فَأَنْجَيْنَاهُ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَقَطَعْنَا دَابِرَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَمَا كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۷۲﴾ وَإِلَى ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ هَذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿۷۳﴾
﴾72﴿ Fa anjainaahu wallazeena ma'ahoo birahmatim minnaa wa qata'naa daabiral lazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wa maa kaanoo mu'mineen
﴾72﴿ So We saved him and those who were with him by a mercy from Us, and We cut off the roots of those who denied Our signs and were not believers.
﴾73﴿ And We sent to the people of Thamud their brother Salih. He said, “O my people, worship Allah alone—there is no helper for you other than Him. Surely, a clear sign has come to you from your Lord: this is the she-camel of Allah, a sign for you. So let her graze in Allah’s land, and do not harm her in any way, or else a painful punishment will seize you.”
[72] In this context, salvation is attributed solely to mercy, and mercy in essence is the granting of faith and monotheism, which is a special kind of mercy. This indicates that the salvation of the prophets and their companions was not due to obligatory deeds alone.
"(The last remnant of those who denied was cut off)" refers to a comprehensive punishment that destroyed their entire lineage.
"And they were not believers" is a continuation of "they denied," meaning that denial and lack of faith were the reasons for their punishment.
This punishment is mentioned in verse 16 of Surah Fussilat, verse 24 of Surah Al-Ahqaf, and verse 6 of Surah Al-Haqqah.
[73] This is the third transmitted (textual) proof regarding the matter of monotheism. Thamud was the son of ‘Ad, and his descendants were called the tribe of Thamud. Salih (peace be upon him) was in the fifth generation from the descendants of Thamud. They lived between Hijaz and Syria, on the route to Tabuk. That area is now called Madain Salih, and it is in ruins.
In this verse, the call of Hud (peace be upon him) to monotheism is mentioned. Due to the demands of his people, he then manifested a miracle.
The term "clear proof" (bayyinah) refers to the miracle, through which prophethood is made evident and monotheism is established. From this perspective, it is called a "clear proof".
The phrase "from your Lord" indicates that the miracle is not at the discretion of the Prophet.
"This is the she-camel of Allah" is the mention of the miracle. The attribution of "she-camel" to Allah is the attribution of a creation to its Creator and not meant to signify its superiority.
Another reason is that it was created without apparent material causes. This kind of attribution is similar to the phrase "the land of Allah" used earlier.
"Let her eat in the land of Allah" means that her provision and care are not your responsibility. However, do not humiliate or harm her.
This indicates that disrespecting a miracle is a cause of punishment.