Appearance
Verses 84–95
The verses recount the story of Shuʿayb and his people, who were the inhabitants of Midian. They worshipped idols and engaged in the widespread practice of cheating in weights and measures, which led to extensive moral corruption amongst them. In response, God Almighty sent Shuʿayb. He summoned them to monotheism, called on them to deal fairly with weights and measures, to observe justice, and to avoid causing corruption in the land. He also brought them glad tidings of divine reward and warnings of divine punishment, and he was particularly earnest in his admonition to them. It has been narrated from the Prophet that Shuʿayb was ‘the preacher of the prophets’ (khaṭīb al-anbiyāʾ).
However, Shuʿayb’s people only responded to his call with rejection and disobedience. They threatened to stone him or to drive him from their midst. They went to great lengths to persecute him and those few people who had believed in him. They tried to turn them away from the path of God and persisted in their ways until Shuʿayb called on God to judge between them. As a result, God Almighty destroyed them utterly.
وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا ۚ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ وَلَا تَنْقُصُوا الْمِكْيَالَ وَالْمِيزَانَ ۚ إِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ وَإِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ مُحِيطٍ ٨٤
(11:84) And to Midian, Shuʿayb, their brother. He said, ‘O my people! Worship Allah. You have no other god besides Him. Do not diminish the measure or the balance. Indeed I see that you are faring well, but I fear for you the punishment of an all-embracing day.’
This follows on from the other the narratives of previous prophets and their nations recounted so far. Midian is the name of the city in which Shuʿayb’s people lived. Thus, in saying that Shuʿayb’s mission was to Midian, while, in fact, he was sent to its people, there is an element of figurative speech, like when we say, ‘the gulley is running.’ Furthermore, by referring to Shuʿayb as their brother, it suggests that he belonged to them.
‘O my people! Worship Allah. You have no other god besides Him …’—we have already discussed the meaning of this.
‘… Do not diminish the measure (mikyāl) or the balance (mīzān)…’—Mikyāl and mīzān are both nouns of instrument (ism āla) that denote ‘what is measured with’ and ‘what is weighed with.’ Note that it is neither the measure nor the balance themselves that are diminished, but rather it is, in fact, the items measured and weighed that are either diminished, increased, or proportionate relative to them. Therefore, speaking of ‘diminishing’ the measure or the balance themselves is another example of figurative speech.
The fact that God singles out cheating in weights and measures for mention amongst their sins indicates the prevalence of this practice amongst them, their penchant for it, and their excessiveness in it. The corruption it caused was apparent, and the adverse impact was clear. Therefore, it demanded serious attention from the bringer of truth who was sent to them, and he called on them to abandon this practice in particular out of all their sins.
When Shuʿayb says, ‘… Indeed I see that you are faring well …’, it means he can see that they are in good condition, which is a result of God’s blessings on them, including wealth, abundant provision, low prices, and fertility. They did not need to cheat in weights and measures or steal insignificant things from people unjustly, wrongfully, and in contravention of the moral code. Therefore, his statement, ‘Indeed I see that you are faring well’, explains why he said, ‘Do not diminish the measure or the balance.’
The term ‘faring well’ could be generalized to mean that they were recipients of God’s care, in that they were also blessed with intellect and good sense, and provided with sustenance. Therefore, there was no reason for them to worship deities other than Him, associate others with Him, or cause corruption on Earth by cheating in weights and measures. According to this reading, the phrase, , ‘Indeed I see that you are faring well’, provides a rationale for all of Shuʿayb’s previous statements ‘Worship Allah…’ and ‘Do not diminish the measure or the balance …’ as well as his statement ‘… but I fear for you the punishment of an all-embracing day.’
The essence of Shuʿayb’s statement, ‘Indeed I see that you …’, is that there are two deterrents that should prevent you from disobeying God: the first is that you are in a state of wellbeing and have no need to resort to dishonestly taking people’s wealth. The second is that behind the disobedience of God’s command, there looms an all-embracing day, the punishment of which should be feared.
It is also not far-fetched to read his statement, ‘Indeed I see that you are faring well’ (innī arākum bi-khayr) as meaning ‘I look at you with a good outlook’, meaning: ‘I look at you with the eye of a compassionate and sincere adviser who only wants the best for you and wishes nothing but happiness for you.’ In this light, his saying, ‘but I fear for you the punishment of an all-embracing day’, can be seen as an empathetic explanation from his perspective.
