Tafsir Surah Ash-Shu'ara' ayah 181

Shu`ayb and His Preaching to the Dwellers of Al-Aykah

Allah says:

كَذَّبَ أَصۡحَابُ الاَۡيۡكَةِ الۡمُرۡسَلِينَ

إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

إِنِّي لَكُمۡ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

وَمَا أَسۡأَلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ أَجۡرٍ

إِنۡ أَجۡرِيَ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّ الۡعَالَمِينَ

The companions of Al-Aykah denied the Messengers. When Shu`ayb said to them:Will you not have Taqwa! I am a trustworthy Messenger to you. So, have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the Lord of Al-`Alamin.

The companions of Al-Aykah were the people of Madyan, according to the most correct view.

The Prophet of Allah Shu`ayb was one of them, but it does not say here, their brother Shu`ayb, because they called themselves by a name denoting their deification of Al-Aykah, which was a tree which they used to worship; it was said that it was a group of trees which were tangled, like trees in a thicket. For this reason, when Allah said that the companions of Al-Aykah denied the Messengers, He did not say, When their brother Shu`ayb said to them. Rather, He said

إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٌ

When Shu`ayb said to them,

He is not described as belonging to them because of the meaning that was inherent in the name given to them even though he was their brother by blood.

Some people did not notice this point, so they thought that the dwellers of Al-Aykah were different from the people of Madyan, and claimed that Shu`ayb was sent to two nations; some said that he was sent to three.

أَصۡحَابُ الاَۡيۡكَةِ

(The companions of Al-Aykah) were the people of Shu`ayb.

This was the view of Ishaq bin Bishr.

Someone besides Juwaybir said,

The dwellers of Al-Aykah and the people of Madyan are one and the same.

And Allah knows best.

Although there is another opinion that they were different nations with two identities, the correct view is that they were one nation, but they are described differently in different places.

Shu`ayb preached to them and commanded them to be fair in their weights and measures, the same as is mentioned in the story of Madyan, which also indicates that they were the same nation

The Command to give Full Measure

Allah commanded them to give full measure, and forbade them to give short measure.

He said:

أَوۡفُوا الۡكَيۡلَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الۡمُخۡسِرِينَ

Give full measure, and cause no loss.

meaning, `when you give to people, give them full measure, and do not cause loss to them by giving them short measure, while taking full measure when you are the ones who are taking. Give as you take, and take as you give.'

وَزِنُوا بِالۡقِسۡطَاسِ الۡمُسۡتَقِيم

And weigh with the true and straight balance.

The balance is the scales.

وَلَا تَبۡخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشۡيَاءهُمۡ

And defraud not people by reducing their things,

means, do not shortchange them.

وَلَا تَعۡثَوۡا فِي الاَۡرۡضِ مُفۡسِدِينَ

nor do evil, making corruption and mischief in the land.

means, by engaging in banditry.

This is like the Ayah,

وَلَا تَقۡعُدُواۡ بِكُلِّ صِرَطٍ تُوعِدُونَ

And sit not on every road, threatening, (7:86)

وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمۡ وَالۡجِبِلَّةَ الاۡاَوَّلِينَ

And have Taqwa of Him Who created you and the generations of the men of old.

Here he is frightening them with the punishment of Allah Who created them and created their forefathers.

This is like when Musa, peace be upon him, said:

رَبُّكُمۡ وَرَبُّ ءَابَأيِكُمُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ

Your Lord and the Lord of your ancient fathers! (26:26)

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Sufyan bin Uyaynah and Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said:

وَالۡجِبِلَّةَ الاۡاَوَّلِينَ

(the generations of the men of old) means, He created the early generations. And Ibn Zayd recited:

وَلَقَدۡ أَضَلَّ مِنۡكُمۡ جِبِلًّ كَثِيراً

And indeed he (Shaytan) did lead astray a great multitude of you. (36:62

The Response of Shu`ayb's People, Their Disbelief in Him and the coming of the Punishment upon Them

Allah tells us how his people responded and how it was like the response of Thamud to their Messenger -- for they were of like mind -- when:

قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مِنَ الۡمُسَحَّرِينَ

They said:You are only one of those bewitched!

meaning, `you are one of those who are affected by witchcraft.'

وَمَا أَنتَ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُنَا وَإِن نَّظُنُّكَ لَمِنَ الۡكَاذِبِينَ

You are but a human being like us and verily, we think that you are one of the liars!

means, `we think you are deliberately lying to us in what you say, and Allah has not sent you to us.

فَأَسۡقِطۡ عَلَيۡنَا كِسَفًا مِّنَ السَّمَاء

So cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us,

Ad-Dahhak said:

One side of the heavens.

Qatadah said:

A piece of the heaven.

As-Suddi said:

A punishment from heaven.

