Surah Ash-Shu'ara 26:176-191 - Quran Translation Commentary

126. Literally, “the Companions of the Wood.”

Commenting on the story of Shu`ayb and his people, Asad wrote at 7:85, “The region of Madyan – the Midian of the Bible – extended from the present-day Gulf of Aqabah westward deep into the Sinai Peninsula and to the mountains of Moab east of the Dead Sea; its inhabitants were Arabs of the Amorite group of tribes.”

The textual “aykah” is in singular and means a thick, tangled tree. Its plural is “ayk” (Ibn Jarir).

Majid writes, “Aykah signifies ‘The thicket, or collection of tangled trees, or the tangles of luxuriant, or abundant and dense trees.”

However, a report coming from Ibn `Abbas tells us that he thought “aykah” was for wood, or woods, (i.e., a forest: Au). He also said that by “as-hab al-aykah,” the allusion is to the people of Madyan. Some have read it as “laykah” (Ibn Jarir).

Nafi`, Ibn Kathir (not the commentator: Au.) and Ibn `Amir were among those who read it as “laykah.” Some others have thought that “Laykah” was the name of a town, but which sounds doubtful (Shawkani). Qurtubi also doubts the opinion.

Earlier, while discussing v.85 of Al-A`raf, Shawkani reported Suddi and `Ikrimah of opinion that Shu`ayb was indeed sent to two different peoples, one after another. Their opinions have been preserved by Ibn `Asakir and Ibn Is-haq.

Ibn Kathir reports some authorities as of opinion that Aykah and Madyan were two different places, and that Shu`ayb was an exception in that he was sent to two different peoples. In fact, `Abdullah b. `Amr even reports a hadith to this effect. But, in Ibn Kathir’s opinion, the hadith is weak, and is perhaps `Abdullah b. `Amr’s own statement. According to such scholars, Shu`ayb, was first sent to Madyan, to whom he belonged. Its inhabitants refused and were destroyed by a huge cry. Thereafter he was sent to the people of Aykah – to whom he did not belong. Nevertheless, they too rejected and were destroyed under the shadow of a cloud. But Ibn Kathir differs with this opinion and thinks the two nations were one, who lived in Madyan. They worshipped a Tree to which they were attributed when it was said “As-hab al-Aykah,” and which is the reason why Allah did not refer to Shu`ayb as their brother. Although their brother, because he was one of them, Shu`ayb was not referred in those words (as against, “their brother Hud, their brother `Aad, etc.: Au.), because Allah chose to refer to his people as the “Tree-worshippers.” (In contrast, when Allah did not mention Shu`ayb in reference to their worship of the Tree, he referred to Shu`ayb as their brother, as in al-A`raf: 85 – Au.).

However, there does not seem to be an agreement between the commentators over the issue. For further discussions see notes under verse 85 of al-A`raf.

127. That is, there are three ways of weighing: justly balanced, the scale tilting down in favor of the buyer, and, third, the scale tilting down in favor of the seller. With the words, “And weigh with an even balance,” Allah exhorted them to weigh evenly, and with the words, “And diminish not the goods of the people,” He exhorted them that if they could not tilt the balance in favor of the buyer, then, they should not at least tilt it in their own favor. The hidden implication of the passage that follows is that if somebody did not tilt down in favor of the buyer, but rather, balanced justly, he committed no sin (Zamakhshari, Razi).

128. Alternatively, weigh justly, because Mujahid and Qatadah were of opinion that “qistas” is a word of Roman origin meaning just, or justice (Ibn Kathir).

129. A literal rendition would be, “And diminish not the goods of the people.” See note 125 of Surah all-A`raf, and note 105 of Surah Hud for various implications of the term bakhs.

130. The allusion is to highway robbery which they committed (Ibn Kathir). For other implications see notes 127, 128 and 129 of al-A`raf of this work.

Asad refers to the earlier discussion of a similar passages at Hud, ayah 84, where he wrote: “Some commentators assume that the people of Madyan were of a particularly commercial bent of mind, and given to fraudulent dealings. It is obvious, however, that the purport of this passage and of its sequence goes far beyond anything that might be construed by a purely ‘historical’ interpretation. What this version of Shu`ayb’s story aims at is – as always in the Qur’an – the enunciation of a generally applicable principle of ethics: namely, the impossibility of one’s being righteous with regard to God unless one is righteous – in both the moral and social sense of this word – in the realm of human relationships as well. This explains the insistence with which the above prohibition is re-stated in a positive form, as an injunction, in the next verse.”

131. Our translation of “jibillah” as peoples (or, alternatively, creations or generations) has the support of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ibn Zayd as in Tabari. Suddi, Sufyan b. `Uyaynah and Zayd b. Aslam were also of the same opinion (Ibn Kathir).

132. Lit., sadiqeen means men of truth, or in simpler words, truth-tellers.

133. Shu`ayb purported to say in reply to their demand for fragments to fall on them, that Allah knows best your deeds. If they cross a certain level of tolerance that He has determined, He might punish you. I on my part do not have that knowledge and hence cannot predict whether the punishment will follow or not (Zamakhshari, in effect).

134. That is, they continued to reject him and give him the lie (Alusi).

135. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Dahhak, Qatadah, Ibn Zayd and others have explained that the allusion by “zullah” (overshadowing) is to the cloud that overshadowed them after a few hot days. The people of Aykah (Madyan) assembled under the cloud seeking relief from the blazing heat. As they were drowsing, a huge noise overtook them and they all lay dead. (Although Ibn `Abbas figures as one of those who held the above opinion), he is also reported to have said that whosoever of the scholars explained what the punishment of the Zullah was, could be given the lie (Ibn Jarir).

We ca not be sure in exactly what sense Ibn `Abbas made the above statement. But he used an uncommon word: `Ulama’ (scholars). Since the learned of his time were not referred to as `Ulama’, one wonders if he was alluding to the Jewish scholars (Au.).

According to some others, a fire descended and burned them all to ashes. The two statements are reconciled by Qatadah who said that the people of Aykah were destroyed by the Zullah while those of Madyan by a terrific noise produced by Jibril (Qurtubi).

Thus, Zamakhshari and Ibn Kathir add, they had asked for a piece of the heaven to fall upon them, and a piece of the heaven they were given. And, (according to a report in Durr al-Manthur, Muhammad b. Ka`b al-Qurazi said (Ibn Kathir), that three elements were used to destroy them. First a quake shook them so that they all came out of their homes. Then Allah let loose intense heat upon them. When that had sufficiently roasted them, He sent a piece of cloud (that hung over their fields). It offered them such cool that everyone gathered under its shade. A huge cry overtook them and they all lay dead (Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani, and others).

136. In this particular case, the complete annihilation of a great power of the time carries a sign for the posterity (Au.).

137. Asad comments, “With this refrain ends the cycle of seven stories showing that spiritual truth in all its manifestations – whether it relates to an intellectual realization of God’s existence, to a refusal to regard power, wealth or fame as real values, or to the virtues of compassion and kindness towards all that lives on earth – has at all times been unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of mankind, and has always been submerged under the average man’s blindness and deafness of heart. The very repetition of phrases, sentences and situations in all of the above stories – or, rather, in the above versions of these oft-narrated stories – tends to bring home to us the fact that the human situation as such never really changes, and that, in consequence, those who preach the truth must always struggle against human greed, power-hunger and proneness to self-adulation.”