‘… but I fear for you the punishment of an all-embracing day (yawm muḥīṭ)’ refers to the Day of Judgement or the day when the divine punishment descends in this world. By describing a day of retribution or punishment as muḥīt implies that there is no escape from it, no refuge, and no sanctuary other than with God. No supporter or helper can ward off that day, nor will repentance or intercession avail anyone on it. The implication of encompassment means that the punishment is decisive and inescapable. The verse essentially warns people that disbelief and wickedness bring about an unavoidable punishment and Shuʿayb fears that this will befall his people.
وَيَا قَوْمِ أَوْفُوا الْمِكْيَالَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ ٨٥
(11:85) ‘O my people! Observe fully the measure and the balance (awfū al-mikyāl wa al-mīzān), with justice, and do not cheat (lā tabkhasū) the people of their goods, and do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption.’
Īfāʾ (‘to observe fully’) means to give a person their full due, and bakhs (‘to cheat’) means to diminish something. The words measure and balance are repeated for emphasis, calling people’s attention to something upon which their society depends. Initially, he calls them to righteousness by forbidding them to reduce the measure and the weight. Then, he reiterates the command in a different form, namely bidding them to give the full measure and weight to others and not to deprive people of their due. This signals that merely refraining from reducing the measure and the weight does not suffice in fulfilling this moral imperative. Not only should the person who measures and weighs give the full measure and weight, but they should also not deprive people of those things that are rightly theirs. This is so that they understand that, by being fair in weights and measures, they are returning to the people what is theirs and restoring their property to its rightful place.
As for his saying, ‘… and do not act wickedly on the earth (lā taʿthaw fī al-arḍ), causing corruption (mufsidīn)’, al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī says: ‘al-ʿayth and al-athī are closely related to one another in meaning, akin to jadhab and jabadh, save for the fact that ʿayth is usually used in relation to corruption that is physically tangible, while ʿathī is commonly used to denote corruption that can only be perceived mentally. Hence, ‘and do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption.’
Based on this, when Shuʿayb said: ‘causing corruption’, this is an adverb for the pronoun in the verb lā taʿthaw (that is, the pronoun ‘you’ (pl.)), used for emphasis in the same manner as an absolute object, such as lā tufisdū ifsādan.
Therefore, the sentence ‘… and do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption’, is a prohibition against causing corruption on earth, whether this is killing, wounding, or any form of wrongdoing, whether it concerns wealth, status, or family. However, it is plausible, based on the context, to read this statement as an exposition of the preceding prohibition, in which case it serves as a reinforcement of the prohibition on cheating and short-changing in measures and balances, as this is likewise a form of corruption on earth.
The reason for this prohibition is that the form of civil society that prevails amongst members of the human race is based on the principle of exchange and reciprocity. There is no connection or bond between two individuals from the human species that does not involve some form of give and take. Therefore, members of a society continuously cooperate in matters of life where one person assists another, expecting equal or exceeding benefits in return. This is the essence of transaction and exchange.
One of the most apparent examples of such exchanges are financial transactions, particularly those involving items with volume or weight that are sold by measure or by weight. This is one of the earliest forms of trade humanity saw as necessary to implement in their daily lives.
Financial transactions, especially buying and selling, are pillars of human social life. Individuals estimate what they need in their essential lives by measurement or weight, and determine how much they should spend to purchase these things. Then, they navigate through life on the basis of these estimates and plans.
Now, if a person is dishonest in their business dealings and make their measures and weights are less than what they should be, unbeknownst to the other party, it disrupts the latter’s life plans and invalidates his estimates. This destabilizes the order of his life from both aspects, as it diminishes the necessities of life he obtains through his purchases and increases the amount of his livelihood that he has struggled to earn that he must expend. This will deprive him of the foresight and planning necessary for him to live a good life, and he will stumble blindly on his way. This is the essence of corruption (fasād).
If this becomes widespread in a society, corruption proliferates among its members and they will soon lose trust in one another, which means they will no longer be able to depend or rely upon one another. As a result, security amongst them disintegrates. This is a catastrophe that encompasses both the good and the bad members of society, and affects both the one who gives people short measures in his dealings and the one who gives them their full due. Such a community transforms into a society based on deceit and the ruin of life rather than mutual cooperation and exchange for the sake of its betterment. This is why God says: When you measure, observe fully the measure, weigh with an even balance. That is better and fairer in outcome ().
بَقِيَّتُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ ٨٦
(11:86) ‘What remains of Allah’s provision (baqiyyat Allāh) is better for you, should you be faithful, and I am not a keeper over you.’
Baqiyyat literally means ‘residual’ or ‘surplus’, and it refers the profit a seller gains, which remains with him after the completion of the business transaction, which he can then use to cater to his own needs.
