Transliteration:( Wa ilaa Madyana akhaahum Shu'aybaa; qaala yaa qawmi' budul laaha maa lakum min ilaahin ghairuhoo qad jaaa'atkum baiyinatum mir Rabbikum fa awful kaila walmeezaana wa laa tabkhasun naasa ashyaa'ahum wa laa tufsidoo fil ardi ba'da islaahihaa; zaalikum khairul lakum in kuntum mu'mineen )
"And to Madyan We sent Shu'ayb from their brethren [203]. He said: 'O my people! Worship Allah, for there is no god for you other than Him. Indeed, there have come to you bright proofs from your Lord. Then give full measures [204] and full weights properly, and do not give the people their things in reduction [205]. And do not spread mischief on the earth after setting its fair management. This is good for you if you believe.'" [206]
Allah sent Hazrat Shu‘ayb (عليه السلام)—son of Makeel ibn Yashjar ibn Madyan—as a Prophet to the people of Madyan. The region was named after Madyan, who had married Reena, daughter of Hazrat Lut (عليه السلام). From this blessed union, a community grew and settled in that area.
Hazrat Shu‘ayb was known for his handsomeness, eloquence, and commanding personality. His daughter, Hazrat Safoora, was later married to Hazrat Musa (عليه السلام), further strengthening his noble family legacy.
Hazrat Shu‘ayb instructed even his disbelieving nation to uphold honesty in trade—giving full measures and accurate weights. This proves that non-believers are also bound by certain moral and civil laws, such as fairness in business, even if worship obligations (like Salaah) do not apply to them under Islamic law.
Disregarding such ethical commands leads to worldly punishment, and the Hereafter punishment is for both moral and spiritual failures. As Allah says:
"They said, we were not used to offering prayer." (Surah 74:43)
The land of Madyan had once been reformed through earlier Prophetic guidance. By saying “do not spread mischief”, Prophet Shu‘ayb warned them against reversing the order through infidelity and sinful behavior. Causing disorder after Allah’s system has been set is a greater transgression, both spiritually and socially.
If they had embraced faith, remained honest in business, and avoided mischief, it would have been beneficial for them in the Hereafter. However, the verse makes it clear:
Rewards in the Hereafter are only for believers.
Even truthful or honest disbelievers will not receive eternal reward, because faith is the foundation upon which good deeds are accepted.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ also said that on the Day of Judgement, the honest merchant will be in the company of Prophets—but only if he is a believer. Thus, sincerity, justice, and belief must go hand in hand.
85. And to (the people of) Madyan, (We sent) their brother Shu`ayb. He said: “O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Verily, a clear proof (sign) from your Lord has come unto you; so give full measure and full weight and wrong not men in their things, and do not do mischief on the earth after it has been set in order, that will be better for you, if you are believers.
Muhammad bin Ishaq said, “They (the people of Madyan) are the descendents of Madyan, son of Midyan, son of Ibrahim. Shu`ayb was the son of Mikil bin Yashjur. And in the Syrian language, his name was Yathrun (Jethro)”. I (Ibn Kathir) say, Madyan was the name of the tribe and also a city that is close to Ma`an on route to the Hijaz (from Ash-Sham). Allah said in another Ayah,
(And when he arrived at the water (a well) of Madyan he found there a group of men watering (their flocks).) ﴿28:23﴾ They are also the people of Al-Aykah (the Woods), as we will mention later on, Allah willing, and our trust is in Him.
(He said: “O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him”) and this is the call of all Messengers,
(“Verily, a clear proof (sign) from your Lord has come unto you;”) meaning, `Allah has presented the proof and evidences of the truth of what I brought you.’ He then advised them and commanded them to give full measure and full weight and not to wrong men in their dealings, meaning, to refrain from cheating people in buying and selling. They used to treacherously avoid giving full weight and measure. Allah said in other Ayat,
(Woe to Al-Mutaffifin (those who give less in measure and weight)…) ﴿83:1﴾ until He said,
(before the Lord of all that exists) ﴿83:6﴾. These Ayat contain a stern warning and sure promise that we ask Allah to save us from. Shu`ayb was called `Speaker of the Prophets’, because of his eloquent words and eloquent advice, and Allah stated that Shu`ayb said:
(7:85) And to Midian[69] 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]
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.
For a faster and smoother experience,
install our mobile app now.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics