Who is Thamud?
Mada'in Saleh is one of the most prominent archaeological sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was called the "City of Stone" in the past, Mada'in Saleh is considered an archaeological area of great historical and religious importance, as it was home to the people of Thamud, who were mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. They were the people of the Prophet Saleh, peace be upon him, those who responded to his call and then abandoned their religion, and barren the she-camel that God sent to them as a sign, in addition to it being an important center for the ancient Nabataean civilization, It is one of the most important Nabatean cities after their capital, Petra, in Jordan.
the site
Mada'in Saleh is located in the northeastern part of Al-Ula Governorate, affiliated with Medina, and on the southeastern side of the Nabataean city of Petra, which is located in the south of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Mada'in Saleh is also located on the ancient trade route linking the southern Arabian Peninsula with Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Levant, which represents an important strategic location dating back thousands of years. Mada'in Saleh represents the first site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 2008.
The History of Mada'in Saleh
The history of Mada'in Saleh goes back to before Christ, and it was known in ancient times as the "City of Stone" and then its name was changed to "Mada'in Saleh" in reference to the people of Thamud - the people of the Prophet Saleh, peace be upon him -Who inhabited the city since the third millennium BC, and were mentioned in the Qur’an after they responded to his call and then abandoned their religion and slaughtered the she-camel that God had sent to them as a sign, so he destroyed them with the cry.
Madain Saleh landmarks In 2008
UNESCO listed Mada'in Saleh as one of its World Heritage Sites, making Mada'in Saleh the first historical heritage site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The City of Hajar, or Mada'in Saleh, contains many immortal monuments that still maintain their original form throughout the ages. The rock faces in the city indicate the Nabatean civilization, which is located on one of the basalt plateaus in the southeast of the Hijaz Mountains, along with many Islamic monuments.
Mada'in Saleh contains groundwater wells reaching a depth of 20 meters in the western part, and includes about 153 carved rock facades indicating the history and civilization of the Nabataeans. there are also many tombs dating back to the first century BC to the first century AD, It is distinguished by its decorated and carved facades, which are evidence of the architectural development of the Nabataeans and their advanced civilization, in addition to the development of agricultural techniques during the Nabataean era through the use of a large number of artificial wells that were dug in the rocky ground.
One of the most famous landmarks
Al-Sanea Palace Al-Sanea Palace is located in the southern region of Mada'in Saleh and is the first tomb in the lands of the people of Thamud. It is a palace and a cemetery, containing terraces and inscriptions and decorations on the inside that are believed to accompany the dead, similar to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians,
Al-Bint Palace
Qasr Al-Bint is a symbol of Nabataean art influenced by Greek civilization, and it is one of the most famous and prominent landmarks of Mada’in Saleh, which was carved into one of the mountains, whales were drawn on its gate inside a triangle, representing the palace guards, but the construction of the palace was not completed for unknown reasons.
The Unique palace
The unique palace is considered one of the most beautiful architectural buildings with a rock façade and side columns of the Nabataeans and the most famous in Mada'in Saleh. It reaches a height of 16 meters and contains a large, incomplete facade. It has a unique design that refers to the ancient architectural art of the Nabataeans, especially in the construction of their tombs. The palace was given the title “Unique” because of its uniqueness in an independent rock mass, It is distinguished by its design from other palaces. According to researchers, the palace was built for a person named “Hayan bin Kuza.” It is worth noting that Mada'in Saleh was called the "Miracle of the Mountains" because many palaces, houses and tombs were carved into the mountains without the use of machines, and God Almighty also brought Saleh's camel out of its mountains as a sign to them.
Thamud are a Arab people descended from
Shem, son of Noah, peace be upon him
They were living, In the Arabian Peninsula between Hijaz and Tabuk, their homes still exist in Saudi Arabia to this day
Their strength
They were a people to whom God gave great power. They used to carve magnificent houses out of the mountains and build great palaces on the plains. They were among the people to whom God gave power and influence on earth.
Did they believe in God - the Almighty - when Saleh - peace be upon him - called them?
No, but they disbelieved in the blessings of God, so they worshiped idols and associated anything with God for which He had not sent down any authority. So God sent them a messenger from among themselves who conveyed to them his messages, and he was righteous, peace be upon him, so he called them to God and debated with them about these idols that they worship instead of God, and reminded them that God had given them leadership on earth and made them caliphs after Ad, so he reminded them of God’s blessings, but they did not believe, their challenge to the Prophet of God, Saleh, peace be upon him.
The disbelievers challenged Saleh, peace be upon them, to bring them a sign from his Lord, that is, a miracle, in order to prove to us that you are a messenger from God. So the Prophet of God called upon his Lord to send them a sign from Him that would make them incapable. So God answered him. And God sent them a she camel as a miracle for them, and this she camel came out of a great rock, She was a great camel, not like the rest of the camels, and she was a publican, that is, pregnant, and the Messenger of God stipulated that this camel should have a day on which she could drink, and another day on which they should drink, so that they would not drink on the day that she would drink, and she would not drink on the day that they would drink. She used to provide them with milk and the whole village would drink, She remained among them for a period that God knows, and she gave birth, and many believed with Salih, peace be upon him, but most of them were arrogant and did not believe, and he warned them that if they touched the she-camel with any harm, a painful punishment would seize them, but the wrongdoers deny the signs of God, then the group (from 3:9) of individuals conspired to kill the she-camel.
