Al-Qur'an Surah Al-A'raf Verse 73

Mufti Taqi Usmani

To Thamūd, (We sent) their brother, SāliH. He said, “O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. There has come to you a clear sign from your Lord. This is the she-camel of Allah, a sign for you. So, leave her to eat on the earth of Allah, and do not touch her with mischief, lest a painful punishment should seize you.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And to the people of Thamûd We sent their brother Ṣâliḥ. He said, “O my people! Worship Allah—you have no other god except Him. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord: this is Allah’s she-camel as a sign to you. So leave her to graze ˹freely˺ on Allah’s land and do not harm her, or else you will be overcome by a painful punishment.

Ruwwad Translation Center

And to the people of Thamūd [We sent] their brother, Sālih. He said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him. There has come to you a clear proof from your Lord: this is a she-camel of Allah, as a sign to you. So leave her to graze in Allah’s land, and do not harm her in any way, or else a painful punishment will seize you.

A. J. Arberry

And to Thamood their brother Salih; he said, 'O my people, serve God! You have no god other than He; there has now come to you a clear sign from your Lord -- this is the She-camel of God, to be a sign for you. Leave her that she may eat in God's earth, and do not touch her with evil, lest you be seized by a painful chastisement.

Abdul Haleem

To the people of Thamud We sent their brother, Salih. He said, ‘My people, serve God: you have no god other than Him. A clear sign has come to you now from your Lord: this is God’s she-camel- a sign for you- so let her graze in God’s land and do not harm her in any way, or you will be struck by a painful torment.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And unto Thamud We sent their brother, Salih He said: my people! worship Allah, no god ye have but He; surely there hath come unto you an evidence from your Lord. Yonder is the she-camel of Allah: a sign unto you; so leave her alone, pasturing on Allah's earth, and touch her not with evil, lest there seize you a torment afflictive.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren; He said; "O my people! worship Allah; ye have no other god but Him. Now hath come unto you a clear (Sign) from your Lord! This she-camel of Allah is a Sign unto you; So leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and let her come to no harm, or ye shall be seized with a grievous punishment.

Abul Ala Maududi

And to Thamud We sent forth their brother. Salih. He said to them: 'O my people! Serve Allah, you have no other god than Him. Truly there has come to you a clear proof from your Lord. This she-camel from Allah is a Divine portent for you. So leave her alone to pasture on Allah's earth, and touch her with no evil lest a painful chastisement should seize you.

Ahmed Ali

We sent to Thamud their brother Saleh. "O you people," said he, "worship God, for you have no other god but He. Clear proof has come to you already from your Lord, and this she-camel of God is the token for you. Leave her free to graze upon God's earth, and do not molest her lest a grievous punishment should befall you.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And We sent Saleh to the tribe of Thamud, from their own community; he said, “O my people! Worship Allah – you do not have any God except Him; indeed a clear proof has come to you from your Lord; this is Allah’s she-camel – a sign for you – so leave her free to feed in Allah’s earth, and do not touch her with evil intentions for a painful punishment will seize you.”

Ali Quli Qarai

And to [the people of] Thamud [We sent] Salih, their brother. He said, ‘O my people, worship Allah! You have no other god besides Him. There has certainly come to you a manifest proof from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign for you. Let her alone to graze [freely] in Allah’s land, and do not cause her any harm, for then you shall be seized by a painful punishment.

Ali Ünal

And to (the people of) Thamud (We sent) their brother Salih. He said (conveying the same message): "O my people! Worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him. Assuredly a manifest proof has come to you from your Lord: this is a she-camel from God as a sign for you (of the truth of my Messengership). So leave her to pasture on God’s earth, and touch her with no harm lest a painful punishment should seize you.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And to Thamûd (We sent) their brother Sâlih. He said, `O my people! worship Allâh, you have no other god than Him. A clear proof has already come to you from your Lord. Here is a she-camel (let loose for the cause) of Allâh, a sign for you. Let her alone to pasture in Allâh´s land and do her no harm or a woeful punishment shall overtake you.

English Literal

And to Thamud/a pre-Islamic Arab tribe that could have been in Hegaz, (We sent) their brother Saleh, he said: "My nation, worship God, (there) is no God for you from other than Him, an evidence had come to you from your Lord, this (is) God`s female camel for you (as) a sign/evidence , so leave it eat in God`s ground/earth/land, and do not touch it with evil/harm , so (then a) painful torture takes/punishes you."

Faridul Haque

And We sent Saleh to the tribe of Thamud, from their own community; he said, "O my people! Worship Allah - you do not have any God except Him; indeed a clear proof has come to you from your Lord; this is Allah’s she-camel - a sign for you - so leave her free to feed in Allah’s earth, and do not touch her with evil intentions for a painful punishment will seize you."

