Overview (Verses 180 - 184)

Widespread Corruption

This passage tells the story of the Prophet Shu`ayb which, from a historical point of view, comes before that of Moses, but it is told here for the lessons involved in all the stories  given  in  this  surah.  The  dwellers  of  the  ‘wooded  dales’  were  most probably the people of Madyan. It seems that Madyan was close to this wooded land, thick with trees, as the Qur’anic description implies. Madyan lies close to the Gulf of `Aqaba, in the area between the Hijaz province of Saudi Arabia and Palestine.

Shu`ayb began in the same way as other prophets calling on people, explaining to them the basic essentials of faith, and making it clear that he sought no gain in return for his advocacy. He then spoke to them about the ills that plagued their own society: “Give full measure, and be not of those who give others less [than their duel; and weigh with even scales; and do not deprive others of what rightfully belongs to them; and do not act wickedly on earth spreading corruption.” (Verses 181-183)

As clearly mentioned in Surahs 7 and 11, The Heights and Hud respectively, they used to give people short measure whenever they weighed things out for them. They also used their power to take more than what was rightly theirs, while they would give people less than what was due to them. They would buy things for less than their fair price, but would sell for higher prices. It appears that they lived close to the caravan trade routes, and this enabled them to dictate their terms. The messenger God sent them counselled them to pursue fairness in all such dealings. He preached the true faith which inevitably requires good treatment of others, and which cannot overlook injustice in dealings and interactions between people.

Shu`ayb then appealed to their sense of the fear of God as he reminded them of the Creator who brought them into existence as He did with all past generations: “Fear Him who has created you as well as the countless generations of old.” (Verse 184)