Thamud and the She-Camel’s Warning
Vein of Truth: Connecting the Dots Article #4
Carving Arrogance into Stone
After the destruction of Ad in Al-Ahqaf a region believed to be in present-day Yemen or Oman. Another ancient Arab tribe rose: the people of Thamud. Though they lived in a different region Al-Ḥijr, in northwestern Arabia near Mada’in Salih and Al-Ula, they followed the same path of arrogance and met the same fate. They weren’t some weak or backward tribe. They were strong, skilled, smart and they were proud of it.
They carved homes straight into the sides of solid mountains, thinking nothing could ever destroy them.
“And [with] Thamūd, who carved out the rocks in the valley?” — Qur’an 89:9
But strength without humility leads to arrogance. And arrogance closes the heart to truth.
So Allah sent them a prophet from among their own people — Salih (peace be upon him). He wasn’t a stranger. He wasn’t sent to destroy them. He came with a message: worship Allah alone and stop your corruption before it’s too late.
But instead of listening, they mocked him. Like others before them, they demanded a miracle. They pointed to a massive rock and said: “If you’re really a messenger of God, make a she-camel come out of this stone.” and then by Allah’s will, it happened.
The Miracle That Broke Their Pride
Out of that rock, a living, breathing she-camel walked out. It wasn’t a trick. It wasn’t magic. It was a clear, open miracle from Allah and a test. She was peaceful and she belonged to Allah. The command was simple: let her graze freely, and she would drink from the well one day while they drank the next.
This is the she-camel of Allah [sent] to you as a sign. So leave her to eat within Allah’s land and do not touch her with harm, or you will be taken by a painful punishment.” (Qur’an 7:73)
But instead of respecting the sign, they got angry. Her presence exposed their pride. Her calmness exposed their rebellion and her drinking from the well gave them an excuse. They said she was using too much water but deep down, they just couldn’t stand what she represented — a proof they couldn’t deny.
So they plotted. And with full support from the tribe, a group of them slaughtered her in cold blood.
"But they denied him and hamstrung her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal upon all of them."
(Qur’an 91:14)
They didn’t kill her because they thought she was fake. They killed her because they knew she was real and they hated what that meant.
The Countdown Begins
After they killed the she-camel, Salih (peace be upon him) told them exactly what would happen:
"But they hamstrung her, so he said, 'Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. That is a promise not to be denied.'"
— Qur’an 11:65
They were given three days. Not as a chance to repent — their punishment was already sealed but as a final, terrifying countdown.
Each day, their faces changed color:
Day 1: Yellow
Day 2: Red
Day 3: Black
This detail is preserved in tafsir works by scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari. It was a physical sign that their end was near. A visible reminder that they had crossed a line.
The Destruction
On the third day, the punishment struck. The Qur’an mentions multiple aspects of their destruction — a mighty blast (sayhah), a violent earthquake (rajfah), and their final state: lifeless bodies, collapsed in their homes.
“So the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone.”
— Qur’an 7:78“And the shriek seized those who had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone.”
— Qur’an 11:67“So the punishment seized them, and they became from it leveled to the ground.”
— Qur’an 27:52
According to classical tafsir like Ibn Kathir, both the shriek (sayhah) and earthquake (rajfah) were part of their punishment — unleashed together as a divine blow from different angles. The sound was so intense it shattered their insides, and the quake flattened their structures, leaving no survivors among the disbelievers. This wasn’t a natural disaster. It was divine justice. Not just destroyed — erased.
The Believers Survived
Not everyone in Thamud was arrogant. There were a small group of true believers who followed Prophet Salih and respected the she-camel. They didn’t plot. They didn’t join the murder. They stayed loyal to the truth, even when the rest of their tribe mocked them and when the she-camel was killed, Allah didn’t punish them along with the guilty.
Before the punishment came, Allah commanded Salih and the believers to leave. He warned them not to stay behind because a terrible punishment was coming and they obeyed. They left. Then came the signs. Once the destruction was over, Prophet Salih returned to the ruins of his people. The Qur’an says:
“Then he turned away from them and said, ‘O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you, but you do not like advisors.’”
— Qur’an 7:79
This didn’t happen while he was leaving. It happened after the punishment when he came back and saw what was left. He didn’t smile. He didn’t celebrate. He mourned. He looked at the destruction and said those words in sorrow, knowing they brought it upon themselves. That was the end of Thamud but Allah left their story behind for a reason — so the rest of us learn the lesson from it.
Proof in Stone: What Still Remains
Thamud wasn’t a myth. And their punishment wasn’t just a story. The ruins still stand — carved deep into sandstone cliffs in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Today, the site is known as Mada’in Salih and in the Qur’an, it’s called Al-Hijr. It’s real. You can see it.
In 2008, UNESCO designated Madā’in Ṣāliḥ as a World Heritage Site — the first in Saudi Arabia. More than 130 monumental tombs still remain, many with inscriptions that date back over 2,000 years. The tombs are carved into glowing red cliffs, eerily similar to Petra in Jordan — not by coincidence, but because both were shaped by the Nabataeans, a powerful Arab civilization that rose after Thamūd.
Inside and around these tombs, archaeologists found inscriptions in Thamudic, Aramaic, and early Nabataean scripts — proof that multiple civilizations passed through, built, and traded in this region over time.
But the oldest layer — the one that matches the Qur’an — belongs to Thamud.
“And certainly did the companions of the stone valley [Al-Ḥijr] deny the messengers. And We gave them Our signs, but from them they were turning away. And they used to carve from the mountains, houses, feeling secure. But the shriek seized them in the morning.” — Qur’an 15:80–82
Ancient records outside the Qur’an also confirm their existence:
In the 8th century BCE, Assyrian inscriptions from the reign of Sargon II refer to a tribe called the Tamudi, recorded as defeated in battle.
