Tafseer of The Poets · Ash-Shu'araa · 26:155
He said, "This is a she-camel. For her is a [time of] drink, and for you is a [time of] drink, [each] on a known day.
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.
His statement: قَالَ هَذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَهَا شِرْبٌ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَعْلُومٍ — Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: Sāliḥ said to Thamūd, after they had asked him for a sign by which they would know his truthfulness, and he brought them a she-camel which he had brought forth out of a rock or a high rock-face: This is a she-camel, O people — she has a turn of drinking, and you likewise have a turn of drinking on another, appointed day. What is due to you of the drinking-turn, it is not permitted to you on the day she drinks to take anything of her drinking-turn, nor is it permitted to her on your day to drink anything of what is due to you. By al-shirb is meant: the share and portion of the water. He says: she has a share of the water, and you have an equal share. Al-shurb, al-sharb, and al-shirb are all three verbal nouns from the root verb, with u, a, and i respectively as the vowel.
It has been heard as a report from the Arabs: the last of them drinks the least — shirban or shirban.