This is based on the principle of barter or exchange, which wasn’t originally based on profit-making, as each party would acquire something they needed in life through it. If one has an excess of what he needed, he would exchange his surplus for something else he needed but did not possess. Then, the practice of trading and exchanging goods for prices became a profession by which wealth could be acquired in its own right. A trader would acquire goods of one or various types and offer it to those in need for an exchange, adding a bit of profit to his initial capital in return for his efforts in gathering, transporting, and offering the goods. This is accepted by the buyers, as it facilitates their exchange, thus, a trader earns a legitimate profit from his trade, which is accepted by the community based on their natural disposition, enabling him to make a living and accumulate wealth for his own sustenance in the process.
The point is that the profit—which is a divine remainder (baqiyya)—that God has guided you towards through your innate disposition, is better for you than the wealth you acquire through unfair measures and short-changing in weight and measure, if indeed you are believers. This is because a believer benefits from wealth obtained through the lawful to which he has been guided by God. As for anything that is not accepted by God or not accepted by people based on their natural disposition (fiṭra), there is no good in it or any need for it.
Some have said that the stipulation of faith in the phrase, ‘should you be faithful’, shows that one must have faith in order to understand this principle, not as a requirement in itself. In other words: ‘if you are believers, you know the truth of my statement: “what remains from God is best for you.”‘
Others have suggested that the verse refers to the fact that the reward of obeying God—the ‘remainder’ meaning the everlasting reward of obedience—is better for you if you are believers. Ant there are other explanations suggested besides this.
‘… and I am not a keeper over you’—this means that nothing that is within your power, whether it is your life, actions, obedience, sustenance, or blessings, is under my control. I am only a messenger, and my only responsibility is to deliver God’s message to you. It is up to you to either choose what is best for you or to cast yourselves into perdition. I am not capable of bringing you any good or warding off from you any harm. This is akin to what God has said elsewhere: This is indeed a reminder. So let anyone who wishes take the way toward his Lord. But you do not wish unless it is wished by Allah. Indeed Allah is all-knowing, all-wise ().
قَالُوا يَا شُعَيْبُ أَصَلَاتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ نَتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا أَوْ أَنْ نَفْعَلَ فِي أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَاءُ ۖ إِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ الْحَلِيمُ الرَّشِيدُ ٨٧
(11:87) They said, ‘O Shuʿayb, does your worship require that we abandon what our fathers have been worshipping, or that we should not do with our wealth whatever we wish? You are indeed gentle and sensible.’
This is the response that the people of Midian give to Shuʿayb’s argument. Their statement is very carefully structured, and it appears that they are saying to him: ‘We are free to choose our own religion and to manage our own wealth. You do not have the authority to command and prohibit us in accordance with your own likes and dislikes. If something you see in us displeases you because of your worshipping and your closeness to your Lord, and you wish to give commands and prohibitions, then do not go beyond your own self because you only have authority over yourself.’
They delivered this thought in an innovative manner, tinged with sarcasm and rebuke, which they presented in the form of a rhetorical question. Essentially, they are arguing that Shuʿayb’s desire for them to abandon idol worship and stop managing their wealth as they please, is what his praying has prompted him to do. Yet, while his worship might control him, he and his worship do not control them. They insist they are free to choose their own religion and to manage their wealth as they please, without any restrictions being imposed. They have only adopted their fathers’ religion and they only use their own wealth, for there is no restriction on a person concerning their property.
They ask him: ‘Why, if your worship instructs you to do something, should we have to comply with that instruction?’ In other words, ‘What does it mean for your worship to command us to perform an action that we have to do without you? Is this not foolishness? After all, Shuʿayb, you are a measured and sensible person, who would not hastily chastise those he sees as wrongdoers or mete out punishments to those he views as criminals until he has thoroughly ascertained the truth of the matter. Equally, a sensible man would not embark on a course that would lead to error and misguidance. So why have you taken such a foolish course action that can only result in foolishness and error?’
From this explanation, it becomes evident, first of all, that they attribute Shuʿayb’s commands to his prayers only because these incite him to oppose their idolatry and their unfair business practices. This is why they ask, ‘… does your worship require that we abandon …’, rather than, ‘does your worship prohibit you from worshipping what our fathers worshipped?’ However, expressing prohibition by forbidding people from doing something sounds more natural than expressing it by commanding them to abandon it. That is why Shuʿayb says to them in response, ‘I do not wish to oppose you by what I forbid you’, rather than ‘that which I command you to abandon.’ The aim, in any case, is to have them desist from idol worship and dishonesty. Understand this, for it is one of the subtleties of this verse, which is exceedingly eloquent and fine in its expression.
