Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 7 Al-A'raf, Ayat 85-93

وَاِلٰى مَدۡيَنَ اَخَاهُمۡ شُعَيۡبًا​ ؕ قَالَ يٰقَوۡمِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مَا لَـكُمۡ مِّنۡ اِلٰهٍ غَيۡرُهٗ​ ؕ قَدۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ​ فَاَوۡفُوا الۡكَيۡلَ وَالۡمِيۡزَانَ وَلَا تَبۡخَسُوا النَّاسَ اَشۡيَآءَهُمۡ وَلَا تُفۡسِدُوۡا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ بَعۡدَ اِصۡلَاحِهَا​ ؕ ذٰ لِكُمۡ خَيۡرٌ لَّـكُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ​ ۚ‏ ﴿7:85﴾ وَلَا تَقۡعُدُوۡا بِكُلِّ صِرَاطٍ تُوۡعِدُوۡنَ وَتَصُدُّوۡنَ عَنۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِهٖ وَتَبۡغُوۡنَهَا عِوَجًا​ ۚ وَاذۡكُرُوۡۤا اِذۡ كُنۡتُمۡ قَلِيۡلًا فَكَثَّرَكُمۡ​وَانْظُرُوۡا كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الۡمُفۡسِدِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:86﴾ وَاِنۡ كَانَ طَآئِفَةٌ مِّنۡكُمۡ اٰمَنُوۡا بِالَّذِىۡۤ اُرۡسِلۡتُ بِهٖ وَطَآئِفَةٌ لَّمۡ يُؤۡمِنُوۡا فَاصۡبِرُوۡا حَتّٰى يَحۡكُمَ اللّٰهُ بَيۡنَنَا​ ۚ وَهُوَ خَيۡرُ الۡحٰكِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:87﴾ قَالَ الۡمَلَاُ الَّذِيۡنَ اسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡا مِنۡ قَوۡمِهٖ لَـنُخۡرِجَنَّكَ يٰشُعَيۡبُ وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مَعَكَ مِنۡ قَرۡيَتِنَاۤ اَوۡ لَـتَعُوۡدُنَّ فِىۡ مِلَّتِنَا​ ؕ قَالَ اَوَلَوۡ كُنَّا كَارِهِيۡنَ ۚ‏ ﴿7:88﴾ قَدِ افۡتَرَيۡنَا عَلَى اللّٰهِ كَذِبًا اِنۡ عُدۡنَا فِىۡ مِلَّتِكُمۡ بَعۡدَ اِذۡ نَجّٰٮنَا اللّٰهُ مِنۡهَا​ ؕ وَمَا يَكُوۡنُ لَـنَاۤ اَنۡ نَّعُوۡدَ فِيۡهَاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ يَّشَآءَ اللّٰهُ رَبُّنَا​ ؕ وَسِعَ رَبُّنَا كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ عِلۡمًا​ؕ عَلَى اللّٰهِ تَوَكَّلۡنَا​ ؕ رَبَّنَا افۡتَحۡ بَيۡنَنَا وَبَيۡنَ قَوۡمِنَا بِالۡحَـقِّ وَاَنۡتَ خَيۡرُ الۡفٰتِحِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:89﴾ وَقَالَ الۡمَلَاُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا مِنۡ قَوۡمِهٖ لَـئِنِ اتَّبَعۡتُمۡ شُعَيۡبًا اِنَّكُمۡ اِذًا لَّخٰسِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:90﴾ فَاَخَذَتۡهُمُ الرَّجۡفَةُ فَاَصۡبَحُوۡا فِىۡ دَارِهِمۡ جٰثِمِيۡنَ​ ۛۙ  ۚ   ۖ‏ ﴿7:91﴾ الَّذِيۡنَ كَذَّبُوۡا شُعَيۡبًا كَاَنۡ لَّمۡ يَغۡنَوۡا فِيۡهَا​​ ۛۚ اَ لَّذِيۡنَ كَذَّبُوۡا شُعَيۡبًا كَانُوۡا هُمُ الۡخٰسِرِيۡنَ​​‏ ﴿7:92﴾ فَتَوَلّٰى عَنۡهُمۡ وَقَالَ يٰقَوۡمِ لَقَدۡ اَبۡلَغۡتُكُمۡ رِسٰلٰتِ رَبِّىۡ وَنَصَحۡتُ لَـكُمۡ​ۚ فَكَيۡفَ اٰسٰی عَلٰى قَوۡمٍ كٰفِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:93﴾

