The Reasons for the Destruction of the People of Thamud;
The Sunnah of Destruction
Selections from the Book Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) and the Reasons for the Destruction of the People of Thamud …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (23)
Allah Almighty has decreed that the accounting and recompense will occur on the Day of Judgment, but His law has been to separate the people of truth from the people of falsehood in this world with the highest wisdom. This has been achieved through the destruction of the wrongdoers and the salvation of the believers in the struggle between the prophets (peace be upon them) and their enemies. In this struggle, the fate of the wicked unfolded according to the Sunnah of Allah. Some of them were drowned in the flood, some were struck by the barren wind, some were seized by the terrible shriek, some were taken by the earthquake and became lifeless in their homes, and some were transformed into monkeys and pigs. However, the destruction that befell those wrongdoers was a disgrace for them in this world, a victory for the believers, and a lesson for the nations that would come after them. They are to take heed from the fate of those who preceded them and avoid the paths of Satan, which were the cause of the destruction of past nations who opposed Allah and His Messenger.
The term "destruction" appears in the Holy Quran with various meanings depending on the context, such as death in general, corruption, and punishment. The last meaning is the most commonly used in the Holy Quran, and it is related to our topic.
In Quranic terminology, destruction refers to the punishment Allah inflicts on His enemies, which is absolute and annihilating. This has been frequently mentioned in the stories of the Holy Quran, especially regarding the fate of past nations that deviated from the straight path, denied the commands of Allah Almighty, and harmed His messengers. Allah says: {And how many have We destroyed from the generations after Noah. And sufficient is your Lord, concerning the sins of His servants, as Aware and Seeing.} [Al-Isra: 17], and the people of Salih are among the past nations who experienced the law of destruction.
This Sunnah continues in civilizations, nations, peoples, and societies, and it is one of Allah's decisive Sunnahs with widespread effects. It is the cause of falling into sins, corruption, oppression, and more.
- Allah says: {And those cities - We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.} [Al-Kahf: 59].
- And Allah says: {And We had already destroyed generations before you when they wronged,} [Yunus: 13].
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) and the Reasons for the Destruction of the People of Thamud, pp. 364-366.
- Correcting the faces and counterparts in the Holy Quran, Al-Hussein Muhammad Al-Damghani, Dar Al-Alan Lil-Malayin, Beirut, 4th ed., 1983 AD, p. 477.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) and the Reasons for the Destruction of the People of Thamud on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
