This article is about the Islamic prophet. For other people called Salih, see Saleh (name). For the Byzantine Arab tribe, see Salīhids. For the village in Iran, see Saleh, Iran.
Saleh (/ˈsɑːli/; Arabic: صَالِحٌ, romanized: Ṣāleḥ, lit. 'Pious'), also spelled Salih (/ˈsɑːlə/), is a prophet mentioned in the Quran[1][2] who prophesied to the tribe of Thamud[3][4][5] in ancient Arabia, before the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad. The story of Salih is linked to the story of the She-Camel of God, which was the gift given by God to the people of Thamud when they desired a miracle to confirm that Salih was truly a prophet.
The Thamud were a tribal confederation in the northwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula, mentioned in Assyrian sources in the time of Sargon II. The tribe's name continues to appear in documents into the fourth century CE, but by the sixth century they were regarded as a group that had vanished long ago.[6]: 81
According to the Quran, the city that Saleh was sent to was called Al-Hijr,[7] which corresponds to the Nabataean city of Hegra.[8] The city rose to prominence around the first century AD as an important site in the regional caravan trade.[9] Adjacent to the city were large, decorated rock-cut tombs used by members of various religious groups.[6]: 146 At an unknown point in ancient times, the site was abandoned and possibly functionally replaced by Al-'Ula.[10] The site has been referred to as Mada'in Salih since the era of Muhammad, named after his predecessor Salih.[11]
Outside of the Islamic and Baháʼí Faiths, Saleh is not mentioned in any other Abrahamic scripture or contemporary historical text, but the account of Thamud's destruction may have been well known in ancient Arabia. The tribe's name is used in ancient Arabian poetry as a metaphor for "the transience of all things".[6]: 223–24
Saleh's life in his community had been so righteous that the people of Thamud virtually relied upon him for support.[12] He was chosen by God as a Messenger and sent to preach against the selfishness of the wealthy and to condemn the practice of shirk (idolatry or polytheism). Although Saleh preached the message for a sustained period of time, the people for Thamud refused to hear his warning and instead began to ask Saleh to perform a miracle for them. They said: "O Salih! Thou hast been of us! A centre of our hopes hitherto! Dost thou forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshiped? But we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which thou invitest us."
Saleh reminded his people of the countless castles and palaces they built out of stone,[13] and of their technological superiority over neighbouring communities. Furthermore, he told them about their ancestors, the ʿĀd tribe, and how they too were destroyed for their sins. Some of the people of Thamud believed Saleh's words, but the tribal leaders refused to listen to him and continued to demand that he demonstrate a miracle to prove his prophethood.[14]
In response, God gave the Thamud a blessed she-camel, as both a means of sustenance and a test. The tribe was told to allow the camel to graze peacefully and avoid harming her.[15] But in defiance of Saleh's warning, the people of the tribe hamstrung the camel.[16] Saleh informed them that they had only three more days to live before the wrath of God descended upon them.[17] The people of the city were remorseful,[18] but their crime could not be undone, and all the disbelieving people in the city were killed in an earthquake. Al-Hijr was rendered uninhabited and remained in ruins for all time thereafter.[19] Saleh himself and the few believers who followed him survived.[20]
The story is expanded upon in Sūrat an-Naml, whilst the she-camel is not mentioned explicitly here, it states that nine men plotted to kill Salih and his whole family,[21][22] a crime for which they were struck down by God three days later.[23]
Muslim tradition
Muslim writers have elaborated upon the story of Saleh and the she-camel. Early Islamic tradition often involved a motif of the camel miraculously emerging from stone, often accompanied by a calf, and the production of milk from the camel. Al-Tabari states that Saleh summoned his people to a mountain, where they witnessed the rock miraculously split open, revealing the camel. The she-camel had a young calf. Saleh informed the Thamud that the older camel was to drink from their water source on one day, and they were to drink from it the next day. On days when they were not allowed to drink water, the camel provided them with milk. But God informed Saleh that a boy who would hamstring the camel would soon be born to the tribe, and that child was evil and grew unnaturally fast. The camel was indeed killed, and its calf cried out three times, signaling that the Thamud would be destroyed in three days. Their faces turned yellow, then red, then black, and they died on the third day as predicted.[24]
According to some Islamic scholars, the mother of Ismail, Hajar, was a granddaughter of the prophet Salih.[25]
A similar tradition is related in an eighth-century commentary on Islam by John of Damascus[26][27] and is also mentioned in the works of Ibn Kathir.[28]
In the Baháʼí Faith
The founder of the Baháʼí Faith, Bahá'u'lláh, briefly mentioned the story of the hamstrung she-camel in the Lawh-i-Burhán,[1] and commented also upon Saleh's ministry in the Kitáb-i-Íqán.[29]'Abdu'l-Bahá states that the she-camel symbolizes the holy spirit of Saleh and the camel's milk refers to the spiritual food that he offered to his people.[30]
In the Kitáb-i-Íqán, Saleh is referred to as "the holy person of Sálih, Who again summoned the people to the river of everlasting life." Like other Prophets of God, the people of the time turned away from Him: "His admonitions, however, yielded no fruit, and His pleading proved of no avail....All this, although that eternal Beauty was summoning the people to no other than the city of God."[2]
^Can Aksoy, Omer (2009). "Framing the Primordial: Islamic Heritage and Saudi Arabia". In Rico, Trinidad (ed.). The Making of Islamic Heritage: Muslim Pasts and Heritage Presents. p. 69. ISBN978-981-10-4070-2.