Hamid S. Aziz

Unto the people of Thamud We sent Salih, one of their own brethren. He said, "O my people! Serve (or worship) Allah; you have no God but Him. There has come to you a manifest Sign from your Lord. This is Allah´s she-camel, a sign (or test) unto you; so leave her to feed in Allah´s land, and touch her not with evil, or there will overtake you grievous woe.

Hilali & Khan

And to Thamud (people, We sent) their brother Salih (Saleh). He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. (La ilaha ill-Allah: none has the right to be worshipped but Allah). Indeed there has come to you a clear sign (the miracle of the coming out of a huge she-camel from the midst of a rock) from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign unto you; so you leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and touch her not with harm, lest a painful torment should seize you.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

So We delivered him and those with him by mercy from Us, and We cut off the roots of those who rejected Our messages and were not believers.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And to Samood (We sent) their brother Salih. He said: O my people! serve Allah, you have no god other than Him; clear proof indeed has come to you from your Lord; this is (as) Allah's she-camel for you-- a sign, therefore leave her alone to pasture on Allah's earth, and do not touch her with any harm, otherwise painful chastisement will overtake you.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And to (the tribe of) Thamud (We sent) their brother Salih. He said: O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no other Allah save Him. A wonder from your Lord hath come unto you. Lo! this is the camel of Allah, a token unto you; so let her feed in Allah's earth, and touch her not with hurt lest painful torment seize you.

Muhammad Sarwar

We sent Salih to his brethren, the tribe of Thamud, who told them, "Worship God your only Lord. Authoritative evidence has come to you from your Lord and this she-camel is the evidence for you from God. Let her graze in the land of God. Do not give her any trouble lest a painful torment will strike you.

Qaribullah & Darwish

And to Thamood We sent their brother Salih. He said: 'Worship Allah, my nation, for you have no god except He. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. Here is the shecamel of Allah, a sign for you. Leave her to graze in the earth of Allah and do not touch her with evil, lest a painful punishment seizes you.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And to Thamud (people, We sent) their brother Salih. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him. Indeed there has come to you a clear sign from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign unto you; so you leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and touch her not with harm, lest a painful torment should seize you.

Wahiduddin Khan

To the Thamud We sent their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship God; you have no other god but Him. A veritable proof has come to you from your Lord: this is God's she-camel, a sign for you, so let her feed in God's land and do not harm her in any way, or you will be overwhelmed by a painful punishment.

Talal Itani

And to Thamood, their brother Saleh. He said, “O my people! Worship God; you have no god other than Him. Clarification has come to you from your Lord. This she-camel of God is a sign for you. So leave her to graze on God’s earth, and do her no harm, lest a painful penalty seizes you.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And, We sent, to Thamd (Thamda, read without declining [the noun], as denoting the tribe [of Thamd] itself) their brother Slih. He said, `O my people, worship God! You have no god other than Him. Truly there has come to you a clear proof, an illustration, from your Lord, of my truthfulness, this is the she-camel of God, a sign for you (lakum yatan is a circumstantial qualifier operated by the import of the demonstrative noun [hdhihi, `this']), they had asked him to make it come out of a [specific] rock which they had designated. So leave her to feed throughout God's earth, and do not touch her with harm, either by hamstringing or beating her, lest you be seized by a painful chastisement.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Thamud;Their Land and Their Lineage

Scholars of Tafsir and genealogy say that (the tribe of Thamud descended from) Thamud bin Athir bin Iram bin Sam bin Nuh, and he is brother of Jadis son of Athir, similarly the tribe of Tasm, and they were from the ancient Arabs, Al-Aribah, before the time of Ibrahim, Thamud came after `Ad. They dwelled between the area of the Hijaz (Western Arabia) and Ash-Sham (Greater Syria).

The Messenger of Allah passed by the area and ruins of Thamud when he went to Tabuk (in northern Arabia) during the ninth year of Hijrah.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn Umar said,

"When the Messenger of Allah went to the area of Al-Hijr in Tabuk with the people, he camped near the homes of Thamud, in Al-Hijr and the people brought water from the wells that Thamud used before. They used that water to make dough and placed the pots (on fire) for cooking. However, the Prophet commanded them to spill the contents of the pots and to give the dough to their camels. He then marched forth with them from that area to another area, near the well that the camel (as will follow) used to drink from. He forbade the Companions from entering the area where people were tormented, saying,

إِنِّي أَخْشَى أَنْ يُصِيبَكُمْ مِثْلُ مَا أَصَابَهُمْ فَلَ تَدْخُلُوا عَلَيْهِم

I fear that what befell them might befall you as well. Therefore, do not enter on them."

