The Prophets, Their Lives and Their Stories: Sâlih: Properities of The She-Camel

Sacred Texts Islam Index Previous Next

Properities of The She-Camel This she-camel has special properities which make her destinctive from other she-camels, such as the large size of her body and its attractive color that is mainly brown with yellow and her dense hair, and her ability to drink the water of all the people so that nothing of it is left at the day of her drink, and also giving milk so much that it was enough for the people at that day, the youngs and adults, to drink, and also whatever was on earth of plants was a pasture for her and no one has the right to prohibit her from that, and she didn't use to hurt or do damage towards anyone either in self or his plants or his trees, and she did not need a guard, and the rest of the animals used to get afraid of her and get off her way.
What is understood from the Holy Phrases about the she-camel is that no one of Þamud should do harm to her or to her food or her drink that was appointed for her at her appointed day, and she also don't approach the water at the day of their drinking, so her meanings and her characterestics are not obvious except for the One who created her. For this they were warned and the threat was directed to them whenever they wanted to harm her, and the punishment will befall on them for the slightest harm they might do or for killing her, and Sâlih (PUH) did his best with his people to advice them for he had the pity on them with sincerity, and carried so much of their cause and had patient with them to the fullest, and he was lonely with sorrow for them for they were his people and his tribe and his beloved if only they obeyed God, but what a sorrow (You would be heard if you were calling a living, but there is no such life when the one you're calling).
He used to remind them of the gifts of God to them and try to prohibit them to do mischiefs on earth and worship other gods instead of the true God, and also prohibited them to be tyrants on earth with pride, and for the main heads and tyrants in his people had the pride upon him and they didn't accept to be governed by the commandments and prohibitions of Sâlih like the other people and become under his rule after their pride and their rule, and for them such matter is something not to be discussed and not to be taken as it is for their pride keeps them from being under the rule of a man that had no money nor power, and they never look at what they were worshipping of idols that have no benefits nor harm, no feelings and don't talk to them or guide them, and they would know that the Creator is some One else only if they did meditate and understand.
Sâlih (PUH) is His messenger to them and his prophecy was proved by the miracles that none of the creatures would make, and the mischiefers that had the rule among the people of Sâlih went to the believers that followed him and asked them as if they were mocking: do you know that Sâlih was sent from his God? And their answer to them was: we are believers in whatever he was sent for. Then the tyrants said: we disbelieve in what you've believed in. We've pointed out before that the destruction of the people of Sâlih ,for their killing of the she-camel and refusing the commandments of God and His prophet, was done by the Cry as was mentioned in the Holy Quran in God's saying: And the (awful) Cry overtook those who did wrong, so that morning found them prostrate in their dwellings(Hud:67). Yes, and Quran also mentioned several ways of punishing them with the quake, the thunders, tyranny..etc as in the chapters of Al-A`râf, Al-Ðâriyât, Al-Hâqqah and Al-Sho`arâ' , and no doubt that all of the other ways of punishing were revealed all together, because the Cry which is the great noise, is done by the thunder and mostly accompanied with the quake and we shall believe that the conditions for the Cry are all satisfied in the Holy Phrases, and also the tyranny which is the expansion of the circle of destruction that was revealed upon them and upon what they used to worship and upon where they used to live, so tyranny overcame them and their homes as mentioned in His saying: Then see the nature of the consequence of their plotting, for lo! We destroyed them and their people, every one, See, yonder are their dwellings empty and in ruins because they did wrong. Lo! herein is indeed a portent for a people who have knowledge(Al-Naml:51-52).
With no doubt it is apparent that the people of Sâlih were in doubt about his prophecy and his message and his truthfulness about everything he claimed about the prophecy and the message of God to them before the foundation of the she-camel and her weanling, especially the main tyrants of them, and it is probable that some of them believed just by calling them back to God with showing them the clues for that as it is with the rest of the messengers and prophets for such people had wisdom and kind hearts and the good-will, and mostly they are the weak people on earth, and they said to the tyrants of the people of Sâlih: Lo! In that wherewith he hath been sent we are believers(Al-A`râf:75). Yes, and when he got with the great miracle of his which was the she-camel out of the rock as they requested, those who were on faith been even more faithful, and it is probable that all of them believed in him at that time if it wasn't for the devil's seducation and the soul that runs after mischiefs and the stubborness of the harsh disbelievers that grabbed with them those of weak faith and those who have no working mind or wisdom. And in a famous speech (Hadith) [this line probably taken from a famous Hadith for the prophet Muhammad PUH]: People are following their kings religions for their greedness for this life's wreckage and their fear of power. So from here and there, those of stubborness got back from being faithful without a clue or a prove, and been doubting and disbelieving, and said to him: Let whatever you were promising come over us if you were saying the truth. And as a witness for this we have God's saying: And as for Thamud, We gave them guidance, but they preferred blindness to the guidance(Fossilat:17). So, the she-camel is the miracle to prove the truthfulness of Sâlih and his message from God to them, and it is a test for them, for God did say: Lo! We are sending the she-camel as a test for them; so watch them and have patience(Al-Qamar:27), so by her, the prove was done and the forbidden happened along with the torture, and all is said and done, and God did say about this: We never punish until we have sent a messenger(Al-Isrâ':15).

Next: The Land of Sâlih's (PUH) People