(7:85) And to Midian69 We sent forth their brother Shu'ayb He exhorted them: O my people! Serve Allah, you have no god but Him. Indeed a clear proof has come to you from your Lord. So give just weight and measure and diminish not to men their things '70 and make no mischief on the earth after it has been set in good order.71 That is to your own good, if you truly believe .72 (7:86) And do not lie in ambush by every path [of life] seeking to overawe or to hinder from the path of Allah those who believe, nor seek to make the path crooked. Remember, how you were once few, and then He multiplied you, and keep in mind what was the end of mischiefmakers. (7:87) And if there are some among you who believe in the message that I bear while some do not believe, have patience till Allah shall judge between us. He is the best of those who judge.' (7:88) The haughty elders of his people said: 'O Shu'ayb! We shall certainly banish you and your companions-in-faith from our town, or else you shall return to our faith.' Shu'ayb said: 'What! Even though we abhor [your faith]? (7:89) If we return to your faith after Allah has delivered us from it we would be fabricating a lie against Allah. nor can we return to it again unless it be by, the will of Allah, our Lord.73 Our Lord has knowledge of all things, and in Allah we put our trust. Our Lord! Judge rightly between us and our people, for You are the best of those who judge.' (7:90) The elders of his people who disbelieved said: 'Should you follow Shu'ayb, you will be utter losers.74 (7:91) Thereupon a shocking catastrophe seized them, and they remained prostrate in their dwellings. (7:92) Those who had charged Shu'ayb with lying became as though-they had never lived there; it is they who became utter losers.75 (7:93) Shu'ayb then departed from his people, and said: '0 my people! Surely I conveyed to you the message of my Lord, and gave you sincere advice. How, then, can I mourn for a people who refuse to accept the truth?'76

Notes

69. The territory of Madyan (Midian) lay to the north-west of Hijaz and south of Palestine on the coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, and part of the territory stretched to the northern border of the Sinai Peninsula. The Midianites and their towns were situated at the crossroads of the trade routes from Yemen through Makka and Yanbu' to Syria along the Red Sea coast, and from Iraq to Egypt. Midian was, therefore, quite well known to the Arabs. In fact it persisted in their memory long after its destruction for the Arab trade caravans en route to Syria and Egypt passed through territories which were full of the ruins of their monuments.

Another point worth noting about the people of Midian is that they were reckoned to be descendants of Midyan, a son of the Prophet Abraharn born of his third wife, Qatura. According to a custom of the time, persons who attached themselves to a notable family were gradually counted as members of that family, as the descendants of that family's ancestor. It is for this reason that a large majority of Arabs were called the descendants of Ismai'l. Likewise those who embraced faith at the hands of Ya'qab's sons bore the general name 'the People of Israel'. Now, since the inhabitants of Midian owed allegiance to Midyan, son of Abraham, they were referred to as the descendants of Midyan and their territory was called Midian.

In view of this it should not be thought that the Prophet Shu'ayb invited them, for the first time, to follow Divine Guidance. At the time of the advent of Shu'ayb their state was no different from that of the Israelites at the time of the advent of Moses. They too were originally a Muslim people who had subsequently moved far away from Islam. For six to seven centuries they lived amongst a people who were steeped in polytheism and moral corruption, and this led to their contamination with polytheism and moral corruption. Despite their deviation and corruption, however, they claimed to be the followers of the true faith, and were proud of their religious identification.

70. This shows that the people of Midian suffered from two major ailments - polytheism and dishonesty in business. Shu'ayb devoted his efforts to purging them of those evils.

