After the Aad, the Thamud were the best known of the ancient Arabian tribes, powerful people with a well-developed civilization. Nothing is known of Saleh’s AS life before prophethood was granted to him. However, like Nuh AS and Hud AS, Saleh AS began his mission by calling his people, the people of Thamud, to faith.
At the time of the Hijra (the migration from Mecca to Medina), the Prophet (Sal) and Abu Bakr (RA) were being chased across the desert. The Quraysh were pursuing them and had a bounty of 100 camels placed on the Prophet’s head. In one gathering around Mecca, a man came in and said he had seen two men walking through the desert and it was possible that they were Muhammad and Abu Bakr. Suraqa ibn Malik, one of the Bedouins in the gathering, deceptively denied that this could be the case, but secretly left the gathering and prepared his horse to pursue the two men. He wanted to gain the reward of 100 camels.
