamud the next day. They also used to drink its milk, for on the days she drank water, they used to milk her and fill their containers from its milk. Allah said in other Ayat, the camel used to graze in some of their valleys, going through a pass and coming out through another pass.

She did that to be able to move easily, because she used to drink a lot of water. She was a tremendous animal that had a strikingly beautiful appearance. When she used to pass by their cattle, the cattle would be afraid of her. When this matter continued for a long time and Thamud's rejection of Saleh became intense, they intended to kill her so that they could take the water for themselves every day. It said that all of them (the disbelievers of Thamud) conspired to kill the camel. Qatadah said he was told that, "The designated killer of the camel approached them all, including women in their rooms and children and found out that all of them agreed to kill her.'' This fact is apparent from the wording of the Ayat. Then they denied him and they killed it. So their Lord destroyed them because of their sin and made them equal in destruction! Allah sent the she-camel to Thamud as a clear sign, but they did her wrong.

Therefore, these Ayat stated that the entire tribe shared in agreeing to this crime and Allah knows best. Imam Abu Ja`afar ibn Jarir and other scholars of Tafsir said that the reason behind killing the camel was that a disbelieving old woman among them named Umm Ghanm `Unayzah, the daughter of Ghanm ibn Mijlaz, had the severest enmity among Thamud towards Saleh (PBUH). She had beautiful daughters and she was wealthy and Dhu'ab ibn `Amr, one of the leaders of Thamud, was her husband. There was another noblewoman whose name is Saduf bint Al-Muhayya ibn Dahr ibn Al-Muhayya, from a noble family, wealthy and beautiful. She was married to a Muslim man from Thamud, but she left him. These two women offered a prize for those who swore to them that they would kill the camel. Once, Saduf summoned a man called Al-Habbab and offered herself to him if he would kill the camel, but he refused. So she called a cousin of hers whose name was Musaddi` ibn Mehraj ibn Al-Muhayya, and he agreed.

As for `Unayzah bint Ghanm, she called Gadar ibn Salif ibn Jundu, a short person with red-blue skin, a bastard, according to them. Gadar was not the son of his claimed father, Salif, but the son of another man called, Ziad. However, he was born on Salif's bed and thus named after him. `Unayzah said to Gadar, "I will give you any of my daughters you wish, if you kill the camel.'' Gadar ibn Salif and Musaddi` ibn Mehraj went along and recruited several mischievous persons from Thamud to kill the camel. Seven more from Thamud agreed and the group became nine, as Allah described, when He said, “And there were in the city nine men, who made mischief in the land and would not reform.” These nine men were chiefs of their people and they lured the entire tribe into agreeing to kill the camel.

So they waited until the camel left the water well, where Gadar waited beside a rock on its path, while Musaddi` waited at another rock. When the camel passed by Musaddi`, he shot an arrow at her and the arrow pierced her leg. At that time, `Unayzah came out and ordered her daughter, who was among the most beautiful women, to uncover her face for Gadar, encouraging Gadar to swing his sword, hitting the camel on her knee. So she fell to the ground and screamed once to warn her offspring. Gadar stabbed her in her neck and slaughtered her. Her offspring went up a high rock and screamed. `Abdul Razzaq recorded from Ma`amar that someone reported from Al-Hassan Al-Basri that the offspring said, "O my Lord! Where is my mother'' It was said that her offspring screamed thrice and entered a rock and vanished in it or they followed it and killed it together with its mother.

Allah knows best. When they finished the camel off and the news reached Prophet Saleh, he came to them while they were gathered. When he saw the camel, he cried and proclaimed, "Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days.'' The nine wicked persons killed the camel on Wednesday and that night they conspired to kill Saleh. They said, "If he is truthful we should finish him before we are finished. If he is a liar, we will make him follow his camel.'' They said: "Swear one to another by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household and thereafter we will surely say to his near relatives: “We witnessed not the destruction of his household and verily, we are telling the truth. So they plotted a plot and We planned a plan, while they perceived not.” [27:49-50] When they conspired to kill Saleh and gathered at night to carry out their plot, Allah, to Whom belongs all might and Who protects His Messengers, rained down stones that smashed the heads of these nine people before the rest of the tribe. On Thursday, the first of the three days of respite, the people woke up and their faces were pale (yellow), just as Prophet Saleh had promised them.

On the second day of respite, Friday, they woke up and found their faces had turned red. On the third day of the respite, Saturday, they woke up with their faces black. On Sunday, they wore the fragrance of Hanut [the perfume for enshrouding the dead before burial] and awaited Allah's torment and revenge; we seek refuge with Allah from it. They did not know what will be done to them or how and from where the torment would come. When the sun rose, the Sayhah (loud cry) came from the sky and a severe tremor overtook them from below; the souls captured and the bodies became lifeless all in an hour. This is the grave of Abu Righal, a man from Thamud. He was in the Sacred Area of Allah and this fact saved him from receiving Allah's torment. When he went out of the Sacred Area, what befell his people also befell him. He buried here along with a branch made from gold.

So the people used their swords and looked for the golden branch and found it. `Abdul-Razzaq narrated that Ma`amar said that Azuhri said that Abu Righal is the father of the tribe of Thaqif. Then He (Saleh) turned from them, and said, "O my people! I have indeed conveyed to you the Message of my Lord and have given you good advice, but you like not good advisers.'' These are the words of admonishment that Saleh conveyed to his people after Allah destroyed them for defying Him, rebelling against Him, refusing to accept the truth, avoiding guidance and preferring misguidance instead. Saleh said these words of admonishment and criticism to them after they perished, and they heard him as a miracle for Prophet Saleh from Allah.

Similarly, it recorded in Two Sahih that after the Messenger of Allah defeated the disbelievers in the battle of Badr he remained in that area for three days and then rode his camel, which was prepare for him during the latter part of the night. He went on until he stood by the well of Badr (where the corpses of the disbelievers were thrown) and said, Oh Abu Jahl ibn Hisham! Oh, `Utbah ibn Rabi`ah! Oh, Shaibah ibn Rabi`ah! Did you find what your Lord has promised you of torment to be true, for I found what my Lord promised me of victory to be true? `Omar said to him, "Oh, Allah's Messenger! Why do you speak to a people who have rotted?'' He said, “By He in Whose Hand is my soul! You do not hear what I am saying better than they, but they cannot reply.” Similarly, Prophet Saleh (PBUH) said to his people, "I have indeed conveyed to you the Message of my Lord, and have given you good advice,'' but you did not benefit from it because you do not like the Truth and do not follow those who give you sincere advice.

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