The 25 Prophets: (12) Shuayb (AS)

SHUAYB (AS)

Shuayb (AS) is a Prophet of an Arab origin who used to speak Arabic. He is from the ancestry of Ibrahim (AS). He is from a town known as Madyan where people were known as Madyanites. These people of Madyan were Arabs who lived near the town of Maan in Jordan near Lake Luut at the Dead Sea. They worshiped idols and were the biggest rouges who used to cheat people in almost everything. They were commercial people, but they were given to fraud, injustice and wrongful mischief. When they weighed the goods for sale they always cheated; and if it was to their favour, that if they were buying, then they used to weigh more for themselves.

God then sent to them a Prophet to preach and correct them. He sent to them Shuayb bin Nuwait bin Raawil bin Murrah bin Anqa bin Madyan bin Ibrahim (AS). He was the one who started the use of weights and measures. He advised his people to stop being despotic and cheaters and that God will give them His blessings and favour. And when they refused to listen to him he threatened them by telling them that God would punish them like those who were punished before them for not listening to the teachings of their Prophets.

They said to him:

"0 Shuayb! Does your (religion) prayer command you that we leave off the worship which our fathers practised, or that we leave off doing what we like with our property? Truly, you are the one flat forbears with faults and is right-minded!" (Huud 87)

It was only natural for such selfish people to react like this; to scoff the spiritual things like prayers and worship, and to cling to their property rights as if there were no other rights even greater than those of property.

In his preaching he said:

0 my people! See ye whether I have a clear (Sign) from my Lord, and has given me sustenance (pure and) good as from Himself? I wish not, in opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you to do. I only desire (your) betterment to the best of my power; and my success (in my task) can only come from God. In Him I trust, and unto Him I look. *And 0 my people! Let not my dissent (from you) cause you to sin, lest you suffer a fate similar to that of the people of Nuuh, or of Huud or of Saleh„ nor are the people of Lunt far off from you! *But ask for forgiveness of your Lord, and turn unto Him (in repentance). For my Lord is indeed full of mercy and loving-kindness.* (Huud 88-90)

After all he had told them, they called him a liar and said:

Thou art only one of those bewitched! *Thou art no more than a mortal like us, and indeed we think thou art a liar! * Now cause a piece of the sky to fall on us, if thou art truthful! *(As Shuaraa 185-187)

The same words were uttered by those who existed before. Shuayb's people did not learn from the past events. They denied that he was a Prophet and could not see that what they were doing was wrong, or that any former generations behaved differently. Moreover, they threatened to cast him off their town, but he did not despair. He continued with his preaching. A handful of the people accepted him and followed his teachings. The unbelievers told those who followed Shuayb (AS) that if they do not stop following him they will be cast off their town together with him. Thus Shuayb (AS) prayed to his Lord to protect him and his followers from these people and said:

…Our Lord! Decide thou between us and our people truth, for thou art the best to decide." (Al-Aaraf 89)

Here God sent to them the awaited punishment. The weather became very hot and no water of the world would quench their thirst, there was not even a breeze to cool them. They could not stay in their homes so they went out hoping that there would be a refuge somewhere. Then they saw a pitch-black cloud coming towards them thinking it would protect them from the scorching sun. They therefore amassed themselves under the shade of the cloud. There then came the blow pieces of molten rocks came down on them and there was an earth tremor under their feet and all of them were destroyed. Shuayb (AS) and his followers left the town and were saved from the calamity.

Reference: The Twenty five Prophets (The Parable of the Apostles Mentioned in the Holy Quraan)", by Nassir ibn Issa ibn Said Al-Kindy. (p 86-88)