Al-A'raf 73: To the nation of Thamud, We have sent their brother Shelah (Salih). He said, “Oh my nation! Worship Allah. You have no deity other than Allah. A clear proof came to you from your Lord. And that (proof) is this camel of Allah that came as a miracle for you. Leave it, let it eat on Allah’s earth, do not harm it. Otherwise, a severe punishment will seize you.”

We have come to Surah Al-A'raf, verse 73. And to Thamud people We sent their brother Salih. Look, Allah Almighty keeps speaking of destructions in the verses. Why does He speak of destructions? As I said a moment ago: O man, use your reason. Look, We destroyed many peoples because they opposed Our command. To you, He says, We will never say (?) destruction. Because among you the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is alive, He says, alive. I sent him as a mercy to the worlds. Where there is mercy there is no destruction, He says. It would contradict My word. But I will send calamities, He says, calamities.

So do not be subjected to those calamities either, He says. Do not be subjected to them either. Do not force Me to send those calamities, He says. Because, He says, this is Allah's justice that has continued from of old, He says. That is, for those who transgress the limits, surely destruction; after the Prophet, calamities.

That is why He warns us. From past peoples. He speaks as if among us. Yes. I perceive it like this. We had a history teacher when studying in high school, or when studying in middle school, we all know it. In the past he would tell us history. The Hittites did this, the Akkadians did that, the Sumerians did this. They would tell it. The book is in front of us and the teacher is telling it.

Now it is the same thing.

The book is here, the teacher is in front of me. My teacher is telling it. He is in front of me, and the book is here. The same. There is no imagining in this. There is no hesitation in this either. Yes. And to Thamud We sent their brother Salih. He said: O my people, serve Allah. You have no god other than Him. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. What is it? The Prophet Salih. This is Allah's she-camel as a miracle for you; leave her alone. This too is a miracle in His verse. It is Allah's she-camel; leave her alone. Let her eat and drink in Allah's land, do not harm her. Otherwise a painful punishment will seize you, He says.

Otherwise a painful punishment will seize you. Yes.

But see how, again, I will repeat the verse. Although, He says, only a short time had passed over them since the destruction, how they resembled their forefathers. They ask Salih for a miracle. And the miracle: a camel comes out of the rock. One day of the week that camel will drink the water, no one will come near. On the other days the people will take water. And no one will come near the camel in any way. That is, no one will load a burden on it. In Allah's land it will (?).

Although the camel came out of the rock, although they saw the miracle,

again, since the whole thing is settled at that Elestü bi-rabbiküm, those who gave a bad covenant, again with the temptation the devil showed them, with the desire of their own selves, killed the camel by cutting its legs.

That people lived on the earth three more days. After that it was destroyed. Allah Almighty sent to Thamud their brother, that is, from among themselves, the Prophet Salih. The Prophet Salih told his people: You have no god other than that one Allah. When he said, serve Allah, his people said to the Prophet Salih: If you are of the truthful, bring out of this rock a sound camel for us so that we too believe you are truthful, they said. The Prophet Salih prays to Allah Almighty, and Allah brings out, exactly as they wanted, a yellow camel from within the rocks. Is it our Lord's miracle? What is it not enough for? Allah?

Yes. Thereupon the Prophet Salih, we turned to his people, says: O my people, just as you wanted, as a clear miracle of Allah upon you, you have obtained the camel you asked for. Leave this camel free in Allah's domain, let her eat, drink, jump about. Do not do her any harm, otherwise a painful punishment will seize you. Look, you asked, Allah gave. If you go against this too, Allah's (?) will seize you and destroy you.

Can these people who saw so many miracles and lived so many truths be so (?), so unfeeling? If people ask Allah for clear miracles, and Allah Almighty shows them these miracles, and then this people does not believe in it, denies it and turns their backs on Allah's verses, do they not deserve destruction? Allah Almighty brings (?) against such peoples and wipes those peoples off the earth, removes them.

Now, what is a public case? People don't know; look, look, this man has a public case brought, he says. You know, a person kills a person, his owner or (?), (?), even if he sets free the killer, (?) says: No, you took a life, you will pay the price for it. Islamic law says this too. In return he pays blood money. He pays money. And after that the enmity is removed. Because this blood money is removed, the public case, the law's public case, in civil law: you (?), you took a life, it says, in you go. Prison. If Allah Almighty does not show what His servants desired, there is no public case. The servant asks.

He says it. But if that servant asked and Allah Almighty showed the miracle, and that person again did not believe in it, Allah Almighty's custom, coming and continuing from eternity, becomes manifest. And He destroys that people. Such is Allah Almighty's custom, continuing from eternity. Because if He showed the camel, showed the miracle too, and that people destroyed it, a situation would arise as if they were acting as if weakness had touched Him. (?) Allah's. (?) his camel, we did this to it. If they challenge Him, as if to say go on, let Him do what He will, then Allah too (?) (?) destroys them.

Yes.

Allah Almighty, such peoples, He says, but a case arises, and He wipes those peoples off the earth, removes them, He says.