The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Hud
Section 8 : the Ministry of Shu'ayb Commentary : Verse 84
Shu'ayb preaches Unity of Allah and warns his people against dishonest life - The people rejected Shu'ayb's exhortation and were punished
(84) وَ إِلى مَدْيَنَ أَخاهُمْ شُعَيْباً قالَ يا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ ما لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلهٍ غَيْرُهُ وَ لا تَنْقُصُوا الْمِكْيالَ وَ الْميزانَ إِنِّي أَراكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ وَ إِنِّي أَخافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذابَ يَوْمٍ مُحيطٍ
- " And to(the people of)Madyan(We sent)their brother Shu'ayb. He said: 'O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Allah than He. And do not give short measure and weight. Verily I see you in prosperity and I fear for you the punishment of an all- encompassing Day'. "
Commentary :
Madyan whose name today is Ma'an, is a town to the east of the Gulf of 'Aqaba. In the Torah its name is mentioned as Madyan. Its inhabitants were among the descendents of Ismail(a.s.) and they enjoyed good commercial ties with Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. Some people regard the term 'Madyan' as the name of a tribe that used to live around Mount Sinai.
The types of corruption that were practiced by the different nations mentioned in the Qur'an vary, and this very fact should be of note. The corruption of the people of Lot had been sexual deviation, and the corruption of the people of Shu'ayb(a.s.) in this case was economic corruption,
i. e. use of short weights; weighing less than what they were assumed to sell or measuring less and claiming to deliver the value of the goods exactly as their clients had ordered.
In keeping with the ways of the other prophets(a.s.) , this compassionate and brotherly prophet at first called them to believe in monotheism, the Unity of Allah, the most fundamental pillar of religion, exhorting his people to worship the one and only God. The verse says:
" And to(the people of)Madyan(We sent)their brother Shu'ayb. He said: 'O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Allah than He. ..."
Then he turned his attention to the economic corruption of the people whose roots were found in the idol worship itself which was prevalent among the people of Madyan at the time. He said that they should not weigh out their goods less than their value by using the wrong scales in their commercial transactions. The verse says:
"... And do not give short measure and weight. ..."
This great prophet's words can be interpreted as two reasons for them. At first he seems to be saying that by accepting this advice the gates of commerce will develop, prices will deflate, and peace and tranquility will prevail which will attract Allah's grace upon the community. It is also possible to interpret this sentence to mean that Shu'ayb sees them having affluence and tremendous wealth; thus, there is no reason for them to infringe upon people's rights, by selling them less goods and charging them the same price.
The second matter is that he also fears their insistence upon idol worship, and abusing Allah's blessings will lead to their punishment on the Day of Judgment. The verse continues saying:
"... Verily I see you in prosperity and I fear for you the punishment of an all- encompassing Day'. "
Commentary : Verse 85
(85) وَ يا قَوْمِ أَوْفُوا الْمِكْيالَ وَ الْميزانَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَ لا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْياءَهُمْ وَ لا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدينَ
- " And O my people! Fill up the measure and the balance in justice, and do not diminish the people their things: and do not mischief in the land, working corruption. "
Commentary :
The Qur'anic phrase/ la tabxasou/ is derived from the article/ baxasa/ signifying 'not to reduce'; while the Arabic phrase/ la ta' au/ means 'not to commit evil or mischief'. Compromising people's rights in economic matters is a prominent example of corruption, for ailing economies always lead communities to corruption. All economic transactions should be strictly supervised. Shu'ayb insisted upon the establishment of a just economic system in this verse and along with dissuading his people from cheating others in economic transactions, he also called upon them to consider the rights of others, saying that they should use scales and weighing devices with fairness. But this verse says:
" And O my people! Fill up the measure and the balance in justice, ..."
The establishment of justice and safeguarding everyone's due rights are principles that must be administered throughout all of society. Taking this one step further, he said that they should not falsely ascribe faults and defects to other people's goods, thus reducing the value of their goods, properties and belongings. It continues saying:
"... and do not diminish the people their things: ..."
Towards the end of the verse, going even further, he added that they should not corrupt the earth by committing mischief. It says:
"... and do not mischief in the land, working corruption. "
The above two verses strongly indicate that next to the belief in monotheism, a healthy economy is of primary importance. It also shows that anarchy in an economic system can be a major source of corruption in any society.
