The fate of Aad and the Thamud, the tribes that faced ruinfor transgression of divine norms should be an eye opener for nations aroundthe world for all times to come. The fate of Aad and the Thamud is diligentlylaid down in Quranic Ayahs:
”As for Aad, they turned arrogant on earth, and opposedjustice, and said, who is more powerful than us? Have they not considered thatGod, who created them, is more powerful than they? And they went on denying ourrevelations” (41:15)
The way the Aad behaved, their marked arrogance is not apeculiar phenomenon, down the ages such an arrogant attitude has struck thelikes of Pharos. Earlier than the era of Pharos, Nimrod showed similarbehavior, as Syedena Ibrahim (A.S) the patriarch of the Prophets of the Book(Ahl-e-Kitab) came with the divine message. Nimrod had arrogated to himself thetemporal and the spiritual powers, much like Pharos of later age. Thus, whatthe Aad did was not unique, and what they faced for their transgression ofdivine norms was not unique either:
”So We unleashed upon them a screaming wind for a fewmiserable days, to make them taste the punishment of shame in this life; butthe punishment of Hereafter is more shameful; and they will not be saved” (41:16)
Nor was the fate of Thamud different, as they faced adifferent form of punishment—different though as striking, as what struck theAad:
”And as for Thamud We guided them, but they preferredblindness to guidance. So the thunderbolt of humiliating punishment seizedthem, because of what they used to earn” (41:17)
Thamud indeed earned the fate that befell them, in grossviolation of the guidance provided; the greed of the worldly gains blindedthem. There is however a Divine provision of safety for those who abide by theDivine Norms:
”And We saved those who believed and were righteous”(41:18)