In the 1st century CE, Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian, listed the Thamudaei among Arab tribes in the Arabian Peninsula.
These are not Islamic sources. They’re secular records but they line up exactly. The people of Thamud lived. Their pride was real. Their destruction was real and now, their city — frozen in stone — remains as a warning. A place where power once carved arrogance into the mountain. And Allah carved His justice right over it.
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) Warned About the Site
When the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) passed through Al-Hijr — the ruins of Thamud during the expedition to Tabuk, he didn’t treat it like a tourist stop. He didn’t linger. He didn’t look around. He urged the companions to weep and move on quickly.
“Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) said, 'Do not enter (the places) of these people where Allah's punishment had fallen unless you do so weeping. If you do not weep, do not enter (the places of these people) because Allah's curse and punishment which fell upon them may fall upon you.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 433
This wasn’t just about avoiding danger. It was about the seriousness of what had happened there. This was a site of divine punishment — not a place to take lightly.
The Prophet (s.a.w) even forbade the companions from using the water from the wells of Al-Hijr, except from the one that belonged to the she-camel of Salih (a.s). When they used the water to knead dough, he ordered them to throw it away and feed it to their animals.
"Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) said in connection with the people of Hijr (Thamud): 'Do not enter but weepingly (the habitations) of these people who had been punished by (Allah), and in case you do not feel inclined to weep, then do not enter (these habitations) that you may not meet the same calamity as had fallen to their lot.'"
— Sahih Muslim 2980a"We were passing along with Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) through the habitations of Hijr, and Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) said: 'Do not enter but weepingly the habitations of these persons who committed tyranny among themselves, lest the same calamity should fall upon you as it fell upon them.' He then urged his mount to proceed quickly and pass through that valley hurriedly."
— Sahih Muslim 2980b"ʿAbdullah b. ʿUmar reported that the people encamped along with Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) in the valley of Hijr, the habitations of Thamud, and they quenched their thirst from the wells thereof and kneaded the flour with it. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) commanded that the water collected for drinking should be spilt and the flour should be given to the camels, and commanded them that the water for drinking should be taken from that well where the she-camel (of Hadrat Salih) used to come."
— Sahih Muslim 2981aNarrated Abdullah bin Umar:
(While we were going for the Battle of Tabuk and when we reached the places of the dwellers of Al-Hijr), Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) said about the dwellers of Al-Hijr (to us), "Do not enter (the dwelling places) of these people unless you enter weeping, but if you weep not, then do not enter upon them, lest you be afflicted with what afflicted them."
— Sahih al-Bukhari 4702
The Prophet’s behavior shows that this wasn’t just some ancient ruin. It was a place marked by Allah’s punishment — a lesson frozen in stone.
That’s why scholars throughout history have warned Muslims not to visit Al-Hijr for sightseeing. It’s not a photo opportunity. It’s a place that should make your heart tremble.
Lingering Fear: What People Passed Down
Over the centuries, Muslims passed down oral stories about strange experiences at Mada’in Salih— the ruins of Thamud. Some said they felt a sudden wave of illness or unease. Others described an unnatural silence, or how animals refused to walk further.
These accounts are not found in the Qur’an or any authentic hadith. They come from traveler reports, early Islamic histories, and local Arab oral tradition. While we can’t verify their truth, they reveal something important: People didn’t take this place lightly. Even generations after the Prophet (s.a.w), Muslims remembered his warning and feared falling into the same sin. It wasn’t just ruins to them. It was a reminder. A place Allah Himself marked with destruction and one that believers avoided out of awe, not curiosity.
Concerts and Tourism at a Cursed Site
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has commercialized the ancient ruins. Events like the “Winter at Tantora” festival now feature:
Music concerts
Dance shows
Light installations
Luxury tourism on the site of divine punishment
Qur’an 6:44: “But when they forgot the warning they were given, We opened to them the gates of everything—until, when they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly.”
Religious scholars have condemned this strongly, calling it a direct violation of the Prophet’s (s.a.w) instruction. This is not about politics — it’s about repeating the exact arrogance that destroyed Thamud.
Why No Punishment Happens Today?
People ask: “If it’s cursed, why are concerts happening there now?”
The answer is in the Qur’an.
"But those who deny Our signs – We will progressively lead them [to destruction] from where they do not know."
— Qur’an 7:182
Sometimes, Allah delays physical punishment and replaces it with:
Spiritual numbness
Arrogance disguised as entertainment
Loss of moral communication pass
That is a curse. A people who party on the ruins of divine wrath have already lost more than they know. Unless Allah guides them back towards him.
Reflection
Thamud asked for a miracle. They got one.
They mocked it, killed it, and were erased.
Now their story is preserved in:
Qur’anic scripture
Carved stone ruins
UNESCO archives
Concert posters
“Do not enter unless you are weeping…” but today, people dance and pose for photos.
The scariest part isn’t that they were destroyed.
It’s that we’ve forgotten why.
Sources
Quran
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Mada’in Salih),” accessed April 2025, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1293/.
Yusuf Zahran, Arabia Before Islam (Cairo: Dar al-Shuruq, 1994), 118–132.
The Qur’an, 15:80–82.
Sargon II’s Annals, in The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, trans. A.K. Grayson (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1990), 62–65.
Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book 6, Chapter 32.
Ibn Saʿd, Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 1; oral reports cited in local historical travel accounts (see: H.R.P. Dickson, The Arab of the Desert, London, 1949).