Tafseer of The Poets · Ash-Shu'araa · 26:154
You are but a man like ourselves, so bring a sign, if you should be of the truthful."
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.
Allah, exalted in His remembrance, says, narrating what Thamūd said to their prophet Sāliḥ: You are, O Sāliḥ, only a human being like us from the descendants of Ādam — you eat what we eat and drink what we drink, you are neither a Lord nor an angel, so why should we follow you? If you are truthful in what you say, and that Allah has sent you to us, then bring us a sign — that is to say: a proof and indication that you are right in what you say — if you are indeed among those whom we claim Allah has sent to us.
Aḥmad ibn ʿAmr al-Baṣrī related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿĀṣim al-Kilābī related to us, saying: Dāwūd ibn Abī al-Furāt related to us, saying: ʿAlbāʾ ibn Aḥmar related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: that the prophet Sāliḥ, peace be upon him, was sent by Allah to his people, and they believed in him and followed him, but Sāliḥ died; then they turned back from Islām, after which Sāliḥ came to them and said to them: I am Sāliḥ. They said: If you are truthful, then bring us a sign. So he brought them the she-camel, but they cast him off as a liar and hamstrung her legs, whereupon Allah punished them.
