Click here to get the printable document.After the people of Aad, Allah (S.W.T) chose the tribe of Thamud, who were the children of Aad.
Allah (S.W.T) showered them with lots and lots of blessings: lush green gardens and fresh, sweet springs of water in valleys surrounded by mountains. They were also experts at making houses, and were better than Aad. Anyone looking at the houses built sturdily inside the mountains would stare in wonder and delight, marvelling at the skill of these people.
As years passed, the people of Thamud began to forget the things told to their fathers by the Prophet Nuh (A.S) and the Prophet Hud (A.S). Instead of thanking their Lord for all their blessings, the began to take pride in their skill, forgetting that it was given to them by Allah (S.W.T). Foolishly, they began to think that there was nobody in the world equal to them.
Time dragged on and so did the bad qualities that had developed in the people of Thamud. Instead of worshipping only Allah (S.W.T) like they should have, they started worshipping idols. They used the same hands used for building strong houses to build statues. Then they bowed down to them, and left the worship of Allah (S.W.T) in favor of the idols.
But you know what?
Despite all the bad qualities in the nation of Thamud, Allah (S.W.T) still wanted to give them a chance. To bring them back to the right path, He sent a man to convey his message from among the nation, whose name was Saleh (A.S). He was an intelligent and good-hearted person since his childhood, and whoever met him would marvel at his good manners. In fact, so much so, that they used to tell his father, “Your son will be very grand when he is older, and will bring you money and respect.”
And indeed, Allah (S.W.T) did grant Saleh (A.S) respect, not through money, but through prophethood, and what is a more honorable thing then to be the messenger of Allah (S.W.T)?
So when Allah (S.W.T) sent him as a prophet, He told Saleh (A.S) to worship Him, and Him alone. Saleh (A.S) began telling the people of Thamud about the Day of Judgement, and began warning them about standing in front of Allah to answer for their own deeds. In return, the people of Thamud did exactly what the people of Nuh (A.S) and Hud (A.S) did.
They said, “O Saleh, do you come to tell us about getting up again after death? That is a complete lie. We shall rot away in mud after we die, and will never be alive again.”
The Chief of the tribe mocked, “ What kind of a messenger are you? You don’t even have as much money as we do, and are just a normal human being; someone who eats, drinks, and walks about in the marketplace.”
Remember the people that were expecting Saleh (A.S) to become someone great? Now, they said in a disappointed manner, “ O Saleh, what a good boy you were! We thought that when you grew you would get anything you wanted. But what’s this? You could have brought money, fame or more respect to your family and relatives. Alas! You have fulfilled none of these dreams.”
Prophet Saleh (A.S) was very sorry to see the lack of thought in his people. They only cared about money, fame, and honor. But although they refused to listen to him, he continued giving them advice. He told them that he never lied, and that he was telling the truth.
Getting tired of his preaching, they announced, “Alright, O Saleh, we shall only believe that you are a prophet from Allah if you bring us a miracle.”
Psst! Do you know what a miracle is? It is an event that is not normally seen in everyday life. Because we cannot explain it using science, we say that it must be from God. These type of abilities are only given to prophets, by Allah (S.W.T).
So, back to our story.
The people told their prophet, “We are asking you to bring a she-camel out of that mountain, and that she gives birth to a baby camel as soon as it comes out, too.” They were certain that Saleh (AS) would never be able to do such a thing, and would be embarrassed at his failure.
The prophet raised his hands and asked Allah (S.W.T) for the miracle. Suddenly, the big hill at the side cracked open, and the camel and her baby came out. The Thamud were shocked and rather scared. (Though they would never admit that, of course.)
They all listened silently as he said, “This is a sign from your Lord to you, and you asked for it. You are forbidden to harm the camel or her baby. She will drink water from the well one day, and you the other. If you do not follow these instructions, it will result in a terrible punishment that I will not be able to save you from.”
No matter how big the miracle, they did not want to obey Allah (S.W.T) or his messenger. But they were scared, so for some days, the people of Thamud obeyed the prophet’s commands.
Then they started getting frustrated by the fact that the camel took the water and and food for a whole day. They said, “How do we get rid of her?” They completely forgot that the camel was sent by their request.
They finally agreed to kill the camel. Saleh (A.S) was afraid that this would happen, and he was very sorry that they did not listen to his warnings. He said, “Stay in your houses for three days and enjoy however you want to. Allah (S.W.T)’s punishment will come, no doubt about it.”
He then left the village with a few people who believed in him, and from then, the punishments began. On the first day their faces turned yellow, on the second day they were red, and as soon as the third day finished, a horrific earthquake shook the city and left nothing behind. Not the people, not the animals, nothing… The city was empty, and everything was destroyed.
And Allah (S.W.T) threw them in destruction just like the people of Aad, because the people who disobey him and do not follow his rules always have the same result, and Allah has left signs of the punishment for us to learn from till this day.
Nujoom Al Asar 
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