ing the signs demanded by those communities, because a further denial of the de‌ manded signs would have made it necessary to send down punishment on those who deny. [But God could not do this], for He had guaranteed, as a favor for His Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), and out of respect for his status, to remove worldly punishment from those communities. Thus, God, the Exalted, says, "But God would not punish them while you were with them" (Q. ٨:٣٣).
That the denial of the demanded divine signs necessitates the punishment of those
who deny it is because of the following: The initial signs are solely for the purpose of proving the prophethood of the prophet, and as such, denying them would not lead to more than the eternal punishment due them for denying the prophet. But signs demanded by the people reflect the disputatiousness and obduracy of those who demand them. This is because if they were after the truth, they would have believed the first sign, for it is sufficient proof. Moreover, their demand signifies that they committed themselves to believing in the prophet ifthe latter were to respond to the demand. Thus, if they were to deny the demanded miracle, they would have mocked the prophet and the truth toward which he had called them, as well as the signs that they had demanded. It is for this reason that God calls these types of signs "the signs of warning," as He does at the end of the verse under discussion. Otherwise, there is no sense in including all divine signs in the category of warning signs when some of them are mercy for mankind, and guidance and a light for their path.
One of the things that indicate to us that the prohibited signs are the signs of warning is the context of this verse and its narrative. In the preceding verse, God, the Exalted, says:

There is not a township [i.e., a community] that We shall not destroy before the Day of Resurrection, or punish with dire punishment. That is set forth in the Book [of Our decrees] (Q. ١٧:٥٨).

The verse also mentions that the divine sign [the she-camel] is in connection with the Thamad, following which a punishment was inflicted upon them. Their story is mentioned in sura ٢٦, entitled "al-Shuara" (The Poets). However, this verse ends with Gods reminder: "We send not the signs save to warn."
All these contextual factors demonstrate that the signs which were withheld were
those which had been demanded, and which would have entailed the descent of di‌ vine retribution. If we examine the Quran sufficiently, it will become so evident to us as to admit no doubt, that the unbelievers of Mekka at times asked for divine ret‌ ribution to be sent down on them, and on others. They asked for signs which had brought down divine punishment on past communities for demanding, then deny‌ ing, them. The first type [of signs] includes [the following]:

And when they said, "٠ God! If this be indeed the truth from You, then rain down stones on us or bring on us some painful doom!" But God would not punish them while you [٠, Mui).ammad] were with them, nor will He punish them while they seek for‌ giveness (Q. ٨:٣٢-٣٣). Say, "Have you thought, when this doom comes to you as a raid by night, or in the [busy] day, What is there of it that the guilty ones desire to hasten?" (Q. ١٠:٥٠). And if We delay for them the doom until a reckoned time, they will surely say, "What withholds it?" (Q. ١١:٨). They bid you hasten the doom [of God}. And if a term had not been appointed, the doom would assuredly have come to them