Page 89 - Perished Nations

tion was to slander and condemn him:
To the Thamud People (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren. He said:
"O my people! Worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him. It is He Who
hath produced you from the earth and settled you therein: then ask for-
giveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord is (always)
near, ready to answer."
They said: "O Salih! thou hast been of us! a centre of our hopes hitherto!
dost thou (now) forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshipped? But
we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which thou
invitest us." (Surah Hud: 61-62)
A small part of the community complied with Salih’s (as) call, but most
of them did not accept what he told. The leaders of the community in par-
ticular denied Salih (as) and took an antagonistic stand towards him. They
tried to impede those who believed Salih (as) and tried to oppress them.
They were enraged at Salih (as), because he called them to worship Allah.
This rage was not specific only to Thamud; Thamud were repeating the
mistake made by the people of Nuh (as) and by Ad’ who had lived before
them. This is why the Qur’an refers to these three communities as follows:
Has not the story reached you, (O people!), of those who (went) before
you? - of the people of Prophet Nuh, and 'Ad, and Thamud? - And of those
who (came) after them? None knows them but Allah. To them came mes-
sengers with Clear (Signs); but they put their hands up to their mouths, and
said: "We do deny (the mission) on which ye have been sent, and we are
really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which ye invite us."
(Surah Ibrahim: 9)
Despite the Prophet Salih’s (as) warnings, the people continued in their
ways on overcome by doubts. But still, there was a group who believed in
the prophethood of Salih (as) – and those were the ones who were saved
along with Salih (as) when the great catastrophe came. The leaders of the
community tried to oppress the group believing in Salih (as):
The leaders of the arrogant party among his people said to those who were
reckoned powerless - those among them who believed: "know ye indeed
that Salih is a messenger from his Lord?" They said: "We do indeed believe
in the revelation which hath been sent through him." The Arrogant party
said: "For our part, we reject what ye believe in." (Surat al-A‘raf: 75-76)
Thamud still continued in doubt regarding Allah and the prophethood

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