The people of Thamud arrogantly rejected the message of Prophet Saleh, calling him bewitched, they asked for a sign. Another way that rejectors of truth historically use is to call their prophets, liars/soothsayer/bewitched or insane.

They replied, “You are simply bewitched!26:153

You are only a human being like us, so bring forth a sign if what you say is true.”26:154

According to some of the scholars of tafseer, what happened was: the people of Thamud got together in an assembly and Prophet Saleh called them to the way of Allah. They said to him that if he can turn a rock that was in front of them into a she-camel (female camel) with certain characteristics (such as exceptionally tall, 10 months pregnant etc). Saleh asked that if he did so, by the power of Allah, would they believe and follow the true path. They answered firmly, promising that they would do so.

Saleh got up, made a prayer to Allah asking Him to respond to his people's test. Allah then made a very tall and very beautiful and pregnant she camel to emerge from the rock.

The people of Thamud watched this miracle with their own eyes and were shocked, they realised this was a miracle and a sign of Allah's power. Some of them believed in the message as a result but most persisted in their disbelief and went against their covenant.

Allah commanded that the she-camel be kept alive, and graze and drink freely from the water source and their cattles grazing grounds. Whenever people ask for miracles, Allah the Exalted makes it trial for the people, and this was the case with the Thamud too. Soon they got fed up with the camel because of its huge size and being pregnant, it would consume a big chunk of their water supply and grass of their cattle. The hatred of them against prophet Saleh grew even more as a result of the camel and people accepting his message.

Ṣâliḥ said, “Here is a camel. She will have her turn to drink as you have yours, each on an appointed day.26:155

And do not ever touch her with harm, or you will be overtaken by the torment of a tremendous day.”26:156

˹It was revealed to Ṣâliḥ,˺ “They will soon know who the boastful liar is.54:26

We are sending the she-camel as a test for them. So watch them ˹closely˺, and have patience.54:27

And tell them that the ˹drinking˺ water must be divided between them ˹and her˺, each taking a turn to drink ˹every other day˺.”54:28

They became impatient and started to conspire. They got together and decided to hamstring the she-camel so it would fall and then they could (kill it by stabbing it).

Then they killed the she-camel—defying their Lord’s command—and challenged ˹Ṣâliḥ˺, “Bring us what you threaten us with, if you are ˹truly˺ one of the messengers.”7:77

The chief, Qidar bin Salif bin Junda, was in charge of this idea but his people were in agreement and so the action was regarded as the action of the whole community.

Ibn Jarir and others commented that there were two women, one called Saduq, the daughter of Mahya bin Zuhair bin Mukhtar who was wealthy and came from a nobel family. She divorced her husband because he became a believer. So she went to her cousin called Masra bin Muharraj bin Mahya saying that if he killed the she-camel he could marry her. Another woman, Unaizah bint Ghunaim bin Mijlaz, had four daughters. She said to Qidar bin Salif bin Junda, the chief, that if he was to kill the she-camel he could marry whomever he wanted. So, these two men agreed to kill the she-camel but wanted others to join them. So seven more volunteered themselves - making nine - Allah references these nine in Surah An-Naml.

And there were in the city nine ˹elite˺ men who spread corruption in the land, never doing what is right.27:48

But they roused a companion of theirs, so he dared to kill ˹her˺.54:29

Thamûd rejected ˹the truth˺ out of arrogance,91:11

when the most wicked of them was roused ˹to kill the she-camel˺.91:12

But the messenger of Allah warned them, “˹Do not disturb˺ Allah’s camel and her ˹turn to˺ drink!”91:13

Still they defied him and slaughtered her. So their Lord crushed them for their crime, levelling all to the ground.91:14

There are narrations of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ speaking of the crimes of the people of Thamud. One narration by Ammar bin Yasir said that the Prophet ﷺ said to Ali "Shall I not tell you about the most wretched people?" He said yes and the Prophet ﷺ said "Two men one of them is the man of Thamud who killed the she-camel and the one who hit you on your head until your beard get wet…"

The people of Thamud sinned by going against the command of Allah. They asked for the punishment to come to them quickly.

When Saleh told them of the punishment, they threatened to kill him with his family.

But they killed her, so he warned ˹them˺, “You have ˹only˺ three ˹more˺ days to enjoy life in your homes—this is an unfailing promise!”11:65

They vowed, “Let us swear by Allah that we will take him and his family down by night. Then we will certainly say to his ˹closest˺ heirs, ‘We did not witness the murder of his family. We are definitely telling the truth.’”27:49