Second, it becomes evident that they only said, ‘… that we abandon what our fathers have been worshipping …?’ instead of saying, ‘… that we abandon our gods …?’ or ‘… that we abandon our idols …?’, to indicate that their argument is that these idols have been worshipped by our forefathers for generations, and they represent a traditional practice for us. Therefore, they argue, there is no harm in following a tradition inherited from past generations and nurtured by each succeeding one. Thus, we worship our gods and persist in our religion, which is the religion of our forefathers, and in doing so we preserve a well-established tradition within our community.
Third, it becomes evident that when they said, ‘… or that we should not do with our wealth whatever we wish?’ they wanted to highlight the fact that this wealth was their property, hinting at their argument. In short: When something is a person’s property, there is no doubt that they should have the right to dispose of it as they see fit, and nobody else who acknowledges their ownership has the right to object to their doing so. Every individual has the right to navigate through life and manage their property as best as they can, guided by their own intelligence and acumen.
Fourth, their statement, ‘… does your worship require …? You are indeed gentle and sensible’, is spoken out of mockery and derision. The mockery lies in their linking Shuʿayb’s own worship to their giving up what their forefathers had worshipped before them and attributing this command solely to his own worship. However, the attribution of forbearance and good sense to him is not done mockingly or derisively. Therefore, they emphasized the phrase, ‘You are indeed gentle and sensible (inna-ka la-anta al-ḥalīm al-rashīd)’, with the particle of emphasis (inna, la) and the definite article (al-) in the form of a nominal sentence to strengthen their affirmation of his forbearance and wisdom. This makes their rebuke and rejection of him more powerful, suggesting it was inappropriate for one who was so forbearing and sensible to engage in such foolish behavior or to infringe on other people’s freedom and independence in their own feelings and intentions.
Thus, it is clear that the claim made by some commentators, that Shuʿayb’s people described him as forbearing and wise only out of mockery, intending to attribute the opposite qualities of ignorance and waywardness to him, is not correct.
قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّي وَرَزَقَنِي مِنْهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا ۚ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَىٰ مَا أَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ ۚ إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلَّا الْإِصْلَاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ۚ وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ ۚ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ٨٨
(11:88) He said, ‘O my people! Have you considered, should I stand on a manifest proof from my Lord, who has provided me a good provision from Himself? I do not wish to oppose you in what I forbid you. I only desire to put things in order, as far as I can, and my success lies only with Allah: in Him I have put my trust, and to Him I turn penitently.
By saying that he is upon ‘a manifest proof’ from his Lord means that he has a clear sign, which is the sign of prophethood and the miracle that indicates the truthfulness of the prophet’s claim to be a prophet. When he says that God has granted him ‘a good provision’, this means that God has granted him the revelation of prophethood, which contains the principles of religious teachings and laws. The meaning of these two phrases has already been discussed earlier.
Therefore, the meaning of the verse is: ‘Tell me, if I am a messenger from God to you, and if He has favored me by revealing to me religious teachings and laws, and supported me with a clear sign that demonstrates the truthfulness of my claim, then am I foolish in my view? Is what I am calling you to a foolish plea? Does it involve my imposing my own authority over you or stripping you of your freedom? It is God who owns everything, and you are not free in relation to Him; rather, you are His servants, He commands you as He wills. He is the ruler, and to Him you shall surely return.’
When Shuʿayb says, ‘I do not wish to oppose you in what I forbid you (ilā mā anhā-kum ʿan-hu)…’, he uses the preposition ilā (lit. ‘to’) after the verb ‘oppose’ to link it to a second object, which is what he opposes them in (i.e. ‘what I forbid you’), conveying the meaning of being inclined towards it. Therefore, the meaning is: ‘I do not wish to oppose you by inclining towards what I forbid you from’, or ‘I do not wish to incline towards what I forbid you from, in opposition to you.’
This sentence is a response to their accusation that he wants to strip them of their freedom in their actions, to subjugate them, and to impose control over them. The upshot is that if he had wanted that, he would have opposed them in what he forbids them from. Since he does not want to oppose them, he does not want what they accused him of; rather, he wants to bring about reform to the greatest extent to which he is able.
To clarify: although the divine act of creation has endowed human beings with free will in their actions, and they are free to incline in their actions towards either doing or not doing, this freedom is complete in relation to other members of their species who share their likeness in creation. They have what he has, and they bear what he bears. So, no one has the right to impose control over another according to their own whim.
