Thamud

 “This is not the first incident,” said one member. “Animals have been dying before and these helpless fools could not do anything.”

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“Now the situation has changed, thanks to Saleh,” said another. “He is helping them. He says he is the messenger of God. Everyone must obey God’s laws because God is the only sovereign authority. Saleh, we were expecting something exceptional from him in our favor because he belongs to our class. Now you are saying that he is helping the other party.”

“Not only helping them; he is their leader,” said another member. “He is giving voice to their grievances.”

 “Have you tried to find out the views of his followers? What is their opinion about him?” asked another member of the conference.

“Yes, I did. I asked them a simple question: Do you think Saleh is a messenger of God? We have made them so weak that I was expecting a negative answer. However, Saleh has given them so much confidence that in my presence, without showing any regard for me, they said, ‘Saleh is a messenger of God. We believe in him and in his message.’”

“Oh these people have become so bold, they are telling us what they know we don’t believe in,” said one member.

“Let us schedule another meeting to reckon this issue for good.” They all agreed to this proposal and the meeting was adjourned.