This is like what the Quraysh said, as Allah tells us:

وَقَالُواۡ لَن نُّوۡمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفۡجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الاٌّرۡضِ يَنۡبُوعًا

And they say:We shall not believe in you, until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us, until:

أَوۡ تُسۡقِطَ السَّمَأءَ كَمَا زَعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡنَا كِسَفًا أَوۡ تَأۡتِىَ بِاللَّهِ وَالۡمَلَـيِكَةِ قَبِيلً

Or you cause the heaven to fall upon us in pieces, as you have pretended, or you bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face. (17:90-92)

وَإِذۡ قَالُواۡ اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الۡحَقَّ مِنۡ عِندِكَ فَأَمۡطِرۡ عَلَيۡنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَأءِ

And (remember) when they said:O Allah! If this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky.... (8:32)

Similarly, these ignorant disbelievers said:

فَأَسۡقِطۡ عَلَيۡنَا كِسَفًا مِّنَ السَّمَاء إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ

So, cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful!

قَالَ رَبِّي أَعۡلَمُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ

He said:My Lord is the Best Knower of what you do.

means, `Allah knows best about you, and if you deserve that, He will punish you therewith, and He will not treat you unjustly.'

So this is what happened to them -- as they asked for -- an exact recompense.

Allah says:

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمۡ عَذَابُ يَوۡمِ الظُّلَّةِ

إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيمٍ

But they denied him, so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

This is what they asked for, when they asked for a part of the heaven to fall upon them. Allah made their punishment in the form of intense heat which overwhelmed them for seven days, and nothing could protect them from it.

Then He sent a cloud to shade them, so they ran towards it to seek its shade from the heat. When all of them had gathered underneath it, Allah sent sparks of fire and flames and intense heat upon them, and caused the earth to convulse beneath them, and He sent against them a mighty Sayhah which destroyed their souls.

Allah says:

إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيمٍ

Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

Allah has mentioned how they were destroyed in three places in the Qur'an, in each of which it is described in a manner which fits the context.

In Surah Al-A`rafHe says that:

the earthquake seized them, and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes. This was because they said:

لَنُخۡرِجَنَّكَ يـشُعَيۡبُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواۡ مَعَكَ مِن قَرۡيَتِنَأ أَوۡ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا

We shall certainly drive you out, O Shu`ayb, and those who have believed with you from our town, or else you (all) shall return to our religion. (7:88)

They had sought to scare the Prophet of Allah and those who followed him, so they were seized by the earthquake.

In Surah Hud, Allah says:

وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواۡ الصَّيۡحَةُ

And As-Sayhah seized the wrongdoers. (11:94)

This was because they mocked the Allah's Prophet when they said:

أَصَلَوَتُكَ تَأۡمُرُكَ أَن نَّتۡرُكَ مَا يَعۡبُدُ ءابَاوُنَأ أَوۡ أَن نَّفۡعَلَ فِى أَمۡوَالِنَا مَا نَشَوُا إِنَّكَ لاّنتَ الۡحَلِيمُ الرَّشِيدُ

Does your Salah command that we give up what our fathers used to worship, or that we give up doing what we like with our property Verily, you are the forbearer, right-minded! (11:87)

They had said this in a mocking, sarcastic tone, so it was befitting that the Sayhah should come and silence them, as Allah says:

فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ الصَّيۡحَةُ

So As-Saihah overtook them. (15:73)

وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواۡ الصَّيۡحَةُ

And As-Saihah seized the wrongdoers. (11:94)

And here, they said:

فَأَسۡقِطۡ عَلَيۡنَا كِسَفًا مِّنَ السَّمَاء

So, cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us,

in a stubborn and obstinate manner. So, it was fitting that something they never thought would happen should befall them:

فَأَخَذَهُمۡ عَذَابُ يَوۡمِ الظُّلَّةِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيمٍ

so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

Muhammad bin Jarir narrated from Yazid Al-Bahili:I asked Ibn Abbas about this Ayah:

فَأَخَذَهُمۡ عَذَابُ يَوۡمِ الظُّلَّةِ

(so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them).

He said:

`Allah sent upon them thunder and intense heat, and it terrified them (so they entered their houses and it pursued them to the innermost parts of their houses and terrified them further), and they ran fleeing from their houses into the fields. Then Allah sent upon them clouds which shaded them from the sun, and they found it cool and pleasant, so they called out to one another until they had all gathered beneath the cloud, then Allah sent fire upon them.'

Ibn Abbas said,

`That was the torment of the Day of Shadow, indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.'

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَةً

وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّوۡمِنِينَ

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الۡعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Verily, in this is an Ayah, yet most of them are not believers. And verily, your Lord, He is truly, the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.

meaning, He is All-Mighty in His punishment of the disbelievers, and Most Merciful towards His believing servants.

Ash-Shu'ara': 181

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Ash-Shu'ara': 181