In their very town there were “nine clansmen” (Q 27:48)—devilish agitators who resisted everything Ṣāliḥ brought with the fiercest opposition. They blocked people from the path of Allah and were “spreading corruption in the land without setting anything right” (Q 27:48). Sensing their arrogance and refusal to accept the truth, Ṣāliḥ had already warned them not to harm the she-camel. Yet the first thing those wicked notables did was to convene a public council and agree that the camel must be hamstrung. They settled on the deed, and the most wretched man of the tribe volunteered; hence Allah’s words, “When the most depraved of them was dispatched” (Q 91:12). After they had nominated him, they sent him out; he readied himself, guaranteed them the deed, and they were all satisfied—indeed, they ordered it. He hamstrung her, and that act announced the inevitable doom of the entire tribe.
When Ṣāliḥ realized what had happened and saw the horrifying scene, he knew beyond doubt that punishment was now certain. The crime had reached its limit and no hope of reform remained. He therefore declared, “Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days—this is a promise that shall not be belied” (Q 11:65), by which he warned every last one of them, near and far.
During those three days the nine ringleaders decided on something even worse than hamstringing the camel: they resolved to murder their Prophet, Ṣāliḥ, at night. They pledged to one another, drew up a pact, swore binding oaths, and kept the plot secret for fear Ṣāliḥ’s noble household might protect him, for he belonged to a family of honor and prestige. They said, “We will kill him and his family by night; then we will say to his protector-kin, ‘We did not witness the destruction of his family, and we are telling the truth’” (Q 27:49).
They devised this great scheme—but they plan, and Allah plans for His Prophet. As they lay in wait at the foot of a mountain, looking for an opening against Ṣāliḥ, Allah’s punishment overtook them first: they became the advance party of their people on the road to Hell. A rock hurtled down from the mountain’s peak and crushed them; they died an especially gruesome death.
When the three days were completed, a deafening Cry descended upon them from above, and a violent tremor struck from beneath. By morning they lay lifeless. Allah saved Ṣāliḥ and the believers who were with him. Turning away, he said, “O my people, I have conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you, but you do not like those who offer advice” (Q 7:79).