۞ وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَنقُصُوا۟ ٱلْمِكْيَالَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ ۚ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُم بِخَيْرٍ وَإِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ مُّحِيطٍ 84
Translations
And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. And do not decrease from the measure and the scale. Indeed, I see you in prosperity, but indeed, I fear for you the punishment of an all-encompassing Day.
Transliteration
Wa-ilā Madyana akhāhum Shu'aybā. Qāla yā-qawmi'bu-dū Allāha mā lakum min ilāhin ghayruhu wa-lā tanqusū al-mikyāla wa-al-mīzāna. Innī arāykum bi-khayrin wa-innī akhāfu 'alaykum 'adhāba yawmin muhīt.
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah sent Shu'ayb as a messenger to the people of Madyan, calling them to worship Allah alone and warning them against defrauding in weights and measures—a practice endemic to their commercial society. Ibn Kathir notes that Shu'ayb's opening combines the call to Tawhīd with a specific moral prohibition, demonstrating that prophethood addresses both spiritual and ethical dimensions. The phrase 'a day that will engulf them' (yawm muhīt) refers to a comprehensive divine punishment that would encompass their entire community.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Hud's narrative sequence recounting stories of prophets and their peoples. The context is Meccan, addressing the Quraysh implicitly through the example of Madyan's destruction. Shu'ayb's people were known for their commercial dishonesty in transactions, making their warning particularly relevant to a trading society like Mecca.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those best in character' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'Whoever cheats is not of us' (Sahih Muslim 102), directly relating to the prohibition of fraud in weights and measures mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Honest dealings in commerce and all transactions are inseparable from faith in Allah; defrauding others is not merely a social crime but a spiritual transgression that invites divine retribution. Modern believers should recognize that ethical conduct in business and trade is a fundamental Islamic obligation, not separate from religious practice.