^Fiema, Zbigniew T. (2003). "Roman Petra (A.D. 106–363): A Neglected Subject". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins. 119 (1): 38–58.
^Nehme, Leila. "Ancient Hegra, a Nabataean Site in a Semi-arid Environment. The Urban Space and Preliminary Results from the First Excavation Season" (PDF). Bollettino di Archeologia. (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
^Hizon, Danny. . Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
^Q11:62: "They argued, “O Ṣâliḥ! We truly had high hopes in you before this.1 How dare you forbid us to worship what our forefathers had worshipped? We are certainly in alarming doubt about what you are inviting us to.” " (Khattab translation)
^Quran 7:74: "And remember how He made you inheritors after the 'Ad people and gave you habitations in the land: ye build for yourselves palaces and castles in (open) plains, and care out homes in the mountains; so bring to remembrance the benefits (ye have received) from Allah, and refrain from evil and mischief on the earth"
^Quran 7:75: "The leaders of the arrogant party among his people said to those who were reckoned powerless - those among them who believed: "Know ye indeed that Salih is a messenger from his Lord?"
^Quran 7:73: "Now hath come unto you a clear (Sign) from your Lord! This she-camel of Allah is a Sign unto you: So leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and let her come to no harm, or ye shall be seized with a grievous punishment.'"
^Quran 7:79: "So Salih left them, saying: 'O my people! I did indeed convey to you the message for which I was sent by my Lord: I gave you good counsel, but ye love not good counselors!'"
^al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Yarir. The History of al-Tabari, Volume 2. Translated by William Brinner. p. 41-44.
^Fatani, Afnan H. (2006). "Hajar". In Leaman, Oliver (ed.). The Qur'an: an encyclopedia. London: Routeledge. pp. 234–36.
^Hoyland, Robert (1997). Seeing Islam As Others Saw It A Survey And Evaluation Of Christian Jewish And Zoroastrian Writings On Early Islam. Darwin Press. p. 480-485.
^John of Damascus (1958). The Fathers Of The Church: A New Translation, Vol 37. Translated by Frederick H Chase Jr. Catholic University of America Press. p. 158-159.
^Ibn Kathir. "Prophet Salih". Stories of the Prophets. Translated by Muhammad Mustapha Geme’ah. Darussalam.
^Dunbar, Hooper C. (1998). A Companion to the Study of the Kitáb-i-Íqán. Oxford, United Kingdom: George Ronald. p. 79. ISBN0-85398-430-1.
