Tafseer of Hud · Hud · 11:64
And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allah - [she is] to you a sign. So let her feed upon Allah 's earth and do not touch her with harm, or you will be taken by an impending punishment."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of Allah the Exalted: وَيَا قَوْمِ هَذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ وَلا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ قَرِيبٌ (64) (And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allah, a sign for you. So let her eat upon Allah's earth and do her no harm, lest an imminent punishment seize you.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah the Exalted here relates what Ṣāliḥ said to his people of Thamūd, after they had said: وَإِنَّنَا لَفِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ and had asked him for a sign concerning that to which he was inviting them. يَا قَوْمِ هَذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً — that is to say: a proof, a token, and an indication of the correctness of that to which I am inviting you. فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ — her provision then does not rest upon you, nor her sustenance. وَلا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ — that is to say: do not kill her and do not hamstring her. فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ قَرِيبٌ — that is to say: if you do her any harm, a punishment (ʿadhāb) from Allah will seize you that is not far off, and which will destroy you.