However, humans are inherently social creatures, and their life needs can only be fulfilled in a community of individuals of the same species, where everyone cooperates to meet everyone else’s needs. Then, everyone specializes according to their own position in society. It is self-evident that a society cannot function without rules and laws, and a government managed by some of its members to preserve order and implement laws in accordance with the community’s interests.
Therefore, it is inevitable that society members must surrender some of their freedom in return for the existence of such laws and customs, and refrain from acting recklessly, in order to attain some of their desires and preserve the remaining portion of their freedom.
In a societal context, an individual doesn’t have absolute freedom regarding critical matters that affect the common good and the overall wellbeing of society. When a government regulates these matters through policy and legislation, this is not a matter of enslavement or subjugation. Instead, it is about regulating those aspects of society where individuals do not have complete freedom.
Similarly, if an individual among the society sees actions from their fellow citizens that could harm their society or impair its wellbeing, thus invalidating their common and fundamental interests, he is moved to advise them towards a path of good sense. He commands them to do what’s necessary and prohibits them from what should be avoided. This individual is not acting out of self-interest or subjugating the free citizens of his people. There is no freedom when it comes to the common good and necessary rules in their society. The commands and prohibitions he delivers to them are not truly his but arise from the demands of the aforementioned interests and inhere in society in the broadest sense of the term. The one who delivers the commands and prohibitions is merely a messenger, nothing more.
The evidence for this is when the messenger himself acts on what he commands and refrains from what he forbids without contradicting his words with his actions. Since humans naturally strive to preserve their benefits and care for their interests, if there is good in what he calls others to do, and he is a participant with them, he won’t contradict himself. He won’t leave for himself what he deems good for others. That’s why Shuʿayb says in his response to his own people: ‘I do not wish to oppose you in what I forbid you.’ Furthermore, to emphasise this point and remove any remaining doubt, he tells them, I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds ().
Therefore, by saying, ‘I do not wish to oppose you …’, Shuʿayb intends to say that whatever he prohibits them from is for the wellbeing of their society, of which he himself is a member. Therefore, everyone must observe these ordinances and adhere to them, but this is not tantamount to tyranny or something he has concocted from his own desires. That is why he says, ‘I only desire to put things in order, as far as I can.’
In summary, when they heard Shuʿayb calling them to abandon idol worship and fraud, they rejected his call, saying that what he proposed was contrary to their human freedom, which allowed them to worship whoever they wanted and do whatever they wished with their wealth.
Shuʿayb responded to them by saying that what he invites them to does not originate from himself in a way that contradicts their freedom or invalidates their independence in their feelings or free will. Instead, he is a messenger from their Lord to them, and he has clear evidence of this. What he has brought to them is from God, who owns them and everything else and they are His servants, and this means they have no freedom or choice in relation to Him, nor do they have a choice in what He wants from them.
As for the message he delivered to them, which concerns the prosperity of their community and their personal happiness in this world and the Hereafter, an indication of this is that he does not want to contradict them on what he forbids them from. Rather, he is like them in doing so. He only aims to reform as much as he can and does not seek any reward for himself from them for this, as his reward lies only with the Lord of the Worlds.
When Shuʿayb says, ‘… and my success lies only with Allah: in Him I have put my trust, and to Him I turn penitently’, he does so in the context of denying any capability to himself. As he already mentioned that he intends to reform their community with beneficial knowledge and good deeds to the extent of his ability, affirming for himself capability and power. However, the servant’s freedom and power is nothing without God. He concludes by confessing his own inadequacy and deficiency by saying, ‘… and my success lies only with Allah …’, which means: ‘Whatever I can accomplish through my ability in managing your affairs and securing the means to guarantee your happiness, all of this is only from God. He is indispensable, and there is no escape from His grasp, and no independence from Him. He is the one who granted me whatever capability I have. He is the one who aligns the external causes by means of my ability. Therefore, both my ability and success are from Him.’
Shuʿayb expounded this truth, and acknowledged that his success derived from God. This is a consequence of Him being the Creator of every soul, its Preserver, and the One who holds every soul accountable for what it has earned. This is as stated in the verses: All praise belongs to Allah, originator of the heavens and the earth (); … and your Lord is watchful over all things (); Is He who sustains every soul by what it earns (); Indeed Allah sustains the heavens and the earth lest they should fall apart … ().
The upshot is that He is the one who originated things, their deeds, the links between them, and brought them into existence. He preserves all things and maintains their effects and prevents the links between them from disappearing and vanishing into nothingness.
