( وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ مِن بَعْدِ عَادٍ) (And remember when He made you successors after the ‘Aad): The people of Thamud came after the people of ‘Aad.

( وَبَوَّأَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ ) (and settled you in the land): Allah (swt) settled them down in that land and made it their residence.

( تَتَّخِذُونَ مِن سُهُولِهَا قُصُورًا وَتَنْحِتُونَ الْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًا ) ([and] you take for yourselves palaces from its plains and carve from the mountains, homes): The had a marvelous and advanced architecture, for they used to carve rocks and built their houses within it. In winter time, they would go up to those houses and they also had palaces on the plains.

( فَاذْكُرُوا آلَاءَ اللَّهِ ) (Then remember the favors of Allah): he (PBUH) was reminding them of Allah’s (swt) blessings upon them.

( وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ ) (and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption): (To commit abuse) is to cause widespread corruption. He (PBUH) was telling them not to spread corruption on earth.