There were nine Rahat in the city, and a Rahat is a number of people from three to nine, and these were nine of the most powerful and immoral people, So they conspired among themselves to kill the she-camel and disobey the Messenger’s order in denial of him. They sent one of them, who was the most powerful and wretched of them, and he consumed wine, so he went to the she-camel and slaughtered her.
The torment of Thamud, the people of Salih, peace be upon him
When the three days passed and in the morning, God saved Salih and those who believed with him, and sent upon the village of Thamud a single cry from the sky and a tremor from the earth, so they died instantly and became like dying wood, as it withered the crops and plants, and the lands of Thamud remained as a witness to them, This is one of the villages that God punished for their disbelief, and God told them to us in the Holy Qur’an. God does not punish a people until He sends to them a messenger who will explain it to them and establish evidence against them. If they refuse anything but disbelief and transgression, He will send torment upon them. This is the third story of the tortured villages that He tells us. God Almighty.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, passed by the lands of Thamud and forbade him from entering it
On the authority of Abdullah Ibn Omar, may God be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to the owners of the stone, do not enter upon these people unless you are weeping. If you are not weeping, then do not enter upon them, may it befall you like what befell them. Bukhari and Muslim, and Al-Hijr is the valley in which the people of Thamud lived, and there are still their homes carved into the mountains indicating them to this day. The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, passed through it with the army in the Battle of Tabuk and forbade people from entering it.
The Quranic context of the story
Allah says
وَإِلَى ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ هَذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَادٍ وَبَوَّأَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِنْ سُهُولِهَا قُصُورًا وَتَنْحِتُونَ الْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًا فَاذْكُرُوا آلَاءَ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ (74) قَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِمَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَالِحًا مُرْسَلٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ قَالُوا إِنَّا بِمَا أُرْسِلَ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ (75) قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا إِنَّا بِالَّذِي آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ كَافِرُونَ (76) فَعَقَرُوا النَّاقَةَ وَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَقَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ ائْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (77) فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ (78) فَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّي وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ وَلَكِنْ لَا تُحِبُّونَ النَّاصِحِينَ (79) (الأعراف)
And to Thamud, their brother Salih, he said, “O my people, worship God, you have no god other than Him, clear proof has come to you from your Lord. This is the she-camel of God. This is a sign for you, so leave her to eat in God’s land, and do not touch them with evil, lest a painful punishment seize you. And remember when He made you caliphs after Aad, and He settled you in the land, and you take palaces from its plains, and you carve out the mountains for houses, so remember the favors of God, and do not spread corruption in the land (74) The leaders of his people who were arrogant said to those who were oppressed, (75) To those of them who believe, “Do you know that Salih has been sent from his Lord?” They say, “Indeed, we are believers in what we were sent with (75) Those who were arrogant said, “Indeed, we disbelieve in that in which you have believed.” (76) so they butchered the she-camel and disobeyed the command of their Lord and said, “O Saleh!” bring to us what you promise us, if you are of the messengers (77) then the tremor seized them, and they became crouching in their house. (78) so he turned away from them and said, “O my people, I have delivered to you the message of my Lord and I have given you sincere advice, but do not like advisers (79) (Al-A’raf)
From the context of the Holy Qur’an speaking about Thamud, we conclude the following:
1 - Hadith (The prophets are brothers by their family, their mothers are different, and their religion is one.) (The laws differ from one religion to another, but the origin of the religion is the same, It has unified directives (God is one and has no wife or children - belief in the Last Day, angels and devils - judgment in the afterlife and otherworldly immortality, not earthly).
2 - A sign from God - the Almighty - and every righteous request - peace be up on him - from them that they let her eat from God’s land, so they barren her and the torment came upon them, and she is (the she-camel).The verse of God, and the verses must not be overlooked mentally or doctrinally - and what if they let them eat up God’s earth? It is arrogance that there is no God to rule, and we are with this power.
3 - A debate that bears arrogance and the scarcity of souls for what is good for Thamud (the people with whom the councils are filled) and a debate with the oppressed, and declaring disbelief while the oppressed are a declaration the faith, This is what distinguishes the heavenly religions, that whoever follows the heavenly religions in the beginning (the oppressed), and you are aware that the word “weakness” (the letter “S”: an increase in the structure of the word, therefore it is an increase in the meaning) so they are not weak, but someone put them in a position of weakness through poverty through slavery or something else. Of course, God is Most High and Most Knowing.
5 - Among the temptations from which a person rarely emerges with a sound heart, belief, or faith (the temptation of power) is the structural strength of the body, or the power to build and see the effect of what we have done, or the power of prestige, or all of this combined, we will never forget the Almighty’s saying in more than one place (And We will test you with evil and with good as a test). And in times of goodness, the trial of good is much more difficult than the trial of evil. why? Because perhaps in the temptation of evil, you will be patient and be patient so that you will be called patient, or you will be patient in front of people so that no one will gloat over you or for other reasons, but for everything you want to be around you and in your hands, and in the same way that you love, you rarely think about a God who is only known during adversity, and be hard on yourself: are you better in your prayers and having guests over, or when you are in a problem that has not yet been solved? We will not deny that we are servants of calamities. Yes, most of us returned to God Almighty with some calamity. The word “calamity” is great and may be difficult for the soul to hear, but it is said about something small or big, and even a thorn causes us doubt, It is considered a calamity, and we take back our saying (to God we belong and to Him we shall return). O God, give us something better than it, It is returning the right to its owners. Yes, we are God’s right and we will return to Him sooner or later.