Former Prophets

The Dwellings of Thamud at al-Hijr

The rock-cut tombs of Mada'in Salih and the she-camel of Salih (peace be upon him) (Q 7:73-79, 15:80-84)

The time of Salih (peace be upon him), the people of Thamud

Imagined 360° reconstruction of The Dwellings of Thamud at al-Hijr

Educational historical reconstruction

Where

Al-Hijr (Mada'in Salih), north-western Saudi Arabia

26.7912, 37.9572 · View on OpenStreetMap

Background

The Qur'an records the prophet Salih (peace be upon him) and the destruction of his people Thamud in over a dozen extensive passages: principally Surat al-A'raf (Q 7:73-79), Surat Hud (Q 11:61-68), Surat al-Hijr (Q 15:80-84, from which the locale name derives), Surat al-Shu'ara' (Q 26:141-159), Surat al-Naml (Q 27:45-53), and Surat al-Qamar (Q 54:23-31). The people of Thamud are described as a successor civilisation to 'Ad (Q 7:74), inheriting their power and likewise carving dwellings in the rocks: 'They carved dwellings in the mountains feeling secure' (Q 15:82, Q 26:149). Salih (peace be upon him) was sent to them with the message of tawhid; they demanded a sign, and the divine sign was a she-camel, naqat Allah, that emerged from the rock (Q 11:64) and was to share the water of the well with them on appointed days. The people houghed the she-camel after a respite of three days (Q 11:65, Q 91:14); the destruction came as al-rajfa (the trembling earthquake, Q 7:78) and al-sayha (the great cry, Q 15:83). The Sunni qisas al-anbiya' tradition (Ibn Kathir's Qisas al-Anbiya', al-Tha'labi's 'Ara'is al-Majalis) preserves the narrative and locates the dwellings of Thamud at al-Hijr, the rock-cut site in north-western Arabia (modern Mada'in Salih in Saudi Arabia), the same site the Sunni hadith tradition records the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passing on the Tabuk campaign in 9 AH. The hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at al-Hijr is preserved in Sahih al-Bukhari 4419 and Sahih Muslim 2980: he ordered the Companions not to enter the dwellings, not to drink the water of the wells, and to cover their heads as they passed, lest the punishment that fell on the people of Thamud reach them by association. The visible architectural fabric of the modern Mada'in Salih site is Nabataean (1st century BCE - 2nd century CE), the carved tomb facades are the work of the much later Nabataean Arabs who occupied the site, in the same masonry tradition as Petra to the north; the Sunni topographical tradition recognises the site as the Qur'anic al-Hijr without committing to the Nabataean carvings as the dwellings of Thamud themselves (the Qur'anic dwellings are understood as the earlier non-extant carvings of Salih's people). The dating is by anchor (the time of Salih peace be upon him), conventionally placed between 'Ad and Ibrahim (peace be upon him). This scene depicts the site in the dawn light, the carved facades empty, a single track of a she-camel in the sand, the Qur'anic sign, pointing toward a rocky cleft. No people are depicted.

What you see

A bare valley of red sandstone in the north-western Arabian hinterland, ringed by isolated outcrops. The air is dry and silver in the dawn light.

Carved into the sandstone outcrops, monumental rock-cut tomb facades, pediments, columns, friezes, in the architectural idiom of the Nabataean kingdom (1st century BCE - 2nd century CE), the same masonry tradition as Petra to the north. The facades are empty, weathered, undisturbed; no inhabitants are visible.

In the foreground sand of the valley floor, a single set of tracks, the prints of a she-camel, pointing toward a rocky cleft at the foot of the largest outcrop. The Qur'anic narrative of the she-camel of Salih (peace be upon him) is the foundational sign of the prophetic mission to Thamud (Q 11:64): hadhihi naqatu Allahi lakum ayatan.

The Qur'an records the destruction of Thamud at Q 7:78 by al-rajfa (the trembling earthquake) and at Q 15:83 by al-sayha (the great cry); the Sunni qisas tradition (Ibn Kathir on Q 7) records the destruction came after the people of Thamud houghed the she-camel sign and the prophet Salih (peace be upon him) had warned them of three days respite (Q 11:65).

The Sunni hadith tradition preserves the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) warning at the site on the Tabuk campaign in 9 AH: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the Companions not to drink the water of the wells of Thamud and to cover their heads as they passed (Sahih al-Bukhari 4419, Sahih Muslim 2980). The site is preserved in the Sunni tradition as a place of admonition, 'ibra, and not a place of pilgrimage.

The light is the cool dawn light of the north-western Hijaz. The dating is by anchor: the time of Salih (peace be upon him), conventionally placed by the Sunni qisas tradition after 'Ad and before Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The visible architectural fabric is Nabataean (1st century BCE - 2nd century CE), the rock-cut tombs are not from the time of Salih (peace be upon him) himself; they are the much later carvings of the Nabataean Arabs who occupied the site.

The Qur'anic narrative: Q 7:73-79, Q 11:61-68, Q 15:80-84, Q 17:59, Q 26:141-159, Q 27:45-53, Q 41:17, Q 54:23-31, Q 69:4-5, Q 89:9-12, Q 91:11-15. The Sunni qisas: Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya'; al-Tha'labi. The Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) warning at the site: Sahih al-Bukhari 4419, Sahih Muslim 2980.

Primary sources

The Qur'an: Surat al-A'raf 7:73-79, Surat Hud 11:61-68, Surat al-Hijr 15:80-84, Surat al-Shams 91:11-15: The principal Qur'anic passages on Thamud and Salih (peace be upon him).

Sahih al-Bukhari 4419, Sahih Muslim 2980: The Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) instructions to the Companions at the site on the Tabuk campaign. The standing Sunni hadith framework for the religious status of the place.

Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya': Standard Sunni stories of the prophets; the chapter on Salih (peace be upon him).

al-Tabari, Tarikh and Jami' al-Bayan: Standard Sunni history and tafsir.

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