The story of the punishment that destroyed the people of Ashabul Aikah and the people of Madyan in the form of a thunderous roaring sound, after they kept denying and mocking the preaching of the Prophet Shu'aib.
The Punishment That Destroyed the People of Madyan and Ashabul Aikah
After all of the Prophet Shu'aib's efforts to call them back met with no result, he sought Allah's help.
"O Allah, open the doors of their hearts so that they will follow my teaching," prayed the Prophet Shu'aib.
The Prophet Shu'aib was convinced that one day the people of Madyan and the people of Ashabul Aikah would be willing to accept his teaching. Setting out from that conviction, he kept up his preaching without the slightest despair. As usual, he always received abuse and insults from the people of Ashabul Aikah.
"O my brothers, if you refuse to worship Allah and stop all your sinful deeds, Allah will certainly send down His punishment," said the Prophet Shu'aib to the people of Ashabul Aikah.
That people no longer heeded the Prophet Shu'aib's call. Upon hearing those words, they instead wanted proof of it.
The Punishment of the People of Madyan and Ashabul Aikah
...Until finally the Prophet Shu'aib, peace be upon him, prayed to his Lord, "Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth (justly), and You are the best of those who give decision." (QS. Al-A'raaf: 89)
"Wait for a few days. You will surely feel it," said the Prophet Shu'aib. He then packed up and invited all his followers to leave that settlement. They headed toward the settlement of the people of Madyan.
After the Prophet Shu'aib and his followers had departed, suddenly a cloud in the sky rolled slowly. Not long after, it shaded the people of Ashabul Aikah. That cloud produced hot air. As a result, the people complained of the heat.
They looked for shelter again and sought wind that could relieve their discomfort. Suddenly a thunderclap struck them. Truly Allah's promise is true. That day was a torment for the people of Ashabul Aikah who had denied His prophet.
Fortunately the Prophet Shu'aib and his followers had already left that territory, so they were saved from that punishment. After arriving in the territory of Madyan, the Prophet Shu'aib preached again. Yet that people still held to their old stance.
The Punishment of the People of Madyan and Ashabul Aikah
"O my people, do you not know that the people who inhabited the territory of Ashabul Aikah suffered a punishment," said the Prophet Shu'aib, giving the example of the people of Ashabul Aikah.
"O Shu'aib, that disaster is only natural. It did not come from you nor from your Lord, but from nature," they shouted, mocking the Prophet Shu'aib.
"If you refuse to accept my teaching and are unwilling to abandon sinful deeds, Allah will certainly send down a punishment upon you as well," said the Prophet Shu'aib, warning them.
"If it is indeed truly a punishment from your Lord, we want to feel it too," they said arrogantly.
But his people mocked the punishment he threatened them with, and even asked for the punishment to be hastened. Their leaders also said to the others,
The prominent disbelievers among Shu'aib's people said to one another, "If you follow Shu'aib, you will surely be the losers." (QS. Al-A'raaf: 90)
Because all his advice never received the slightest response from the people of Madyan, the Prophet Shu'aib and his followers finally left the territory of Madyan.
So Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, commanded the Prophet Shu'aib, peace be upon him, to leave the city together with the believers because a punishment would come down upon his people; then Allah sent them extremely hot weather that made the plants wither, the wells dry up, and the animals' milk run dry, so the people went out seeking coolness, then they found a black cloud which they had previously thought was rain and mercy, so they gathered beneath it, and then Allah's punishment came down. That punishment was in the form of thunder. Just a single strike, and not one of the people of Madyan remained. That was the requital for denying a prophet who had shown the path of truth. Then they were struck with a burning spark and a raging fire that burned them all, the earth shook, and they were struck by a thunderous sound that took their lives, so that they became corpses lying dead scattered about.
The Punishment of the People of Madyan and Ashabul Aikah
He also struck them with a thunderous sound as requital for their mockery of their Prophet (QS. Hud: 87).
Then they were seized by an earthquake, and their corpses lay lifeless in their homes. (QS. Al-A'raaf: 91).
And thus they had denied Shu'aib as was their habit. Then they were seized by a punishment on a day shrouded in smoke. That was the punishment of a truly dreadful day. (QS. Ash-Shu'ara: 189).
Allah saved the Prophet Shu'aib, peace be upon him, and the believers with him. He said,
"And when Our punishment came, We saved Shu'aib and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us, and the wrongdoers were destroyed by a single thunderous blast, so that they lay dead in their homes. As if they had never lived there. Indeed, destruction was for the people of Madyan, just as the people of Thamud were destroyed." (QS. Hud: 94-95).
The Prophet Shu'aib and his believing followers were spared from Allah's punishment because Allah had already commanded them to migrate beforehand. Such is the story of the Prophet Shu'aib who struggled to uphold the teaching of truth.
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