MADAEN SALEH - The final three days

Thursday morning, the first day of final three days they have come to grip of incomprehensible phantasm like something going to happen. Overwhelmed feelings of unknown anticipations have brought enormous discomfiture in their heart and minds. Death is a most powerful enigma that dances around the mind of people and often directs and shape its performances in worldly life.

Death is again a strong barrier between the known and unknowns which could never be intruded. No one has ever said of what is after death except the religious divine revelations in holy books. Death brings to a permanent and paramount end to the worldly connections which is many at times is difficult to imagine or incapable of imagining by humans. The life of individual either luxury or ordinary, is inexplicable in its ordeal while leaving the earth. Thamuds have started to count the days. In the evening they felt that one day have passed. When it was third day, Saturday their faces gone black and in the evening they said, all three days of the deadline has passed. Sunday morning, the third day they had no idea of what is going to befall on them or from which side the punishment going to come or is it just one more usual warnings of Prophet Saleh.

After the sunrise, a mighty blast came from the sky along with earthquake. All souls that were present in the city died and every movement stopped therewith. There were no noises and people remained in their houses squatting and lifeless. It is said that nobody was left alive except a disabled girl whose name was Kalbah bin As-Salaq. She ran away and reached nearby place where an Arab tribe was living and informed of what she saw it. After drinking water she also died.

“As they had never dwelt there, for Thamud disbelieved in their land, so obliterate Thamud” (11:68 –Holy Quran)

Imam Ahmad has mentioned from Jabir who said that when the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) passed by the Rocky track of Thamud, he said:

“Do not ask for signs, as the people of Thamud had asked for it, meaning she- camel. She went for water from this way and come back from that way. They transgressed against their Lord and slew her. She drank from their water one day and they drank from her milk one day. They slew her and so that Blast which Allah sent upon them from the sky, seized them all except one man who was in the Haram of Allah.” They asked, “Who was that person, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet (PBUH) said: “He was Abu Rughal, when he came out from the Haram, the same punishment was inflicted upon him which had inflicted upon his people”.

What happened to the great civilization of Thamuds and their intelligence of hewing the mountains and why this Madaen Saleh is now more attributed to the civilization of Dedanians and Nabateans? Let us analyze in next article.

(To be continued)