وَيَا قَوْمِ هَذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ قَرِيبٌ ﴿۶۴﴾ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَقَالَ تَمَتَّعُوا فِي دَارِكُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ ذَلِكَ وَعْدٌ غَيْرُ مَكْذُوبٍ ﴿۶۵﴾ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا صَالِحًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَمِنْ خِزْيِ يَوْمِئِذٍ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ الْقَوِيُّ الْعَزِيزُ ﴿۶۶﴾

﴾64﴿ Wa yaa qawmi haazihee naaqatul laahi lakum aayatan fazaroohaa taakul feee ardil laahi wa laa tamassoohaa bisooo'in fa yaakhuzakum azaabun qareeb
﴾65﴿ Fa 'aqaroohaa faqaala tamatta'oo fee daarikum salaasata aiyaamin zaalika wa'dun ghairu makzoob
﴾66﴿ Falammaa jaaa'a amrunaa najjainaa Saalihanw wal lazeena aamanoo ma'ahoo birahmatim minnaa wa min khizyi Yawmi'iz inna Rabbaka Huwal Qawiyyul 'Azeez

﴾64﴿ And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allah for you as a sign. So let her graze freely on Allah's earth, and do not harm her, lest an imminent punishment seizes you
﴾65﴿ So they killed it, then it was said: Enjoy the pleasures of life in your homes for three days. This is a promise without falsehood
﴾66﴿ So when Our decree of punishment came, We saved Salih (peace be upon him) and those who had believed with him by a special mercy from Us and from the disgrace of that day. Indeed, your Lord is the All-Powerful, the Almighty

[64] In the phrase (نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ) — the idāfah (possessive construction) to Allah is for the purpose of honor and distinction.
This is because the she-camel was brought forth without any apparent worldly means, as a miraculous sign, not through normal causes.
(فَذَرُوهَا) — So leave her alone — implies that the people were not burdened with any responsibility regarding feeding or caring for her.
The instruction was simple: do not harm or interfere with her, especially regarding her grazing and drinking rights.
(فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ) — then it will seize you — refers to the punishment that would overtake them.
This shows that dishonoring or harming a miracle — such as killing or mocking a sign of Allah — leads directly to worldly punishment.
It is a clear warning that violating a divine sign is not a small matter, but one that invites the wrath of Allah.
[65] The word (عَقَرَ) refers to cutting or disabling, often used for slaughtering or harming by cutting body parts.
Although one person actually carried out the act — as mentioned in Surah al-Qamar (29), "But they called their companion, and he took and hamstrung her" — the rest of the people were pleased with it, which is why the plural form is used in this verse to indicate collective guilt.
(تَمَتَّعُوا) — according to Imam Qurtubi, this is a metaphor for remaining alive, meaning: “Enjoy yourselves for three more days.” Because, as he explains: “The dead do not enjoy nor benefit from anything” (المیت لا یتلذذ ولا یتمتع بشيء).
So, this is not permission to enjoy life — it is a countdown to their destruction.
(دَارِكُمْ) — refers either to their village or settlement, or more broadly to this worldly abode (dār al-dunyā) — indicating that their enjoyment is restricted to this world and only for a short time.
[66] The phrase (بِرَحْمَةٍ) — by a mercy — indicates that the salvation of the righteous was purely due to Allah’s mercy,
not because of their deeds or personal strength. It shows that true deliverance comes only through divine favor, not human merit.
(وَمِنْ خِزْيِ يَوْمِئِذٍ) — refers to the humiliation and disgrace that accompanies punishment.
It can be understood in two ways:
1. That Allah saved them from the shameful destruction of their town — meaning the worldly punishment that brought disgrace.
2. Or it refers to being saved from the humiliation of the Day of Judgment, as indicated by the phrase (يَوْمِئِذٍ) — which here alludes to the Hereafter.
In both meanings, it emphasizes that Allah’s mercy not only removes physical harm, but also preserves honor — both in this world and in the next.