The Legend of Thamoud

Thamoud were an ancient Arab tribe settled in northern Hejaz, where they probably served as border guards for their Roman allies1. Their existence is well documented in pre-Islamic sources. The earliest references come from Assyrian texts from the 8th century BCE2. They are also mentioned by Pliny the Elder (d. 79) and Ptolemy (d. 168), as well as in an inscription from the 2nd century found on a temple dedicated to Emperor Marcus Aurelius3. The tribe disappeared a few centuries before Islam for reasons that are not entirely known. Their disappearance was the subject of many legends in Arab folklore, to the point that “it is now difficult to say anything concrete about them”4. Several times, the Quran cites Thamoud as an example of peoples punished by Allah for rejecting His message. And (We sent) to Thamoud their brother Salih who said: “O my people, worship Allah. You have no deity other than Him […]. O my people, here is the she-camel of Allah as a sign to you. Leave her to graze on the land of Allah, and do not harm her, or a near punishment will seize you!” They killed her. Then he said to them, “Enjoy (your wealth) in your dwellings for three more days! This is a promise that will not be broken.” […] And the cry seized the wrongdoers. And they were struck down in their homes, as if they had never prospered there. Truly, Thamoud did not believe in their Lord. Curse be upon Thamoud! (11:61-68) According to the account, Thamoud were destroyed for killing the “she-camel of Allah”. We will see that the legend of the she-camel is inspired by pre-Islamic Arab folklore.

The Origins of the Legend

The legend of the she-camel likely originates from a quarrel between the sedentary Thamoud and the nomads who made a living from camel herding. There was probably a territorial conflict between the two groups resulting in the death of a nomadic she-camel. Such an act was considered abominable from the perspective of nomadic peoples, especially within Arab tradition, where the she-camel is regarded as an “animal totem”5. From this stems the mythic narrative linking the disappearance of Thamoud with the territorial conflict with the Bedouins. Before Islam, some Arab poets had already appropriated and adapted the story, incorporating a religious moral . In a recent article, Nicolai Sinai highlighted a text attributed to Umayya, a monotheistic poet contemporary of the Prophet6.

Poem attributed to Umayya

1. Like Thamoud, who mocked the religion arrogantly (v. 23)
2. Then came upon her [the she-camel] Ahmar, the cursed one, [fast] as an arrow, with a sharp sword (v. 25)
3. He cut her tendon and hock, and the sword reached the bone and broke it (v. 26)
4. Then they were destroyed (v. 30)