45 Preface وَلَقَد أَرسَلنا إِلىٰ ثَمودَ أَخاهُم صالِحًا أَنِ اعبُدُوا اللَّهَ فَإِذا هُم فَريقانِ يَختَصِمونَYusuf AliWe sent (aforetime), to the Thamūd, their brother1 Ṣālih, saying, “Serve God.: But behold, they became two factions quarrelling with each other.The main story of Thamūd, who were broken into two factions, the rich oppressing the poor and keeping them out of the good things of life and the test case of the She-camel, will be found in 26:141-159 and the notes thereon. The point here is the secret plot of the nine men against the Prophet of God, whose teaching, they thought, brought them ill-luck; but what they called ill-luck was the just punishment from God for their own ill-deeds. Their plot was foiled, and the whole community, which was involved in evil, was destroyed. (R).