The Response of Thamud, Their Demand for a Sign, and Their Punishment
Ayahs Covered
Common Words
Other Scholars on These Ayahs
They said ‘You are indeed one of the bewitched those who have succumbed so many times to sorcery that their minds have been overcome.
And moreover you are just a human being like us. So bring us a sign if you are sincere’ in your Mission.
He said ‘This is a she-camel; she shall drink a share of the water and you shall drink each on a known day.
And do not cause her any harm for then you shall be seized by the chastisement of an awful day’ awful because of the awfulness of the chastisement.
But they hamstrung her — a group of them hamstrung her with the approval of others; and then became remorseful for having hamstrung it.
So they were seized by the chastisement which had been promised and were destroyed. Surely in that there is a sign; but most of them are not believers.
Truly your Lord He is the Mighty the Merciful.
Related Hadiths
He who gives a she-camel as a gift, for him is the reward (of the gift) both morning and evening - a reward for drinking milk in the morning and a reward for drinking milk in the evening.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "One of the rights of a she camel is that it should be milked at a place of water."
A man asked: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), what is due on camels? He replied in a similar way. This version adds "and to lend its udders.”
“Why don’t you go out to a flock of camels of ours, and drink their milk and urine.” And they did that.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "What a good Maniha (the she-camel which has recently given birth and which gives profuse milk) is, and (what a good Maniha) (the sheep which gives profuse milk, a bowl in...
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Start with the horses on the day that you bring (the animals to drink).' ”
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying something similar to this tradition. He (the narrator) said to AbuHurayrah: What is due on camels? He replied: That you should give the best of your camels...
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A cow serves for seven, and a camel serves for seven.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The best object of charity is a she-camel which has (newly) given birth and gives plenty of milk, or a she-goat which gives plenty of milk; and is given to somebody to ut...
"Cursed are those who harm a believer, or plot to do so."
Ibn Kathir Commentary
Related Tafsir
The Response of Thamud, Their Demand for a Sign, and Their Punishment
Allah tells us how Thamud responded to their Prophet Salih, upon him be peace, when he called them to worship their Lord, may He be glorified.
قَالُواْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ الْمُسَحَّرِينَ
(They said: "You are only of those bewitched!") Mujahid said, "They meant he was one affected by witchcraft." Then they said:
مَآ أَنتَ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا
(You are but a human being like us.) meaning, `how can you receive Revelation when we do not' This is like the Ayah where they are described as saying:
أَءُلْقِىَ الذِّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ مِن بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ - سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَداً مَّنِ الْكَذَّابُ الاٌّشِرُ
("Is it that the Reminder is sent to him alone from among us Nay, he is an insolent liar!" Tomorrow they will come to know who is the liar, the insolent one!) (54:26-27) Then they asked him for a sign to prove that what he brought to them from their Lord was the truth. A crowd of them gathered and demanded that he immediately bring forth from the rock a she-camel that was ten months pregnant, and they pointed to a certain rock in their midst. Allah's Prophet Salih made them promise that if he responded to their request, they would believe in him and follow him. So they agreed to that. The Prophet of Allah Salih, peace be upon him, stood and prayed, then he prayed to Allah to grant them their request. Then the rock to which they had pointed split open, revealing a she-camel that was ten months pregnant, excactly as they had requested. So some of them believed, but most of them disbelieved.
قَالَ هَـذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَّهَا شِرْبٌ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ
(He said: "Here is a she-camel: it has a right to drink (water), and you have a right to drink (water) (each) on a day, known.) meaning, `she will drink from your water one day, and on the next day you will drink from it.'
وَلاَ تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
(And touch her not with harm, lest the torment of a Great Day should seize you.) He warned them of the punishment of Allah if they should do her any harm. The she-camel stayed among them for a while, drinking the water, eating leaves and grazing, and they benefitted from her milk which they took in sufficient quantities for every one to drink his fill. After this had gone on for a long time, and the time for their destruction drew near, they conspired to kill her:
فَعَقَرُوهَا فَأَصْبَحُواْ نَـدِمِينَ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ
(But they killed her, and then they became regretful. So, the torment overtook them.) Their land was shaken by a strong earthquake, and there came to them an overwhelming Sayhah (shout) which took their hearts from their places. They were overtaken by events which they were not expecting, so they were left (dead), lying prostrate in their homes.
إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ
(Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers. And verily your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)