71. The import of this statement has been explained earlier in (notes 44-5) above. In his exhortations to his people, Shu'ayb emphasized that they should not allow the order of life, established by the previous Prophets on the foundations of true faith and sound morals, to be corrupted by false beliefs and moral depravity.

72. This clearly shows that the people concerned claimed to be believers, as we have already pointed out. In fact, they were originally Muslims who had drifted away from Islam, who had become enmeshed in a range of evils. They not only professed to be believers, but took great pride in being so. See( n. 69) above - Ed. Shu'ayb made this fact the starting-point of his preaching. He told them that if they indeed were believers they should live up to that fact; they should consider their salvation to lie in practising goodness and virtue, honesty and integrity; and they should distinguish between good and evil on the basis of the standards followed by righteous people rather than of those who believed neither in God nor in the Hereafter.

73. This phrase signifies substantively what is meant by the commonly used Islamic formula In-sha' Allah ('If Allah so wills'). Its meaning is evident from( al-Kahf 18: 23-4), in which the believers are directed not to make definitive statements about what they will do without making such actions contingent on God's will. This is understandable since a believer firmly believes in God's power and is ever conscious that his destiny is inalienably tied to God's will. It is impossible for such a person to make foolish statements about what he will do and what he will not do. He is bound to make it clear that he will accomplish what he intends only, if 'God so wills'.

74. One should not pass cursorily over this short sentence; instead one must reflect upon it. What the leaders of Midian in effect told their people was that Shu'ayb's exhortations to practise honesty and righteousness, and to strictly adhere to moral values, would spell their disaster. They implied that they could not succeed in the business carried on by the people of Midian if they were totally honest and straightforward in their dealings. Were they to let trading caravans pass by unmolested, they would lose all the advantages of being located at the crossroads of the major trade routes and by their proximity to the civilized and prosperous countries such as Egypt and Iraq. Also, if they were to become peaceful and to cease their attacks upon the trade caravans, they would no longer be held in awe by neighbouring countries.

Such attitudes have not, however, been confined to the tribal chiefs of Shu'ayb. People who stray away from truth, honesty and righteousness, regardless of their age and clime, have always found in honesty a means of great loss. People of warped mentalities in every age have always believed that trade, politics, and other worldly pursuits can never flourish unless they resort to dishonest and immoral practices. The main objection against the Message of truth in all ages has been that the pursuit of truth spells material doom.

75. The destruction of the people of Midian remained proverbial in Arabia for a long time. As such the following lines in Psalms are significant:

Yea, they conspire with one accord;

against thee they make a covenant -

the tents of Edom and the Ish'maelites.

Moab and the Hagrites,

Gebal and Ammon and Am'alek,

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

Assyria also has joined them;

they are the strong arms of the children of Lot.

Do to them as thou didst to Mid'ian (Psalms 83: 5-9).

Note also the following statement in Isaiah:

A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the Lord of hosts: 'O my people, who dwell in Zion be not afraid of the Assyrians when they smite you with their rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. For in a very little while my indignation will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. And the Lord of hosts will wield against them a scourge, as when he smote Mid'ian at the rock of Oreb . . .' (Isaiah 10: 21-6).

76. The stories narrated here have a definite didactic purpose and were narrated with a view to highlighting their relevance to the time of the Prophet (peace be on him). In each of these stories one of the parties is a Prophet who in respect of his teachings greatly resembles Muhammad (peace be on him), in summoning his people to the right way, in admonishing them, in sincerely seeking their welfare. At the other end of the scale in each narrative are the unbelieving nations who greatly resembled the Quraysh in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) with regard to their disbelief and moral degeneration.

By recounting the tragic end of each of these unrighteous nations of the past, the Quraysh are reminded of the moral purpose of these stories. Through the stories they are told that if, because of their stubbornness they fail to follow the Messenger of God during the term of respite granted to them, they will be subjected to the same destruction which befell those past nations who persisted in wrong-doing and error.