Sayyiduna Saalih علیہ السلام was sent as a Prophet towards the people of Samood. When he علیہ السلام delivered them the message of Allah and called them towards the righteous path, the insolent people demanded miracle that he علیہ السلام should make a pregnant she-camel emerge from the rocks of mountain which should be very healthy and flawless. Therefore, Sayyiduna Saalih علیہ السلام pointed towards the rock and all of a sudden, the rock split and a very pretty, healthy and tall she-camel which was pregnant came out. Later, she also bore a camel calf and started grazing in the plains and pastures with her new-born.
There was only one pond in the valley. Water from the springs of mountains would accumulate in it. Sayyiduna Saalih علیہ السلام said, ‘O people! Look, this she-camel is there by virtue of a miracle. One day, she will drink all of the water of your pond and the other day, you drink water from this pond.’ The people agreed on these terms. Then Sayyiduna Saalih علیہ السلام delivered the following speech in front of the people of Samood:
O my people! Worship Allah – you do not have any deity except Him; indeed a clear proof has come to you from your Lord; this is Allah’s shecamel – a sign for you – so leave her free to graze in Allah’s land, and do not touch her with evil intentions, lest a punishment overtakes you.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 8, Surah Al-A’raf, verse 73)
The people of Samood abided by those terms for a couple of days only as they could not get water for one day; as the she-camel would drink all of the water of the pond that day. Therefore, they decided to kill the she-camel.
Qadaar Bin Saalif
Among these people, there was a person who had red complexion, brown eyes, short height and was the son of an adulteress. He agreed upon killing the she-camel on the temptation of his people – Sayyiduna Saalih علیہ السلام kept on preventing him from committing that evil act but he (Qadaar Bin Saalif) first cut the four feet of the she-camel, then he slaughtered it and started talking to Sayyiduna Saalih علیہ السلام in an extremely insolent and offensive manner.
Allah has mentioned about it in the Holy Quran:
So they chopped legs of the she-camel and rebelled against the command of their Lord and said, ‘O Saalih! Bring upon us what you promise us (threatening us), if you are a Prophet’.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 8, Surah Al-A’raf, verse 77)
Seismic punishment
Due to that grave sin, Allah inflicted the people of Samood in such a way that in the beginning, piercing horrible shriek was let out followed by a heavy earthquake that shook the territory upside down and destroyed it. All the buildings wrecked completely and every individual of the people of Samood died falling upside down. The Holy Quran has described this event as:
Therefore the earthquake seized them, so in the morning they remained lying upside down in their homes.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 8, Surah Al-A’raf, verse 78)
When Sayyiduna Saalih علیہ السلام witnessed that the whole town has destroyed and has turned into the debris of bricks and stones due to the tremors of the earthquake and all its inhabitants are dead, it grieved him a lot. He علیہ السلام felt hate towards the people of Samood and their deserted town. He علیہ السلام turned his face away from them and migrated from that place. Whilst departing, he علیہ السلام addressed the dead bodies as:
O my people! Indeed I did deliver my Lord’s message to you and wished you good, but you do not want those who are well-wishers.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 8, Surah Al-A’raf, verse 79)
The outcome of this event is that the entire town of the people of Samood destroyed and turned into a wasteland. The people were obliterated completely such that not even a single person of their lineage exists now on the face of the earth.
Moral: The moral lesson that we get from this event is that the people that killed the she-camel of a Prophet علیہ السلام were destroyed by the Divine torment in such a way that not even a single person among their lineage was left on the face of earth then how can the people that killed the holy family (رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہم) of their Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) be saved from the Divine torment.
Therefore, the history proves that similar was the end of the Kufi and Syrian Yazeedis who martyred the Ahl-e-Bayt (the family members of the Prophet) in Karbala. During the reign of Mukhtar Bin ‘Ubayd, even each and every child of the Yazeedis was killed. After destroying and demolishing their homes, donkey-driven ploughs were used to crush them and today, not even a single person belonging to the lineage of these Yazeedis exists.
One hundred and forty thousand Yazeedis killed
Muhaddis Haakim has reported a Hadees that Allah sent Divine revelation to the Holy Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم that when the Jews killed Sayyiduna Zakariyya علیہ السلام , seventy thousand Jews were killed in the expiation of his blood; and for the recompense of the killing of your grandson Imam Husayn ( رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ), one hundred and forty thousand Kufis and Syrians will be killed.
The promise of Allah was fulfilled in the war led by Mukhtar Bin ‘Ubayd, seventy thousand Kufis and Syrians were killed; and then by the orders of ‘Abdullah Suffah, the founder of the Abbasside dynasty, seventy thousand Kufis and Syrians were killed, thus a total of one hundred and forty thousand Yazeedis were killed.
(Al-Mustadrak, Kitab-ut-Tafseer, vol. 3, pp. 7, Hadees 1032)
So we must remember that every belonging of the beloveds of Allah is dear to Allah . Therefore, whether it is the kinfolks of the chosen people of Allah, their wives, their companions, their acquaintances, or anything associated with these chosen people, any type of disrespect and abusive behaviour towards them can bring Divine torment. Therefore, any thing that has any sort of link with the beloved people of Allah, paying utmost respect and honour to it is compulsory and on the contrary, insolent and offensive attitude
towards it brings Divine torment and utter destruction. :(والعیاذ باللہ منہ)
Land of Divine torment is accursed
It has been reported that during the journey for the holy war of Tabook, when Beloved Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم passed by the ruins of the people of Samood, he صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said, ‘Beware! No one should enter this village nor should anyone drink water from the well of this village. You should pass through the tormented area very quickly whilst crying out of fear of Allah and covering your faces so that the Divine torment may not inflict
you too. (Ruh-ul-Bayan, vol. 3, pp. 194; part 8, Surah Al-A’raf, verse 79)