In the majority of cases when an account of the history of the Prophet Şāliĥ and the Thamūd is given, it constitutes part of a series of histories involving the Prophets Noah, Had, Lot and Shu`ayb. Sometimes we also have an account of Abraham. In this sūrah, particular emphasis is given to prophets sent to the Children of Israel:

Moses, David and Solomon. We have no account of Hūd, Shu`ayb or Abraham.

In the present account of Şāliĥ we have no mention of the she- camel which was the miracle given to him. Instead, we are given the episode involving nine wicked people who plotted to assassinate him and his household. They conspired against him when he was totally unaware, but God foiled their scheming, destroyed them and their community, leaving the homes of the wrongdoers empty to serve as a lesson to following generations. He saved those who believed and led God-fearing lives. The idolaters in Makkah often passed by the destroyed dwellings of the Thamūd, yet still they did not take heed.

“To the Thamūd We sent their brother, Şāliĥ, and he said: “Worship God alone’, but they split into two contending factions.” (Verse 45) In this verse the whole message Şāliĥ conveyed to his people is summed up in one point, “worship God alone,’ which is the basis of the divine message to mankind throughout all generations, and with all prophets and messengers. Although everything around man in the universe and within man himself urges belief in this fundamental truth, humanity lived for countless generations denying or deriding this basic and simple fact. It continues to deliberately evade it today, taking divergent routes that lead it away from the right and straight path.

The sūrah mentions the attitude of Şāliĥ’s people after he had endeavoured to persuade them to believe, but they split into two factions: one that responded to him and the other who opposed him. The latter formed the majority, as we are told elsewhere in the Qur’ān.

We then have a gap in the story, which is common in Qur’ānic narration, and we sense that those who denied Şāliĥ’s message tried to hasten God’s punishment against which he had warned them, rather than praying for God’s guidance and mercy. In this they were the same as the Quraysh who also precipitated God’s punishment. Şāliĥ criticized their attitude and tried to direct them to seek God’s forgiveness, so that they might receive His mercy: “Said [Şāliĥ]: My people, why do you seek to hasten evil instead of hoping for the good? Why do you not seek God’s forgiveness, so that you may be graced with His mercy?” (Verse 46)

The hearts of unbelievers can reach such a level of corruption that they appeal to God, saying: “God, if this be indeed Your revealed truth, then rain down upon us stones from the skies, or inflict grievous suffering on us.” (8: 32) They say this rather than praying to God to guide them to believe in the truth He has revealed. While this verse refers to what the Quraysh said, Şāliĥ’s people said something similar, rejecting their prophet’s appeals that they should repent, seek God’s forgiveness and pray for His mercy. They even justified their irritation with him and his followers by saying that they constituted a bad omen and that they expected evil to befall them as a result of their presence: “They answered: We augur evil from you and those that follow you.” (Verse 47)

The Arabic text uses the verb iţţyrnā, rendered here as ‘we augur evil’. It refers to the different superstitious habits of ignorant people who refuse to accept the clarity of faith. In Arabia a person who was about to take a serious decision would scare a bird. If the bird flew towards the right rather than the left, the man felt optimistic about his decision and went ahead with it. If the bird flew to the left, the man would be gloomy, expecting evil. Needless to say, birds know nothing of the world that lies beyond our perception. Their spontaneous flight cannot tell us anything about the unknown. But it is ingrained within human nature that it cannot live without something unknown to which it attributes what lies beyond its knowledge and ability. When it does not attribute this, through faith, to God who knows all that lies beyond the reach of any creature’s perception, it attributes it to legend and superstition that know no limit and follow no logic.