Aslam

The people of Thamud carved magnificent homes from the mountainside — rock-cut dwellings that can still be seen in the region of Al-Hijr in modern Saudi Arabia. They were skilled and powerful, but they rejected Allah. The prophet Salih was sent to them.

As a sign, Allah brought forth a she-camel from a rock. Salih told his people: "This is the she-camel of Allah — a sign for you. So let her eat within Allah's earth and do not touch her with harm, or you will be taken by a painful punishment." He told them to share the water — one day for the camel, one day for them.

But they hamstrung the camel and killed it defiantly. Salih warned them: "Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. That is a promise not to be denied." On the third day, a thunderous blast seized them. They lay fallen in their homes, as if they had never prospered there.