Then Allah, the Most High presented various observable proofs that no one can deny, to draw people’s attention to the manifestations of His power and oneness.
He, the Blessed and Exalted, said:
أَفَلا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ
وَإِلَى السَّماءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ
وَإِلَى الْجِبالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ
وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ
The interrogative form here serves the purpose of reproach and rebuke, as well as encouragement to reflect and ponder. The conjunction fa (فَ) links to an implicit statement necessitated by the context. The intended meaning of "looking" is contemplating these creations, for such contemplation leads to taking lessons and deriving benefit.
The address is directed toward those ignorant disbelievers who have before them clear proofs of the oneness and power of Allah the Blessed and Exalted, yet they fail to take heed.
The meaning is: Will these disbelievers persist in their ignorance and misguidance, denying the reality of resurrection, reckoning, and recompense? Will they not look with a gaze of reflection and contemplation at the camel which is right before their eyes and how Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has created it in this astonishing form, giving it well-proportioned limbs and a perfect structure that enables it to fulfill its beneficial role for mankind in the best possible manner? From its milk, they drink; from its meat, they eat; on its back, they travel; and with its strength, they carry their heavy loads.
Allah the Most High specifically mentioned the camel among all other animals because it was the most prized wealth of the Arabs, the closest to their daily lives and needs, and the most remarkable in its creation, structure, and formation.
The author of Al-Kashshaf commented:
Allah’s statement: أَفَلا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ – "Do they not look at the camel" – means a gaze of contemplation, observing كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ – "how it was created" – in a marvelous fashion, pointing to the precise determination of a Supreme Creator and testifying to the planning of an All-Wise Governor. For He created it capable of carrying heavy burdens and traveling across vast, far-off lands.
That is, it was made to kneel so that it could be loaded easily and comfortably, then it rises carrying its load. It was also subjected to be docile, following anyone who leads it by a mere rope, neither resisting the weak nor opposing the young.
If you ask: How is the mention of the camel appropriate alongside the sky, mountains, and earth, despite the apparent lack of connection?
I say: These things are all part of what the Arabs observe in their deserts and wilderness, so they were mentioned together in alignment with their field of vision.