Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:73

"And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih" is a conjunctive clause following the previously mentioned verse: "And to 'Ad [We sent] their brother..." It conforms to it by placing the prepositional phrase before the direct object. Thamud was an Arab tribe whose dwellings were in al-Hijr, located between the Hijaz and the Levant, extending toward Wadi al-Qura. They were named after their great ancestor, Thamud ibn 'Amir ibn Iram ibn Sam ibn Nuh. It has also been said [that he was the son of] 'Ad ibn 'Aws ibn Iram, and so on; this is what is narrated from al-Tha'labi.

'Amr ibn al-'Ala' said: They were only named as such due to the scarcity of their water, derived from thamada al-ma'u (the water diminished/receded), as al-thamad is little water. Both declinability (sarf) and indeclinability are reported regarding it. The former [declinability] is based on the [tribal] clan, or because since it was originally a name for an ancestor or for "little water," it was declinable as a proper masculine noun or a generic noun; thus, after the transfer of the name, its original state was maintained. The latter [indeclinability] is based on it being the name of a tribe, thus containing the properties of a proper noun and femininity.

Salih (peace be upon him) was of Thamud, so the "brotherhood" is one of lineage. According to Muhyi al-Sunnah al-Baghawi, he is Salih ibn 'Ubayd ibn Asif ibn Mashah ibn 'Ubayd ibn Hadir ibn Thamud. He was a brother to the tribes of Jadis and Tasm, as is said. Wahb said: He is the son of 'Ubayd ibn Jabir ibn Thamud ibn Jabir ibn Sam ibn Nuh. He was sent to his people when he approached puberty. He was a man with a complexion between reddish and white, with straight hair. He remained among them for forty years. Al-Shami said: He was sent as a young man and called his people until his hair turned gray and he grew old. Al-Nawawi reported that he stayed among them for twenty years and died in Mecca at the age of fifty-eight.

"He said, 'O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him.'" The discourse on its counterparts has already passed.

"There has come to you a clear evidence"—meaning a sign and a miracle of manifest indication testifying to my prophethood. It is among the expressions that function like al-abtah and al-abraq in dispensing with the mention of the modified noun in both singular and plural forms. The tanwin [in bayyinatun] is for aggrandizement, meaning a great evidence.

"From your Lord" is attached to a suppressed [word] that acts as an adjective for bayyina (evidence), as has passed more than once, or it attaches to "has come to you." The min (from) denotes the beginning of the limit metaphorically or partitivity if one estimates "from the evidences of your Lord." The intent of this bayyina is the She-Camel. There is no trace in this speech of his—when he first addressed them—of an invitation to monotheism [in this specific passage], but rather he said it after he had advised them and reminded them of the blessings of Allah, yet they did not accept his words and denied him, as is informed by what is in Surah Hud.

"This is the She-Camel of Allah [as] a sign for you." This is a grammatical initiation introduced to explain the evidence and the miracle. It is also permissible to consider it an explanatory initiation as an answer to an estimated question, the estimation being: "What is it?" Under either estimation, the clause holds no place in inflection. It is also permitted that it is a substitution for bayyina—a substitution of a clause for a single word—for the sake of clarification, though its remoteness [from common usage] is not hidden. Attributing the She-Camel to the Majestic Name is to honor her, as one says "House of Allah" for the mosque, although the attribution there is for the slightest association, which is not the case here. Or [it is attributed to Allah] because she was not born through normal procreation and accustomed causes, as will become clear to you, Allah willing; for this reason, she was a sign, and what a sign! It is said [she is attributed to Allah] because no one possesses her but Him, Glory be to Him. It is also said: Because she was the proof of Allah against the people of Salih.

The accusative case of ayah (sign) is as a state (hal) from "She-Camel," and the acting agent in it is the meaning of the [demonstrative] reference; the grammarians call this the "notional agent." Lakum (for you) is an explanation of for whom she is a sign, as has been said to you; it attaches to an estimated [predicate]. It is also permitted that "She-Camel" is a substitution for "this," or an explanatory conjunctive to it, or a second nominative, and lakum as the predicate; in that case, ayah is a state from the pronoun hidden within it, and the agent is it [the demonstrative] or what relates to it.

"So leave her to eat in the land of Allah" is a deduction based on her being a sign from the signs of Allah. It is said [it is a deduction] based on her being a She-Camel belonging to Him, Glory be to Him, for that necessitates not causing her harm. Meaning: Leave her to eat in the land of Allah; [the object of eating] is omitted because it is known. The verb is jussive because it is the response to the imperative. Abu Ja'far read in one transmission [the word ta'kul] with a nominative vowel (damma); thus, the clause is a state, meaning "as one eating." The prepositional phrase attaches to what is with Him, or to the preceding imperative, so the two are in contention. The land was attributed to Allah, Glory be to Him, to cut off their excuse for causing harm, as if it were said: The land is the land of Allah, and the She-Camel is the She-Camel of Allah; so leave the She-Camel of Allah to eat in His land. The land is not yours, nor is the vegetation within it of your creating, so what excuse do you have to prevent her? [There is no] mention of [the water for] drinking due to the sufficiency of mentioning [her] eating; it is said that [the mention of eating] also encompasses drinking, as in the saying: "I fed her hay and cold water." [Allah] mentioned that by His saying, Glory be to Him: "For her is a drink, and for you is a drink of a known day."

"And do not touch her with harm." [This is] a prohibition of touching, which is the precursor to affliction, encompassing all forms of hurt as an exaggeration in warning; it is like His saying, "And do not approach the wealth of the orphan." The prepositional phrase attaches to the verb. The indefiniteness [of su' (harm)] is for generalization, meaning: Do not touch her with anything that harms her at all, such as chasing, wounding, etc. It is said the prepositional phrase attaches to a suppressed [element] acting as a state from the subject of the verb; the meaning is: Do not touch her while intending harm, let alone inflicting it. It is thus like His saying: "Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated."

"Lest a painful punishment seize you." [This is] in the accusative case as a response to the prohibition. The meaning is: Do not combine touching [her] and the seizing of the punishment upon you. Even if the latter is not truly their doing, [it is phrased as such] because they engaged in its causes, as if it were their own doing.