This, in turn, necessitates that He is the trustee of everything in managing its affairs. They are dependent upon Him in their realization and the realization of the links between them, because He encompasses them, is dominant over them, and with that, they are linked to that thing by His leave.
Therefore, it is necessary for the servant who knows the status of his Lord, and recognizes this truth, to put this knowledge into practice by relying on his Lord and turning back to Him. That’s why when Shuʿayb mentioned that his success is from God, he followed this by demonstrating his reliance and turning towards God, and said: ‘… in Him I have put my trust, and to Him I turn penitently.’
Discourse
The discussion “A Digression on the Meaning of Human Freedom of Action” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.
Commentary continues:
وَيَا قَوْمِ لَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شِقَاقِي أَنْ يُصِيبَكُمْ مِثْلُ مَا أَصَابَ قَوْمَ نُوحٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ هُودٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ صَالِحٍ ۚ وَمَا قَوْمُ لُوطٍ مِنْكُمْ بِبَعِيدٍ ٨٩
(11:89) And ‘O my people, do not let your defiance (shiqāq) toward me lead you (yajrimanna-kum) to be visited by the like of what was visited on the people of Noah, or the people of Hūd, or the people of Ṣāliḥ, and the people of Lot are not distant from you.’
According to al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī, the verb jarm (from whence yarjimanna-kum is derived) originally meant to cut the fruit from the tree but came to be used figuratively to denote every ill act. Meanwhile, shiqāq (‘defiance’) denotes oppositionality and antagonism. Therefore, the meaning of Shuʿayb’s statement is: Beware that your opposition and hostility towards me, on account of my message, does not bring down upon you a calamity similar to the one that befell the people of Noah, which is drowning, or the people of Hūd, which is the barren wind, or the people of Ṣāliḥ, which is the cry and the quake.
His statement, ‘and the people of Lot are not distant from you’, suggests that there is not a significant gap between their time and your time. The temporal gap between the two peoples was less than three centuries, as Lot was contemporary with Abraham, while Shuʿayb was contemporary with Moses.
It has been suggested that ‘are not distant’ signifies geographic distance, pointing out that their ruined towns are near you due to the proximity of Midian to Sodom, which is in the Holy Land. So, the meaning is: ‘The location of Lot’s people is not far from you; you can see their sunken cities and their visible remaining ruins.’ However, the context does not support this reading, which goes against the grain of the text without any evidence to justify it.
وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي رَحِيمٌ وَدُودٌ ٩٠
(11:90) ‘Plead with your Lord for forgiveness, then turn to Him penitently. My Lord is indeed all-merciful (raḥīm), all-affectionate (wadūd).’
This has been previously discussed, the meaning of His saying: ‘Plead with your Lord for forgiveness, then turn to Him penitently’ is to seek forgiveness from God for your sins and return to Him in faith in Him and His Messenger. Indeed, God is merciful and loving, He shows mercy to the repentant who seek forgiveness and He loves them.
Note that the first thing Shuʿayb says is ‘Plead with your Lord for forgiveness’, in which he attributes God to them as ‘your Lord’ (rabba-kum). Then, in the context of providing a rationale for this exhortation, he says, ‘My Lord is indeed all-merciful, all-affectionate’, where he attributes God to himself as ‘my Lord.’ Perhaps the reason for this is that, when he bids them to plead for forgiveness and turn to God, He wishes to call attention to God’s status of lordship (rubūbiyya) over them, because it is God’s lordship that relates to acts of worship, including seeking forgiveness and repentance. Then he referred to God as their Lord (‘your Lord’) to emphasise this relationship and to show them that God alone is their Lord, and not those beings they take as lords besides Him.
Now, in this context, it might seem to have been more appropriate to say ‘Indeed, your Lord is Merciful and Loving.’ However, since this rationale for his command is also a form of praising God, and it has already been confirmed that He is the Lord of the people, Shuʿayb attributes God to himself this time. And, in doing so, he expresses the meaning: ‘your Lord and my Lord is merciful and loving.’
However, by attributing God to himself, Shuʿayb also conveys the fact that this statement comes from His own knowledge and experience, which supports the truthfulness of the claim that God is Merciful and Loving. It is as if to say: ‘And how can He be otherwise? For he is my Lord, and I know Him by these two attributes.’
Al-Wadūd is one of the divine names, and it is derived from the Arabic word wudd, meaning ‘love.’ However, wudd denotes a special kind of love: one that manifests itself visibly in actions such as affection, continuous communication, and kindness. As it is stated in the Qurʾanic verse: And of His signs is that He created for you mates from your own selves that you may take comfort in them, and He ordained affection and mercy between you ().
