Saleh Totally Explained

Everything about Saleh totally explained

ť Not to be confused with the city of Salט, Morocco.

Saleh (Arabic: صالح) is an Arabic name meaning Righteous, and in particular the Qur'an mentions a man named Saleh as having been a prophet of Islam.

Narrative

According to the Qur'an, Saleh was a Semite born nine generations after Noah and the flood; he's described as having been born and raised among the Thamud, a group of people who lived in an area between Palestine and the Hijaz. The Thamud are said to have lived in stone houses carved into mountains, and to have worshipped idols made from stone. Saleh tried to convince his people not to worship idols and to embrace Tawhid, but they refused, insisting that Saleh obtain a miracle; the narrative goes on to state that God responded by creating a female camel (the she-camel of God), which the Thamud were allowed to milk for sustenance, but were not allowed to harm. Despite the instruction, the Thamud slaughtered the camel, so God ordered Saleh to leave his people; when Salah had complied by leaving, there was a large thunderous sound that destroyed the Thamud.

Traditions

Although the Qur'an doesn't mention the exact mechanism of the creation of the camel, Islamic tradition argues that it was miraculously produced from a large rock.
The Bible describes Judah as having had a son named Shelah; according to the biblical Genealogy of Abraham, Abraham was born about 10 generations after Noah, and therefore Shelah would have been born about 13 generations after Noah. The similarity of name and vague similarity in hypothetical time period, between Saleh and Shelah, has led to the opinion that the Bible's Shelah is the Qur'an Saleh; the equation, however, is controversial, since there's almost nothing in common between the Qur'anic narrative of Saleh and the Biblical narrative of Shelah.

Scholarship

Many scholars of Islam equate the Thamud with the Edomites at Petra, due to the mention of them living in rock-cut homes. Historic Petra had several places of worship, and the main mountain at the site - Jebel al-Madhbah - is topped by two stone obelisks, suggesting the worship of deities via stone phallic symbols. The narrow gorge leading to the site - known as the Siq - can sometimes channel the wind to produce a loud trumpet-like sound, and it's known by local bedouin as the trumpet of God. The Edomites occupants of Petra were, however, not obliterated, but instead just migrated to the Negev; neither were the subsequent Nabataean occupants of Petra destroyed by divine command, but instead were weakened by Trajan, and reduced to mere peasants. The name of Saleh may originate in the name of the city, as it was historically known as Sela, a word deriving from the Hebrew term Se'lah, meaning rock; the Greek name Petra has the same meaning.
Another location suggested for the punishment of the Thamud is Meda'in Saleh which also features dwellings carved out of rock.

Further Information

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