Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 26 Ash-Shu'ara, Ayat 177-191
اِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٌ اَلَا تَتَّقُوۡنَۚ ﴿26:177﴾
اِنِّىۡ لَـكُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ اَمِيۡنٌۙ ﴿26:178﴾
فَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ وَاَطِيۡعُوۡنِۚ ﴿26:179﴾
وَمَاۤ اَسۡـئَـلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ اَجۡرٍۚ اِنۡ اَجۡرِىَ اِلَّا عَلٰى رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ ؕ
﴿26:180﴾
اَوۡفُوا الۡـكَيۡلَ وَلَا تَكُوۡنُوۡا مِنَ الۡمُخۡسِرِيۡنَۚ
﴿26:181﴾
وَزِنُوۡا بِالۡقِسۡطَاسِ الۡمُسۡتَقِيۡمِۚ ﴿26:182﴾
وَلَا تَبۡخَسُوا النَّاسَ اَشۡيَآءَهُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡثَوۡا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ مُفۡسِدِيۡنَۚ
﴿26:183﴾
وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ وَالۡجِـبِلَّةَ الۡاَوَّلِيۡنَؕ
﴿26:184﴾
قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّمَاۤ اَنۡتَ مِنَ الۡمُسَحَّرِيۡنَۙ
﴿26:185﴾
وَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُـنَا وَ اِنۡ نَّظُنُّكَ لَمِنَ الۡكٰذِبِيۡنَۚ
﴿26:186﴾
فَاَسۡقِطۡ عَلَيۡنَا كِسَفًا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ اِنۡ كُنۡتَ مِنَ الصّٰدِقِيۡنَؕ
﴿26:187﴾
قَالَ رَبِّىۡۤ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿26:188﴾
فَكَذَّبُوۡهُ فَاَخَذَهُمۡ عَذَابُ يَوۡمِ الظُّلَّةِؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيۡمٍ
﴿26:189﴾
اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰ لِكَ لَاَيَةً ؕ وَمَا كَانَ اَكۡثَرُهُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
﴿26:190﴾
وَاِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الرَّحِيۡمُ ﴿26:191﴾
(26:177) Recall, when Shuayb said to them: "Have you no fear? (26:178) I am a trustworthy Messenger to you. (26:179) So fear Allah and obey me. (26:180) I ask of you no reward for this. My reward is with none but the
Lord of the Universe. (26:181) Fill up the measure and do not diminish the goods of people, (26:182) weigh with an even balance (26:183) and do not deliver short, and do not go about creating mischief
in the land, (26:184) and have fear of Him Who created you and the earlier generations."
(26:185) They said: "You are no more than one of those who have been bewitched,
(26:186) you are only a mortal like us. Indeed we believe that you are an
utter liar. (26:187) So cause a piece of the sky to fall upon us if you are truthful."
(26:188) Shuayb said: "My Lord knows well all what you do."116
(26:189) Then they branded him a liar, whereupon the chastisement of the
Day of Canopy overtook them.117 It was the chastisement of a very
awesome day. (26:190) Surely there is a Sign in this, but most of them would not believe.
(26:191) Verily Your Lord is Immensely Mighty, Most Compassionate.
Notes
116. That is, it is not in my power to bring down the torment; it is in Allah’s
power, and He is fully aware of your misdeeds. He will send down the torment
as and when He wills. In this demand of the people of Aiykah and the answer
of Prophet Shuaib (peace be upon him) to them there was an admonition for the
Quraish as well. They also demanded from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to
bring down the torment on them: Or.... you cause the sky to fall down on us
in fragments, as you threaten us.
(Surah Bani Israil, Ayat 92). As such the
Quraish are being told that the people of Aiykah had also demanded a similar
thing from their Prophet, and the answer that they got from their Prophet is
the answer of Muhammad (peace be on him) to you.
117. The details of this torment are neither found in the Quran nor in any
authentic tradition. What one can learn from the text is this: As these people
had demanded a torment from the sky, Allah sent upon them a cloud which hung
over them like a canopy and kept hanging until they were completely destroyed
by the torment of continuous rain. The Quran clearly points out that the nature
of the torment sent upon the Midianites was different from that sent upon the
people of Aiykah. The people of Aiykah, as mentioned here, were destroyed by
the torment of the canopy, while the torment visiting the Midianites was in
the form of a terrible earthquake: It so happened that a shocking catastrophe
overtook them and they remained lying prostrate in their dwellings.
(Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 91). And: A dreadful shock overtook them and they lay lifeless and prostrate
in their homes.
(Surah Houd, Ayat 94). Therefore, it is wrong to regard the
two torments as identical. Some commentators have given a few explanations of
the torment of the Day of canopy, but we do not know the source of their information.
Ibn Jarir has quoted Abdullah bin Abbas as saying: If somebody from among the
scholars gives you an explanation of the torment of the Day of canopy, do not
consider it as correct.