Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:79
And he turned away from them and said, "O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you, but you do not like advisors."
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 His statement: فَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّي وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ وَلَكِنْ لا تُحِبُّونَ النَّاصِحِينَ (79) ("So he turned away from them and said: O my people, I have indeed conveyed to you the message of my Lord and given you sincere counsel, but you do not love the sincere counselors") (7:79).
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: So Ṣāliḥ turned his back on them when they sought to hasten the punishment against him and slew the she-camel of Allah, and he departed from their land, away from their midst, because Allah — exalted is His remembrance — had revealed to him: Verily, I shall destroy them after three days.
And it has been said: a community has never been destroyed while its prophet was still in their midst.
Thus Allah, whose praise is great, informed about the departure of Ṣāliḥ from the midst of his people, who had grown insolent against their Lord, when Allah willed that His punishment should descend upon them. He said: (so he turned away from them), namely Ṣāliḥ. And he said to his people Thamūd: (I have indeed conveyed to you the message of my Lord), and I have transmitted to you what my Lord commanded me to transmit to you of His command and prohibition, (and given you sincere counsel) in my conveying of the message of Allah to you, by warning you against His retribution if you were to persist in your disbelief in Him and in your worship of the idols. (but you do not love the sincere counselors) who counsel you for the sake of Allah, who forbid you to follow your desires, and who restrain you from the lusts of your soul.
