Introduction to Divine Prophets: Salih
His name is mentioned nine times in the Quran, and there are about seventy verses that discuss his mission and life.
Saleh (AS) was the third prophet to stand against the idolatry of his time, following Noah (AS) and Hud (AS).
According to some narrations, he was born 2,973 years after Adam's Hubut (descent) and passed away in Najaf after living some 280 years.
The city where Saleh (AS) and his people lived was called Hijr. This region is located between Hejaz and Sham, east of the Gulf of Aqaba.
The city had mountains, where the Thamud people built stone houses, as the Quran mentions: “and [the people of] Thamud, who hollowed out the rocks in the valley.” (Surah Al-Fajr, verse 9)
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After the destruction of the Thamud people, Saleh (AS) and his followers moved to an area called Rasla in Palestine.
The people of Hadhramaut believe that the Thamud migrated to Hadhramut, settled there, and later moved north of Hejaz between Medina and Sham after conflicts with the people of Ad.
One notable aspect of Saleh's (AS) character was his benevolence. Despite the arrogance of the people, he showed compassion. After his people killed a camel that was a divine sign and blessing, and he saw the impending divine punishment, he said to them, “So he abandoned them [to their fate], and said, ‘O my people! Certainly I communicated to you the message of my Lord, and I was your well-wisher, but you did not like well-wishers.’” (Surah Al-A’raf, verse 79)
