Grade 4 History Book (PDF) - Shia Multimedia

afraid that if too many people started believing Prophet Salih (a), then Prophet Salih (a) might
become powerful and overthrow them. As a result, they decided to make Prophet Salih (a)
look weak in front of the people. Therefore, they challenged him to prove his words. They told
him that if he was really a prophet, then he should show them a miracle from Allah which they
had never seen before.
By the powers of Allah, a huge she-camel appeared out of
nowhere. The people had never seen such a camel in their lives.
The she-camel was itself a miracle: on one day, it would drink all the
water in the town; on the next it would allow the people to drink the
water; and on the day that the she-camel drank all the water, it would give the people as much
milk as they wanted. Prophet Salih (a) told the people: “Indeed a clear proof of your Lord has
come to you. This she-camel of Allah is a sign for you. Leave it free to graze on Allah’s earth
and do not harm her; otherwise you will be overtaken by a painful punishment.”
This powerful miracle made a lot of people believe the words of Prophet Salih (a). It
also made the leaders of the tribe nervous because they knew that as long as the people could
see the she-camel, they would listen to Prophet Salih (a). Now despite the warning from
Prophet Salih (a) to leave the she-camel alone, the leaders of the tribe decided to kill her.
After surrounding the she-camel, a man by the name of Qadar struck the animal’s neck with
his sword and killed it. In reference to this man, our Holy Prophet (s) has said, “The wicked
person from the olden times is the one who killed the innocent she-camel of Prophet Salih (a).”
After killing the camel, the leaders went to Prophet Salih (a) and arrogantly retorted,
“O Salih! Bring us the punishment if you really are a Prophet.”
Even after what the people had done to the she-camel, Allah (the Merciful) decided to
give the people three more days before he would send down the punishment. Prophet Salih
(a) told the people that they had three days to ask for Allah’s forgiveness. But the people only
laughed at him.
After three days, Prophet Salih (a) received a command from Allah to leave the town
with his followers. Then the punishment of Allah came down on the people of Thamud. A
great thunderbolt came from the sky and a powerful earthquake shook the town and totally
40 Grade 4 History