إِنّا مُرسِلُو النّاقَةِ فِتنَةً لَهُم فَارتَقِبهُم وَاصطَبِر
We are sending the she-camel as a trial for them; so watch them and be steadfast.
EXEGESIS
Nāqah (she-camel) refers to the miracle they had asked for. They had asked Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) to produce a living she-camel from the rocks of the mountain as a sign of his prophethood.
Mursilū (are sending) is the clipped form of mursilūna which is shortened because of the genitive. Using this type of structure, i.e. the majestic we, combined with the active participle rather than using the verb, implies the magnitude of the event. It means: We are sending it as a miracle by carving it out of the mountain and giving life to it.[1] Some exegetes add that the Quran commonly uses the term irsāl (sending) when describing miracles granted to God’s prophets (see 17:59), as if the miracle acts as a witness that supports the apostle.[2]
Fitnatan (as a trial) is a causative object (mafʿūlun lah) indicating the reason for sending the camel. The word fitnah has been used in different meanings in the Quran including trial, punishment, and persecution. Originally it means to examine or test in order to find out how pure something is.[3] Here it means a trial to reveal how untruthful they were in their claims that they would believe in Ṣāliḥ (a) if he provided the miracle they had asked for.
Fartaqib-hum (watch them); irtaqib is the eighth form of the verb raqaba which means to wait for and expect something.[4] In the context of the verse, it either means to wait for Allah’s command regarding them[5] or to wait and see how they deal with the camel.[6]
According to some researchers, a detailed analysis of the use of this verb in the Quran leads us to conclude that it does not merely mean to wait for something. Rather, irtiqāb has the meaning of ‘meticulously studying or observing an object without acting upon it or interfering in any way’.[7]
Waṣṭabir (be steadfast) is an order for Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) to remain patient in the face of their harassments until Allah gives His final command.[8] It is the eight form of the verb ṣabara in which tāʾ has changed to ṭāʾ for the ease of pronunciation with ṣād. It has a greater emphasis than faṣbir and thus means ‘have strong patience’.[9]
EXPOSITION
The people of Thamūd challenged Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) to miraculously bring forth a she-camel from the mountain as proof of his prophethood (see 7:73 and 26:154). According to this verse, God’s response to their request was a means of testing them and revealing their inner defiance. Due to the fact that this was no ordinary she-camel, the Quran has in other verses labelled this camel as the she-camel of Allah (7:73; also 91:13).
This is an explanation of how the previous verse would materialise. The previous verse mentioned that it would soon be known who is the self-conceited liar, and this verse shows this quality in them through the trial of the she-camel.[10]
Some exegetes have understood from this verse that when a society is going through a period of trial and tribulation, the duty of the leader is to act as a witness for Allah by calling towards truth and inviting people towards the right course of action.[11] In this example, Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) is meant to watch over them and not ignore or cut himself off from them.
[1] Jawhar, 6/120.
[2] Ibn Ashur, 27/191.
[3] Amthal, 17/327.
[4] Ayn, 5/145; Ibn Ashur, 27/191.
[5] Tabrisi, 9/289.
[6] Tabrisi, 9/289; Safi, 5/103.
[7] Ali Riḍā Sharīf and Sayyid Muhammad Raḍawī, Mafhūm Shanāsī-ye Taṭbīqī-ye Irtiqāb dar Tafāsīr-e Farīqayn, Pezhūhishhā-ye Tafsīr-e Taṭbīqī, vol. 4, no. 2, issue 8 (2018-2019). DOI: 10.22091/ptt.2018.2793.1297.
[8] Tabrisi, 9/289.
[9] Ibn Ashur, 27/191.
[10] Muhit, 10/44; Ibn Ashur, 27/190.
[11] Mudarrisi, 14/241.