Commentary : Verse 86
(86) بَقِيَّتُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنينَ وَ ما أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفيظٍ
- "(The lawful wealth)which is left by Allah is better for you, if you be believers. And I am not a guardian over you. "
Commentary :
The Qur'anic term/ baqiyatullah/, mentioned in this verse, refers to the dividends which one can obtain through a godly and allowed capital, and it is certainly a hundred percent clean. However, according to the Islamic narrations, it refers to everything Divinely sanctioned that is left for humanity as a whole. One example of this are the faithful soldiers who return victoriously from a holy war, for they have remained alive by the Divine will. It refers also to the contemporary Imam, Imam Mahdi(May Allah hasten his auspicious advent), who is also known as/ baqiyatullah/ since that noble person has been retained and stored for the guidance of mankind by the Divine Will.
Some Islamic narrations denote that one of the names of this honorable man(Had rat Mahdi)is/ baqiyatullah/(1) whom we greet with this name saying:/ 'assalamu 'alayka ya baqiatullah fi 'ard eh/. When he appears in Mecca, he will recite the above verse in a loud voice and say: "I am that promised Godly being kept by Allah.(2)
Certainly the other immaculate Imams(a.s.) have been also entitled as:/ baqiatullah/.
(1) Bihar ul 'Anwar, vol. 46, p. 259
(2) Tafsir- us- Safi, vol. 2, p. 468
Commentary : Verse 87
(87) قالُوا يا شُعَيْبُ أَ صَلاتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ نَتْرُكَ ما يَعْبُدُ آباؤُنا أَوْ أَنْ نَفْعَلَ في أَمْوالِنا ما نَشؤُا إِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ الْحَليمُ الرَّشيدُ
- " They said: 'O Shu'ayb! Does your prayer command you that we should leave off that our fathers worshipped, or we(should forsake to do)what we like with our property Truly you are the forbearing, the right minded'. "
Commentary :
Now let us look at how this obstinate people reacted in face of this Divinely reformist voice.
Those who idol- worshippers regarded their idols as symbols of their ancestral tradition and an emblem of their cultural identity, and who gained profit through fraudulent activity in their transactions, asked Shu'ayb if it was his religion of prayer that ordered him to encourage them to abandon the worship of that which their fathers had worshipped, and interfere in their transactions to make them lose their freedom in dealing with their own property. The verse says:
" They said: 'O Shu'ayb! Does your prayer command you that we should leave off that our fathers worshipped, or we(should forsake to do)what we like with our property ? ..."
The people of Shu'ayb wrongly thought that no one should set the minimum limits for proprietors, rights, regarding domination in their properties, when in fact financial affairs should always be governed by correct criteria. Such criteria are clearly elucidated by the Divine prophets otherwise society would see a great degree of corruption.
They wanted to know how could such a forbearing, patient and understanding man, have said such a thing. They said:
"... Truly you are the forbearing, the right minded'. "
Perhaps they thought that the particular movements and words of prayer would have had a negative effect on them, but if they truly meditated they would have found that prayer enlivens man's sense of responsibility, virtue, abstinence, piety, and gratitude, and makes him remember Allah and His Court of Justice. For these reasons, man would be kept away from idol worship, blind obedience, short selling goods, and all types of fraud under the light of prayer.
Commentary : Verse 88
(88) قالَ يا قَوْمِ أَ رَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّي وَ رَزَقَني مِنْهُ رِزْقاً حَسَناً وَ ما أُريدُ أَنْ أُخالِفَكُمْ إِلى ما أَنْهاكُمْ عَنْهُ إِنْ أُريدُ إِلاَّ الْإِصْلاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ وَ ما تَوْفيقي إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَ إِلَيْهِ أُنيبُ
- " He said: 'O My people! Bethink you' If I be upon a clear proof from my Lord, and He has provided me with fair sustenance from Him And I desire not, in opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you from it. I desire naught save reform so far as I am able. My success is only with Allah. On Him do I rely and unto Him I turn(repentant)'. "
Commentary :
In the previous verse, the idol worshippers protested as to why they could not be free to dispose of their own property for good or, in this case, for evil. Shu'ayb(a.s.) answered that if he had kept them from doing this, it would have been for the good of their own lives and their community, and it was not because of such things as hostility, envy, short sightedness or other things. Individual interests must not be detrimental to the public interest. The verse says:
" He said: 'O My people! Bethink you' If I be upon a clear proof from my Lord, and He has provided me with fair sustenance from Him And I desire not, in opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you from it. I desire naught save reform so far as I am able. ..."
They had to stop thinking that a comfortable life could only be gained through crooked dealings and sinful activity, and Allah's prophets are an example that one could live a decent life without being polluted by these sins. We must keep in mind that he who commands others to what is good and dissuades others from what is bad must be a man of practice himself. The prophets themselves were not only planners and leaders; they themselves were the best examples of men of practice. Shu'ayb continues saying:
"... My success is only with Allah. On Him do I rely and unto Him I turn(repentant)'. "