Tafsir of Hud 11:64

"And, O my people, this is the she-camel of Allah." The genitive construction (attributing the camel to Allah) is for the purpose of honor and to alert [them] to the fact that it is distinct from all other creatures that resemble it in form and creation.

"[A] sign for you." That is, a miracle indicating the truthfulness of my claim to prophethood. It is in the state of being a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for "the she-camel of Allah," and the operative factor is the meaning of the verb contained within the demonstrative pronoun. It is said: The meaning is "alerting." The apparent view is that it is a foundational circumstantial qualifier (hal mu'assisa), though it is permissible for it to be a confirmatory one (mu'akkida), as in the phrase: "This is your father, [being] affectionate," because the genitive construction indicates that it is a sign.

As for "for you" (lakum), as stated in al-Bahr and others, it is a circumstantial qualifier of the she-camel, placed before it because it is indefinite; had it been placed after, it would have been an adjective for it. This has been objected to on the grounds that no grammarian has allowed a circumstantial qualifier to be derived from a circumstantial qualifier, as the qualifier serves to explain the state of the agent or the object, and this qualifier is neither of those. It was answered that it is in the meaning of an object due to the demonstrative, as it is unified with the indicated object, which is an object in meaning—the artificiality of which is not hidden.

It is said: It is better to say that this circumstantial qualifier is an adjective in meaning, but they did not parse it as an adjective due to a convention agreed upon by grammarians preventing a subordinate from preceding its principal. Thus, the argument that the circumstantial qualifier explains "state" is specific to cases other than this one. This was objected to on the grounds that this and the like do not resolve the basis of the objection, as the objector denied that any grammarian held the view that a qualifier could be derived from a qualifier, and what was mentioned does not prove the existence of such a view—and this is clear. Yes, it may be said that the reliance of Abu Hayyan and al-Zamakhshari—both masters of Arabic—on this mode of parsing is sufficient for the purpose in the most complete way. Al-Zamakhshari, by "attachment" in his speech, intended semantic attachment, not grammatical, so there is no contradiction in it; furthermore, it is a debate that does no harm.

It is also said that "for you" is a circumstantial qualifier for "the she-camel," and "sign" is a circumstantial qualifier for the pronoun within it, making them nested. The meaning of the she-camel being "for" the addressees is that it is beneficial to them and specific to them, along with its benefits; thus, it is not an objection that there is no specificity of the she-camel’s essence to them, as the specific aspect is its being a sign for them. It is also said that "for you" is a circumstantial qualifier for the pronoun in "sign" because it [sign] carries the meaning of a derived noun. The most apparent view is that "for you" is an explanation of whom it is a "sign" for. It is also permissible for "she-camel" to be a substitute or a clarifying appositive for the demonstrative pronoun, with "for you" being its predicate, and "sign" being a circumstantial qualifier of the pronoun hidden within it.

"So leave her." That is, let her be.

"To eat in the land of Allah." That is, there shall be no cost upon you for her maintenance. The verb is jussive because it is the response to a command. It is also read in the nominative as a new sentence or as a circumstantial qualifier. The immediate meaning of "eating" is its literal sense, yet it is said that there is an ellipsis in the verse—meaning "to eat and drink." It is also permissible for it to be a metaphor for sustenance in general, and the context is evidence for that.

"And do not touch her with harm." That is, with anything, let alone by hampering or killing her. The prohibition here is on the same order as the prohibition in the Almighty's saying: "And do not approach the wealth of the orphan..." etc.

"Lest there seize you." Because of that.

"A near punishment." Urgent, not delayed beyond your touching her with harm, except for a little while—that is, three days—after which it shall befall you. It is said that by describing it as "near," He meant it would be in this world. Several commentators have leaned toward the first view, and the report was based on revelation from Allah the Almighty.