For God loves His servants, and the traces of His love are made apparent through the abundant blessings He bestows upon them: “ If you enumerate Allah’s blessings, you will not be able to count them (). Therefore, He, the Most High, is indeed al-Wadūd towards them.
قَالُوا يَا شُعَيْبُ مَا نَفْقَهُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَقُولُ وَإِنَّا لَنَرَاكَ فِينَا ضَعِيفًا ۖ وَلَوْلَا رَهْطُكَ لَرَجَمْنَاكَ ۖ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْنَا بِعَزِيزٍ ٩١
(11:91) They said, ‘O Shuʿayb, we do not comprehend (mā nafqahu) much of what you say. Indeed we see you are weak amongst us, and were it not for your tribe (rahṭu-ka), we would have stoned you (la-rajamnā-ka), and you are not venerable to us.’
Fiqh (from whence the verb nafqahu is derived) is deeper and more powerful in meaning than ‘understanding’ (fahm). Rahṭ denotes a man’s clan or people—some have said it refers to a group of between 3 and 7 or 10. If this is the case, then the use of the term rahṭ here is supposed to call attention to their relative weakness and paucity of numbers. Rajm means to stone someone.
Therefore, when the Prophet Shuʿayb debated with his people and defeated them with his arguments, they found no way to respond other than to cut him off without offering any counter argument. They told him:
Firstly, much of what he said was incomprehensible to them, meaning his speech had no effect. This was their indirect way of saying that his words were pointless.
Then, they followed up by saying, ‘Indeed we see you are weak amongst us’, meaning, they did not understand his words, nor did they consider him sufficiently influential to warrant them putting in the effort to understand his speech or the care to try and accept it. They saw him as a weak figure among them, someone whose words and actions were not significant and could be safely ignored.
Then, they threatened him by saying, ‘and were it not for your tribe, we would have stoned you.’ Meaning: if it was not for this small group of people who were his relatives, they would have stoned him, but they had to consider their relationship with him. This reference to his small family implies that had they wanted to kill him, they could have done so without worrying about his relatives’ retaliation. Therefore, their restraint from killing him was out of the respect and honour they held for his family.
They further emphasized their point by stating, ‘and you are not venerable to us’ reinforcing their previous statement. They were saying that he was not powerful or influential enough to deter them from wanting to do him harm, and that the only thing preventing them was the special consideration they had for his family. In conclusion, their words were intended to belittle Shuʿayb and show how little regard they had for him and his message, only refraining from harming him out of consideration for his relatives.
قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَهْطِي أَعَزُّ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ وَرَاءَكُمْ ظِهْرِيًّا ۖ إِنَّ رَبِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ ٩٢
(11:92) He said, ‘O my people! Is my tribe more venerable in your sight than Allah, to whom you pay no regard (wa ittakhadh-tumū-hu warāʾ ẓihriyyan)? Indeed my Lord comprehends whatever you do.
Ẓihrī means something that is behind one’s back, and is thus neglected or forgotten about. Ittakhadhu-hu warāʾa-hu ẓihriyyan (literally, ‘to put it behind one’s back’) means to treat something as though it was of no importance and not mention it.
This is Shuʿayb’s response to their statement, ‘and were it not for your tribe, we would have stoned you’ (). In other words: ‘How can you respect my tribe and consider them important, without showing the same respect to God, whom I am calling you towards on behalf of? Is my tribe more worthy of respect in your eyes than God? You have forgotten God entirely, which is not right for you to do, because my Lord encompasses everything thing you do in totality, in existence, knowledge, and power.’ The verse criticizes Shuʿayb’s people for their foolish ideas, just as they had previously disparaged Shuʿayb for his lowly status.
وَيَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ ۖ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ ۖ وَارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ ٩٣
(11:93) O my people! Act according to your ability (makānati-kum); I too am acting. Soon you will know who will be overtaken by a punishment that will disgrace him, and who is a liar. So be on the watch; I too will be watching along with you.’
In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, al-Ṭabrisī writes:
‘Makāna refers to the state in which one is able to undertake some act (yatamakkan bi-hā min ʿamal). It indicates a strong ability to do something, as when one says tamakkana min kadhā (‘he is capable of this’), meaning that he has the strength to accomplish it.’
This is a severe threat from Shuʿayb to his people. He is confident in what he says without any worry or hesitation due to their disbelief in and rebellion against his message. So, he says they should act according to their utmost strength and ability. That they have their deeds and he has his. And that a humiliating punishment will soon catch them unawares, and at that time, they will know who will be afflicted with the punishment. Is it him or them? They will know who the liar is. So let them wait, for God is watching them closely and never leaves them.
وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ ٩٤
(11:94) And when Our edict came, We delivered Shuʿayb and the faithful who were with him by a mercy from Us. And the Cry seized those who were wrongdoers, whereat they lay lifeless prostrate in their homes …
The meaning of the verse has already been explained.
كَأَنْ لَمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيهَا ۗ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِمَدْيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ ٩٥
(11:95) … as if they had never lived there (ka-an lam yaghnaw fī-hā). Look! Away with Midian!—just as Thamud was done away with!
When used in conjunction with a place, the verb ghanī (from whence yaghnaw is derived) means to dwell therein.
Look! Away with Midian!—just as Thamud was done away with!: This shows that they were cursed just as Thamud was cursed, and some explanation of this has been provided in our commentary on earlier stories.
Examining Narrations
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, we read: ‘God sent Shuʿayb to Midian—a village on the way to Syria—but they did not believe in him.’
- In Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, it is narrated by Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā, from some of his associates, from Imām al-Ṣādiq about God’s saying, ‘Indeed I see that you are faring well’ (): ‘their costs were low.’
- It is also narrated by Muḥammad b. al-Fuḍayl from al-Riḍā: ‘I asked him about awaiting the relief (intiẓār al-faraj). He told me: “Do you not know that awaiting the relief is part of the relief?” Then he said, “Surely God says, So be on the watch; I too will be watching along with you.”’ ()
Author’s comment: His saying ‘Do you not know …?’ means ‘You do not know,’ and this is a colloquialism.
- In Maʿānī al-akhbār, it is narrated by ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Faḍl al-Hāshimī that he asked Imām al-Ṣādiq about the verses, and my success lies only with Allah () and If Allah helps you, no one can overcome you, but if He forsakes you, who will help you after Him? (). He said: ‘When the servant does what God Almighty commanded of obedience, his actions are in accordance with God’s command, and the servant is then called successful. And when the servant intends to indulge in any of God’s sins, and God Almighty stands between him and that sin and he leaves it, then his leaving it is due to God’s grace. But when he is left alone with sin and nothing comes between him and it until he accomplishes it, he has been forsaken and not helped or guided.’
Author’s comment: His explanation means that God’s granting of success to and forsaking His servants are among His attributes of action (ṣifāt al-fiʿl). When God grants success to His servant, this means he orders the causes so that they lead the servant to perform righteous work or preventing the existence of those causes that assist him in sinning. And forsaking the servant is the opposite of that. So, a servant’s success is associated with causes as it is the result of the harmony created between them and is characterized by it. And the description of the servant as ‘successful’ is a description of him with the state of the object of God’s action.
- In al-Durr al-manthūr, al-Suyūṭī cites Abū Nuʿaym, who reports from ʿAlī: ‘I said: “O Messenger of God advise me!” He said: “Say: ‘My Lord is God,’ then remain steadfast.” I said: “My Lord is God and my success is only through God, upon Him I rely and to Him I turn.” He said: “May you enjoy your knowledge, O Abū al-Ḥasan, for you have drunk deeply of knowledge and drawn of it abundantly.”’
Author’s comment: I have previously discussed some the significance of the lattermost statement.
- In the same source, al-Suyūṭī narrates from al-Wāḥidī and Ibn ʿAsākir from Shaddād b. Aws, who said: ‘The Messenger of God said: “Shuʿayb wept out of love for God until he went blind, then God restored his sight, and God revealed to him: ‘O Shuʿayb, what is this weeping? Is it out of longing for Paradise or fear of Hell?’ He said: No, but I have recognized your love in my heart, so when I look upon you, I don’t care what you do with me. So, God revealed to him: ‘O Shuʿayb, if that is true, congratulations on meeting Me, O Shuʿayb, it is for this reason that I made Moses son of Amram your servant.’”’
Author’s comment: What is meant by Shuʿayb ‘looking’ upon God here is with his spiritual gaze, not the physical one that would imply God’s corporeality, which He is transcendent above. This has been previously clarified in the interpretation of the verse: When Moses arrived at Our tryst ().
- In the same source, Abū al-Shaykh reports from ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib that he delivered a sermon and recited the verse about Shuʿayb: ‘Indeed we see you are weak amongst us’ (Al-A’raf, ) He said: ‘He was blind, so they considered him weak.’ ‘and were it not for your tribe, we would have stoned you.’ ʿAlī said: ‘By God, there is no god except Him, they did not fear the Majesty of their Lord, they only feared their tribe.’
Discourse
The discussion “On the Story of Shuʿayb” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.