﴿ فَأَعْرَضُوا۟ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ ٱلْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَٰهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَىْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍۢ وَأَثْلٍۢ وَشَىْءٍۢ مِّن سِدْرٍۢ قَلِيلٍۢ ﴾

“But they turned away [from Us], and so We let loose upon them a flood that overwhelmed the dams, and changed their two [expanses of luxuriant] gardens into a couple of gardens yielding bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few [wild] lote-trees:”

(But they were froward) they turned away from faith and acceptance of the messengers and failed to give thanks, (so We sent on them the flood of 'Iram) the flood of a river which destroyed their gardens, houses and all their bounties. 'Iram was the name of a river in Yemen within which they built a dam. This dam had three superimposed openings, Allah destroyed the dam and destroyed them by means of its water, (and in exchange for their two gardens) which were destroyed (gave them two gardens bearing bitter fruit, the tamarisk and here and there a lote tree.