^Taherzadeh, Adib (1987), The Revelation of Baháʼu'lláh, Volume 4: Mazra'ih & Bahji 1877-92, Oxford, UK: George Ronald, p. 427, ISBN0-85398-270-8
External links
Maqam Nebi Saleh (Acre), one of the purported locations of prophet Saleh's burial
May 04, 2023
saleh, prophet, this, article, about, islamic, prophet, other, people, called, salih, saleh, name, byzantine, arab, tribe, salīhids, village, iran, saleh, iran, saleh, ɑː, arabic, ال, romanized, Ṣāleḥ, pious, also, spelled, salih, ɑː, prophet, mentioned, quran. This article is about the Islamic prophet For other people called Salih see Saleh name For the Byzantine Arab tribe see Salihids For the village in Iran see Saleh Iran Saleh ˈ s ɑː l i Arabic ص ال ح romanized Ṣaleḥ lit Pious also spelled Salih ˈ s ɑː l e is a prophet mentioned in the Quran 1 2 who prophesied to the tribe of Thamud 3 4 5 in ancient Arabia before the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad The story of Salih is linked to the story of the She Camel of God which was the gift given by God to the people of Thamud when they desired a miracle to confirm that Salih was truly a prophet ProphetSalehص ال ح Resting placeHasik present day Oman PredecessorHudSuccessorIbrahimRelativesThamud Contents 1 Historical context 2 In Islam 2 1 Quran 2 2 Muslim tradition 3 In the Bahaʼi Faith 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistorical context Edit Mada in Saleh or Al Hijr in the Hijazi mountainous region of Saudi Arabia The Thamud were a tribal confederation in the northwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula mentioned in Assyrian sources in the time of Sargon II The tribe s name continues to appear in documents into the fourth century CE but by the sixth century they were regarded as a group that had vanished long ago 6 81 According to the Quran the city that Saleh was sent to was called Al Hijr 7 which corresponds to the Nabataean city of Hegra 8 The city rose to prominence around the first century AD as an important site in the regional caravan trade 9 Adjacent to the city were large decorated rock cut tombs used by members of various religious groups 6 146 At an unknown point in ancient times the site was abandoned and possibly functionally replaced by Al Ula 10 The site has been referred to as Mada in Salih since the era of Muhammad named after his predecessor Salih 11 Outside of the Islamic and Bahaʼi Faiths Saleh is not mentioned in any other Abrahamic scripture or contemporary historical text but the account of Thamud s destruction may have been well known in ancient Arabia The tribe s name is used in ancient Arabian poetry as a metaphor for the transience of all things 6 223 24 In Islam EditQuran Edit Salih Inviting His People to See the She CamelIlluminated collection of Stories of the Prophets Saleh s life in his community had been so righteous that the people of Thamud virtually relied upon him for support 12 He was chosen by God as a Messenger and sent to preach against the selfishness of the wealthy and to condemn the practice of shirk idolatry or polytheism Although Saleh preached the message for a sustained period of time the people for Thamud refused to hear his warning and instead began to ask Saleh to perform a miracle for them They said O Salih Thou hast been of us A centre of our hopes hitherto Dost thou forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshiped But we are really in suspicious disquieting doubt as to that to which thou invitest us Saleh reminded his people of the countless castles and palaces they built out of stone 13 and of their technological superiority over neighbouring communities Furthermore he told them about their ancestors the ʿAd tribe and how they too were destroyed for their sins Some of the people of Thamud believed Saleh s words but the tribal leaders refused to listen to him and continued to demand that he demonstrate a miracle to prove his prophethood 14 In response God gave the Thamud a blessed she camel as both a means of sustenance and a test The tribe was told to allow the camel to graze peacefully and avoid harming her 15 But in defiance of Saleh s warning the people of the tribe hamstrung the camel 16 Saleh informed them that they had only three more days to live before the wrath of God descended upon them 17 The people of the city were remorseful 18 but their crime could not be undone and all the disbelieving people in the city were killed in an earthquake Al Hijr was rendered uninhabited and remained in ruins for all time thereafter 19 Saleh himself and the few believers who followed him survived 20 The story is expanded upon in Surat an Naml whilst the she camel is not mentioned explicitly here it states that nine men plotted to kill Salih and his whole family 21 22 a crime for which they were struck down by God three days later 23 Muslim tradition Edit Muslim writers have elaborated upon the story of Saleh and the she camel Early Islamic tradition often involved a motif of the camel miraculously emerging from stone often accompanied by a calf and the production of milk from the camel Al Tabari states that Saleh summoned his people to a mountain where they witnessed the rock miraculously split