'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And to Thamud, their brother Salih said, 'O my people, worship Allah. You have no deity other than Him. He created you from the earth and settled you in it. So ask forgiveness of Him, then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive.'" They said, 'O Salih, you were among us a hope before this. Do you forbid us to worship what our forefathers worshipped? And indeed, we are in doubt about that to which you invite us, causing us uncertainty.'" (p-599) The implication is: And We sent to Thamud. The previous statement has already been made regarding this and the meaning of brotherhood in the story of Hud. The majority read: "And to Thamud" without inflection, while Ibn Wathab and Al-A'mash read: "And to Thamud" with inflection, where it occurs. The first is intended for the tribe, and the second is intended for the clan. In these terms indicating plurality, there is often an intention of the clan, like Quraysh and Thaqif, and what cannot be said in terms of the sons of so-and-so, and in it there is often an intention of the tribe, like Tamim and Taghlib. Do you not see that they say: Taghlib, the daughter of Wa'il? And Al-Tirmidhi said: "...when Tamim drank from it and rose." And the other saying: Tamim ibn Marr and her supporters. In it, there are often both meanings, like Thamud and Saba'. So both readings here are eloquent and used. A group read: "other than Him" with the raising of the letter 'ra', and this has been mentioned previously. And "He created you from the earth" means: He originated you and brought you into existence, and that is by the creation of Adam, peace be upon him. So the creation of Adam is as if it is the creation of his children. And "He settled you" means: He made you settlers, as one says: He made you write and He made you work. Some people have gone to say that it is from 'umr, meaning He made you live long. And the similar statement has been previously mentioned: "So ask forgiveness of Him, then repent to Him." "Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive," means: His response and forgiveness is near to whoever believes and turns back, and "responsive" means: with the condition of His will. The apparent meaning, which the majority of the interpreters have narrated, is that their saying: "a hope" means: one who is honored, we hope for you to be a leader among the great ones. Then they confirmed it - in a manner of reproach in their claim - by their saying: "Do you forbid us?" Al-Naqqash narrated from some of them that he said: Its meaning is: insignificant. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: As for the word "a hope" meaning insignificant, that is not in the speech of the Arabs. Rather, that is directed towards the interpretation of the meaning. The intent of their saying: "a hope" is that you were among us easy to reach, your matter was close to being accepted, from one who is not expected to take such a stance. So the meaning of "a hope" is: hoped to be dismissed and overcome, and so on. Therefore, it was interpreted as insignificant, and this meaning resembles the saying of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb: "Indeed, the matter of the son of Abu Kabshah has become significant..." The narration continues, then their saying: "Do you forbid us" is in the manner of threatening and disapproving of this statement from him. And "what our forefathers worshipped" refers to idols and statues. Then they asserted that they were in doubt about his matter and his words, and that this doubt was increased by their level of uncertainty.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

There is no difference between this state and the state of being determined in disbelief. And 'murib' means: one who is suspicious and accused. From this is the saying of the poet:

O my people, what is the matter with Abu Dhuyayb? I used to come to him from the unseen. He would smell my side and touch my garment, As if I had stroked him with suspicion.