وَأُتْبِعُوا فِي هَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا لَعْنَةً وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَلَا إِنَّ عَادًا كَفَرُوا رَبَّهُمْ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِعَادٍ قَوْمِ هُودٍ ﴿۶۰﴾ وَإِلَى ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ هُوَ أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ مُجِيبٌ ﴿۶۱﴾ قَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ قَدْ كُنْتَ فِينَا مَرْجُوًّا قَبْلَ هَذَا أَتَنْهَانَا أَنْ نَعْبُدَ مَا يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا وَإِنَّنَا لَفِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ ﴿۶۲﴾ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّي وَآتَانِي مِنْهُ رَحْمَةً فَمَنْ يَنْصُرُنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ إِنْ عَصَيْتُهُ فَمَا تَزِيدُونَنِي غَيْرَ تَخْسِيرٍ ﴿۶۳﴾

﴾60﴿ Wa utbi'oo fee haazihid dunyaa la'natanw wa Yawmal Qiyaamah; alaaa inna 'Aadan kafaroo Rabbahum; alaa bu'dal li 'Aadin qawmin Hood
﴾61﴿ Wa ilaa Samooda akhaahum Saalihaa; qaala yaa qawmi' budul laaha maa lakum min ilaahim ghairuhoo Huwa ansha akum minal ardi wasta' marakum feehaa fastaghfiroohu summa toobooo ilaih; inna Rabbee Qareebum Mujeeb
﴾62﴿ Qaaloo yaa Saalihu qad kunta feenaa marjuwwan qabla haazaaa atanhaanaaa an na'bu da maa ya'budu aabaaa'unaa wa innanaa lafee shakkim mimmaa tad'oonaaa ilaihi mureeb
﴾63﴿ Qaala yaa qawmi ara'aytum in kuntu 'alaa baiyinatim mir Rabbee wa aataanee minhu rahmatan famai yansurunee minal laahi in 'asaituhoo famaa tazeedoonanee ghaira takhseer

﴾60﴿ And one after another, curses were sent upon them in this world and on the Day of Resurrection as well. Be aware, indeed the people of 'Ad had denied their Lord. Behold, destruction is for the people of 'Ad, the tribe of Hud (peace be upon him)
﴾61﴿ (And We sent) to the people of Thamud their brother, Salih (peace be upon him). He said: O my people, worship Allah alone; you have no deity besides Him. He created you from the earth and made you inhabit it. So seek forgiveness from Him and repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive (to supplications)
﴾62﴿ They said, O Ṣāliḥ, you were among us as one in whom hope was placed before this. Do you forbid us from worshiping what our forefathers worshiped, And indeed, we are in disquieting doubt concerning that to which you invite us
﴾63﴿ He said: O my people, tell me, if I am upon clear evidence from my Lord, and He has given me mercy from Himself (prophethood), then who will save me from the punishment of Allah if I disobey Him? So, you increase nothing for me except loss

[60] In this verse, both worldly and eternal punishment are mentioned:
After the punishment of the violent storm, they were also afflicted with a lasting curse (لَعْنَة) — from Allah, the angels, and the believers — showing that their disgrace continues forever.
The reason for this is given in the phrase (كَفَرُوا رَبَّهُمْ) — they disbelieved in their Lord.
The phrase (تَعَالَى هُودٍ) indicates that the people referred to as ‘Ād here are the first ‘Ād, also known as ‘Ād al-Ūlā.
The second ‘Ād refers to ‘Ād of Iram, a later people.
The word (أَلَا) at the beginning serves to emphasize — it signals that their disbelief was extremely severe and obvious, and likewise, their punishment was intense and publicly known.
In (كَفَرُوا رَبَّهُمْ) — the bā’ (preposition) is omitted, or the meaning is simply they rejected their Lord.
The word (بُعْدًا) — means: may they be cast far away, referring to their being distanced from Allah’s special mercy.
This is an expression of complete divine rejection and eternal loss.
[61] This verse presents the third transmitted (naqlī) proof for affirming Tawḥīd, through the story of Ṣāliḥ (peace be upon him).
It includes his response to his people, a renewed call to Tawḥīd, and powerful rational and spiritual encouragements.
The phrase (وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا) comes from ‘umr, meaning to grant long life or to cause to flourish.
Here, it implies that Allah gave you life on this earth and allowed you to build and prosper in it — this points to both physical life and the ability to develop civilization.
It also highlights Ṣāliḥ’s courage in proclaiming Tawḥīd despite opposition, along with mention of his miracle, the denial by his people, and their eventual punishment — a worldly warning to others.
After affirming Tawḥīd, the verse mentions two divine blessings:
1. The blessing of creation — (أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ):
This could refer to how Adam (peace be upon him), the father of mankind, was created from earth,
or it may mean that human beings consume sustenance from the earth, which in turn forms the seed (nutfah) for human creation.
Alternatively, the preposition من (from) could mean في (in), i.e., He settled you in the earth.
2. The blessing of continuation and forgiveness — through istighfār (seeking forgiveness) and tawbah (repentance).
The verse ends with two of Allah’s beautiful attributes: قَرِيبٌ مُجِيبٌ — He is Near and Responsive.
This is a powerful encouragement to accept the message of Tawḥīd, because the One we are called to worship is close to us and answers our prayers.
[62] (مَرْجُوًّا) — means respected or looked up to, someone whom people place their hopes in.
The implication here is that when a person who once had honor in society begins speaking the truth, especially about Tawḥīd, the common people begin to reject or mock him, despite previously holding him in esteem.
(أَتَنْهَانَا) — this points to the core reason behind their suppression and rejection: they could not tolerate anyone going against the ways of their forefathers.
Their allegiance to ancestral customs led them to feel threatened by any call to Tawḥīd or change.
(مُرِيبٍ) — means full of doubt, but here it indicates a level of doubt so strong that it causes them to develop bad assumptions about the Prophet, and leads to argumentation and hostility.
Their doubt was not passive — it manifested in suspicion and verbal aggression toward Ṣāliḥ (peace be upon him).
[63] In this verse, there is a response to their objection: (أَتَنْهَانَا) — Do you forbid us?
The phrase (إِنْ عَصَيْتُهُ) refers to not abandoning the prohibition of shirk — meaning: If I disobey Allah by staying silent on shirk, then I am truly in loss.
This affirms that the command to reject shirk is non-negotiable.
(إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ) — here, in (إِنْ) is not for expressing doubt, but rather used to gently persuade or engage the listener’s reflection.
(بَيِّنَةٍ) — refers to clear rational evidence for Tawḥīd.
(رَحْمَةً) — refers to revelation and Prophethood, a divine mercy sent from Allah.
(مَنْ يَنْصُرُنِي) — Who can help me against Allah? — this is a rhetorical question for rejection, emphasizing that no one can protect him if he fails to deliver the truth.
(غَيْرَ تَخْسِيرٍ) — this has two interpretations:
1. First meaning: You are increasing my loss — by telling me to stay silent and not forbid shirk, you are making my situation worse, as you are trying to prevent me from speaking the truth.
2. Second meaning: You are strengthening my understanding of your misguidance — meaning: The more you use your forefathers' actions as a proof, the more you confirm for me that you are truly in loss and deviation, because following forefathers blindly is not a valid argument, and now I fully recognize how misguided your path is.
Both meanings underline that rejecting the truth due to inherited tradition leads to clear spiritual loss and failure.