اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
People of Thamud confront the prophet Saleh’s Naqah
The prophet Saleh had announced to the people of Thamud that if they harm Naqah, they would suffer divine punishment. This was in fact a divine examination for the people of Thamud.
Types of divine examinations
Human being is always subject to divine trials and examinations. God has mentioned from the beginning of human creation that إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً Indeed We created man from the drop of a mixed fluid so that We may put him to test, so We endowed with hearing and sight. (Ensan: 2)
And God also considers the power and level of human understanding in these experiments, so it can be seen that sometimes these experiments are very simple. Like the test that God takes from Talut companions who have only been tested by drinking more or less water:
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي إِلَّا مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً مِنْهُمْ…
As Saul set out with the troops, he said, ‘Allah will test you with a stream: anyone who drinks from it will not belong to me, but those who do not drink from it will belong to me, barring someone who draws a scoop with his hand.’ But they drank from it, [all] except a few of them. So when he crossed it along with the faithful who were with him, they said, ‘We have no strength today against Goliath and his troops.’ Those who were certain that they would encounter Allah said, ‘How many a small party has overcome a larger party by Allah’s will! And Allah is with the patient.’ (Baghare: 249)
And sometimes the divine test has been very difficult, such as the test that God performed on the prophet Ibrahim Khalil, or the divine test on Maryam Azra, or on the prophet Ayoob. The holy Qur’an says about Ibrahim Khalil and his pride in the divine test:
وَإِذِ ابْتَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَاماً…
When his Lord tested Abraham with certain words and he fulfilled them, He said, ‘I am making you the Imam of mankind.’ Said he, ‘And from among my descendants?’ He said, ‘My pledge does not extend to the unjust.’ (Baghare: 124)
The divine test for the people of Thamud was also a simple test, they just had to release the “Naqa” to graze in the desert and drink water. As the holy Qur’an quotes from the prophet Saleh who said: وَيَا قَوْمِ هَذِهِ نَاقَةُاللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً، فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ قَرِيبٌ؛ O my people! This she-camel of Allah is a sign for you. Let her graze [freely] in Allah’s land, and do not cause her any harm, for then you shall be seized by a prompt punishment.’ (Hood: 64)
The people of Thamud failed in this simple test, just as Talut’s companions failed in their simple test. The Qur’an says about Talut’s companions: فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً مِنْهُمْ؛ But they drank from it, [all] except a few of them. (Baghare: 249) and says about the people of Thamud:
فَعَقَرُوا النَّاقَةَ وَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ، وَقَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ ائْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؛
So they hamstrung the She-camel and defied the command of their Lord, and they said, ‘O Salih, bring us what you threaten us with, if you are one of the apostles.’ (A’raf: 77)
Thus, the people of Thamud also failed in this simple divine test and could not treat with this female camel on the orders of the prophet Saleh, but they killed the camel and again expressed their disbelief in Saleh and asked him for the punishment he had promised.
Saleh’s Naqah was like a camel in face, by that ignored people killed her;
They became her enemies for water, they cut the food and cut the water;
Naqa drank water from the river and from the nature, God’s water was forbidden for the God;
The camel brought sentence of death and pain to that nation;
At this time, the Prophet Saleh again gave them time to return to the God, and told them to stay in their houses for three days and really think about their actions:
فَعَقَرُوهَا فَقَالَ تَمَتَّعُوا فِي دَارِكُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ ذَلِكَ وَعْدٌ غَيْرُ مَكْذُوبٍ؛
But they hamstrung her, whereupon he said, ‘Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days: that is a promise not to be belied!’ (Hood: 65)
After these three days, the argument was completed and the way of repentance was closed to the people of Thamud, and the divine punishment descended on them; a terrible earthquake and a fiery thunderbolt, which destroyed them. The Qur’an says:
وَفِي ثَمُودَ إِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَمَتَّعُوا حَتَّى حِينٍ؛ فَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ؛ فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مِنْ قِيَامٍ وَمَا كَانُوا مُنْتَصِرِينَ؛
And in Thamud, when they were told, ‘Enjoy for a while.’ Then they defied the command of their Lord; so the thunderbolt seized them as they looked on. So they were neither able to rise up, nor to come to one another’s aid. (Zariyat: 43-45)
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ؛
Thereupon the earthquake seized them, and they lay lifeless prostrate in their homes. (A’raf: 78)
The holy Qur’an says that all the people of Thamud perished, and only the the prophet Saleh and those who believed in him escaped from this divine punishment:
فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا صَالِحاً وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَمِنْ خِزْيِ يَوْمِئِذٍ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ الْقَوِيُّ الْعَزِيزُ؛ وَأَخَذَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ؛ كَأَنْ لَمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيهَا، أَلَا إِنَّ ثَمُودَ كَفَرُوا رَبَّهُمْ، أَلَا بُعْداً لِثَمُودَ؛
So when Our edict came, We delivered Salih and the faithful who were with him by a mercy from Us and from the [punishment and] disgrace of that day. Your Lord is indeed the All-strong, the All-mighty. The Cry seized those who were wrongdoers, and they lay lifeless prostrate in their homes, as if they had never lived there. Behold! Thamud indeed defied their Lord. Now, away with Thamud! (Hood: 66-68)
Saleh went to the city from solitude, the city was between smoke and oil;
He was hearing the moaning of their components, the lamentation of the mourners was disappearing;
From their bones he heard their cries, their souls were crying like drizzles;
Saleh heard it and cried and began to mourn over them;
He said, “O people, you have lived in falsehood, and I have cried for the truth”;
God told, wait on their oppression, advise them from their distance;
You oppressed on me, the milk of advice got depressed in my veins;