Ahmad narrated that Abdullah bin Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said while in the Hijr area,

لَاا تَدْخُلُوا عَلَى هوُلَااءِ الْمُعَذَّبِينَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَكُونُوا بَاكِينَ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُونُوا بَاكِينَ فَلَا تَدْخُلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يُصِيبَكُمْ مِثْلَ مَا أَصَابَهُم

Do not enter on these who were tormented, unless you do so while crying. If you are not crying, then do not enter on them, so that what befell them does not befall you, as well.

The basis of this Hadith is mentioned in Two Sahihs.
The Story of Prophet Salih and Thamud

Allah said,

وَإِلَى ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا

And to Thamud (people, We sent) their brother Salih.

meaning, to the tribe of Thamud, We sent their brother Salih,

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرُهُ

He said;"O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him."

All Allah's Messengers called to the worship of Allah alone without partners.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِى إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنَاْ فَاعْبُدُونِ

And We did not send any Messenger before you but We revealed to him (saying);"None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me." (21;25)

and,

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ

And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming);"Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid Taghut (all false deities)." (16;36)
Thamud asked that a Camel appear from a Stone, and it did

Prophet Salih said,

قَدْ جَاءتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ هَـذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللّهِ لَكُمْ ايَةً

"Indeed there has come to you a clear sign from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign unto you;"

meaning, a miracle has come to you from Allah testifying to the truth of what I came to you with.

Salih's people asked him to produce a miracle and suggested a certain solid rock that they chose, which stood lonely in the area of Hijr, and which was called Al-Katibah. They asked him to bring a pregnant camel out of that stone.

Salih took their covenant and promises that if Allah answers their challenge, they would believe and follow him. When they gave him their oaths and promises to that, Salih started praying and invoked Allah (to produce that miracle). All of a sudden, the stone moved and broke apart, producing a she-camel with thick wool. It was pregnant and its fetus was visibly moving in its belly, exactly as Salih's people asked. This is when their chief, Jundu bin `Amr, and several who followed him believed.

The rest of the noblemen of Thamud wanted to believe as well, but Dhu'ab bin `Amr bin Labid, Al-Habbab, who tended their idols, and Rabbab bin Sum`ar bin Jilhis stopped them.

One of the cousins of Jundu bin `Amr, whose name was Shihab bin Khalifah bin Mikhlat bin Labid bin Jawwas, was one of the leaders of Thamud, and he also wanted to accept the message. However, the chiefs whom we mentioned prevented him, and he conceded to their promptings.

The camel remained in Thamud, as well as, its offspring after she delivered it before them. The camel used to drink from its well on one day and leave the well for Thamud the next day. They also used to drink its milk, for on the days she drank water, they used to milk her and fill their containers from its milk.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وَنَبِّيْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمَأءَ قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ كُلُّ شِرْبٍ مُّحْتَضَرٌ

And inform them that the water is to be shared between (her and) them, each one's right to drink being established (by turns). (54;28)

and,

هَـذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَّهَا شِرْبٌ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

Here is a she-camel;it has a right to drink (water), and you have a right to drink (water) (each) on a day, known. (26;155)

The camel used to graze in some of their valleys, going through a pass and coming out through another pass. She did that so as to be able to move easily, because she used to drink a lot of water. She was a tremendous animal that had a strikingly beautiful appearance. When she used to pass by their cattle, the cattle would be afraid of her.

When this matter continued for a long time and Thamud's rejection of Salih became intense, they intended to kill her so that they could take the water for themselves every day. It was said that all of them (the disbelievers of Thamud) conspired to kill the camel.

Qatadah said that he was told that,

"The designated killer of the camel approached them all, including women in their rooms and children, and found out that all of them agreed to kill her." This fact is apparent from the wording of the Ayat,

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا

Then they denied him and they killed it. So their Lord destroyed them because of their sin, and made them equal in destruction! (91;14)

and,

وَءَاتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ النَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً فَظَلَمُواْ بِهَا

And We sent the she-camel to Thamud as a clear sign, but they did her wrong. (17;59)

فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوَءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ



so you leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and touch her not with harm, lest a painful torment should seize you.

وَاذْكُرُواْ إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاء مِن بَعْدِ عَادٍ وَبَوَّأَكُمْ فِي الَارْضِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِن سُهُولِهَا قُصُورًا وَتَنْحِتُونَ الْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًا فَاذْكُرُواْ الاء اللّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الَارْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