open revealing the camel The she camel had a young calf Saleh informed the Thamud that the older camel was to drink from their water source on one day and they were to drink from it the next day On days when they were not allowed to drink water the camel provided them with milk But God informed Saleh that a boy who would hamstring the camel would soon be born to the tribe and that child was evil and grew unnaturally fast The camel was indeed killed and its calf cried out three times signaling that the Thamud would be destroyed in three days Their faces turned yellow then red then black and they died on the third day as predicted 24 According to some Islamic scholars the mother of Ismail Hajar was a granddaughter of the prophet Salih 25 A similar tradition is related in an eighth century commentary on Islam by John of Damascus 26 27 and is also mentioned in the works of Ibn Kathir 28 In the Bahaʼi Faith EditThe founder of the Bahaʼi Faith Baha u llah briefly mentioned the story of the hamstrung she camel in the Lawh i Burhan 1 and commented also upon Saleh s ministry in the Kitab i Iqan 29 Abdu l Baha states that the she camel symbolizes the holy spirit of Saleh and the camel s milk refers to the spiritual food that he offered to his people 30 In the Kitab i Iqan Saleh is referred to as the holy person of Salih Who again summoned the people to the river of everlasting life Like other Prophets of God the people of the time turned away from Him His admonitions however yielded no fruit and His pleading proved of no avail All this although that eternal Beauty was summoning the people to no other than the city of God 2 See also EditSelah biblical figure Methuselah Biblical and Quranic narratives List of notable Hijazis Prophets and messengers in Islam Qiṣaṣ al Anbiyaʾ Stories of the Prophets Kitab i Iqan Book of Certitude References Edit a b Lawḥ i Burhan Tablet of the Proof Bahaʼi Reference Library Retrieved 9 January 2022 a b Kitab i Iqan The Book of Certitude Bahaʼi Reference Library Retrieved 9 January 2022 Quran 7 73 79 Quran 11 61 69 Quran 26 141 158 a b c Hoyland Robert Arabia and the Arabs Routledge ISBN 978 0415195355 Quran 15 80 84 Can Aksoy Omer 2009 Framing the Primordial Islamic Heritage and Saudi Arabia In Rico Trinidad ed The Making of Islamic Heritage Muslim Pasts and Heritage Presents p 69 ISBN 978 981 10 4070 2 Fiema Zbigniew T 2003 Roman Petra A D 106 363 A Neglected Subject Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palastina Vereins 119 1 38 58 Nehme Leila Ancient Hegra a Nabataean Site in a Semi arid Environment The Urban Space and Preliminary Results from the First Excavation Season PDF Bollettino di Archeologia Archived PDF from the original on 2018 09 03 Retrieved 2018 09 02 Hizon Danny Madain Saleh Arabia s Hidden Treasure Saudi Arabia Archived from the original on 2008 07 24 Retrieved 2009 09 17 Q11 62 They argued O Ṣaliḥ We truly had high hopes in you before this 1 How dare you forbid us to worship what our forefathers had worshipped We are certainly in alarming doubt about what you are inviting us to Khattab translation Quran 7 74 And remember how He made you inheritors after the Ad people and gave you habitations in the land ye build for yourselves palaces and castles in open plains and care out homes in the mountains so bring to remembrance the benefits ye have received from Allah and refrain from evil and mischief on the earth Quran 7 75 The leaders of the arrogant party among his people said to those who were reckoned powerless those among them who believed Know ye indeed that Salih is a messenger from his Lord Quran 7 73 Now hath come unto you a clear Sign from your Lord This she camel of Allah is a Sign unto you So leave her to graze in Allah s earth and let her come to no harm or ye shall be seized with a grievous punishment Quran 7 77 Quran 11 65 Quran 26 157 Quran 7 78 Quran 7 79 So Salih left them saying O my people I did indeed convey to you the message for which I was sent by my Lord I gave you good counsel but ye love not good counselors Quran 27 48 Quran 27 49 Quran 11 65 al Tabari Muhammad ibn Yarir The History of al Tabari Volume 2 Translated by William Brinner p 41 44 Fatani Afnan H 2006 Hajar In Leaman Oliver ed The Qur an an encyclopedia London Routeledge pp 234 36 Hoyland Robert 1997 Seeing Islam As Others Saw It A Survey And Evaluation Of Christian Jewish And Zoroastrian Writings On Early Islam Darwin Press p 480 485 John of Damascus 1958 The Fathers Of The Church A New Translation Vol 37 Translated by Frederick H Chase Jr Catholic University of America Press p 158 159 Ibn Kathir Prophet Salih Stories of the Prophets Translated by Muhammad Mustapha Geme ah Darussalam Dunbar Hooper C 1998 A Companion to the Study of the Kitab i Iqan Oxford United Kingdom George Ronald p 79 ISBN 0 85398 430 1 Taherzadeh Adib 1987 The Revelation of Bahaʼu llah Volume 4 Mazra ih amp Bahji 1877 92 Oxford UK George Ronald p 427 ISBN 0 85398 270 8External links EditMaqam Nebi Saleh Acre one of the purported locations of prophet Saleh s burial Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Saleh prophet amp oldid 1152985514, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
