The Community of Shuaib AS
As mankind flourished and spread across the land, so did their diseases and wrongdoings. Close to the Syrian borders lived the Arabic tribe of Madyan, not far from the Dead Sea where the people of Lut AS had perished. Famed for their eloquence, they were notorious for being dishonest merchants and also for cutting off the highways in order to ambush travellers to rob them.
The tribe of Madyan were disbelievers and tree worshippers, and were of evil behaviour. As with other communities, they lapsed into worshipping what their forefathers worshipped, and turned others away from the worship of Allah. Their faith was corrupted, as was their behaviour. Cheating was predominant, and the community lied and short changed in their measurements and weights, both when buying and selling merchandise.
The people of Madyan were in close proximity to the community of Lut AS, but did not take heed of the terrible destruction that befell them, even though the physical evidence was there as a silent and eerie reminder. Instead, just like the people of today, they saw such catastrophes as being irrelevant to them, and continued with their corruption.
It was to these crooked merchants that Shuaib AS was sent to preach the message of Allah.
The Da’wah of Shuaib AS
Similar to the message of the previous Prophets and Messengers, Shuaib AS appealed to his community towards the monotheistic worship of Allah. He tried to warn them of the divine retribution if they were to persist in their wrongdoing. In addition, he tried to enjoin upon them to trade honestly, for a lawful income was far superior to their dishonest pickings and proceeds of thievery. He tried to remind them of the bounty of Allah, but to no avail.
“And to [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuaib. He said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be believers. And do not sit on every path, threatening and averting from the way of Allah those who believe in Him, seeking to make it [seem] deviant. And remember when you were few and He increased you. And see how was the end of the corrupters.” [7:85-7:86]
How did the people of Madyan react? As with their ancient ancestors, they did not accept the message and rejected him wholeheartedly. His pleas were met with ridicule and sarcasm, riddled with remarks to belittle the message.
Refusing to depart from the practice of their forefathers “They said, ‘O Shuaib, does your prayer command you that we should leave what our fathers worship or not do with our wealth what we please? Indeed, you are the forbearing, the discerning!'” [11:87].
He (Shuaib) said, “O my people, have you considered: if I am upon clear evidence from my Lord and He has provided me with a good provision from Him? And I do not intend to differ from you in that which I have forbidden you; I only intend reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but through Allah. Upon him I have relied, and to Him I return.” [11:88]
He tried to remind them of the fate that had befell the communities of Nuh AS, Hud AS, Salih AS and Lut AS, but it was of no use. His plea for them to repent was equally ineffective and fell on deaf ears. Similar to the people of today, the community treated death, Allah’s retribution and the hereafter as a joke. Their amusement was caused by their own greed and spiritual blindness. The reaction then escalated to more hostile rejoinders, and they accused him of being a liar. As with any person trying to spread goodness amongst a corrupted people, Shuaib AS was rejected when he refused to leave the religion of Allah and join them in their wrongful worship.
The eminent of the townspeople eventually threatened to evict him from the community. “They said, ‘O Shuaib, we do not understand much of what you say, and indeed, we consider you among us as weak. And if not for your family, we would have stoned you [to death]; and you are not to us one respected.'” [11:91]
The Punishment of Madyan
When finally pushed to the limit, Shuaib AS supplicated to Allah. “Our Lord has encompassed all things in knowledge. Upon Allah we have relied. Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth, and You are the best of those who give decision.” [7:89] This famous supplication can be made at such opportunities we are in difficulty (for example when we have been wronged or oppressed) or when we need the truth to be made apparent to us (for example when choosing a spouse), depending on our intention when making it.
Shuaib AS and his small group of followers were saved from the destruction of the community. As for the rest, when the time came, Allah sent down on them a scorching wind that dried up everything in its path. This was followed by a cloud, which when the disbelievers saw it, thought that reprieve had arrived in the form of rain. They rushed outside to enjoy the refreshing rainfall, but instead of rain, they were exposed to the thunderbolts and fire that the clouds hurled onto them.
And then: “And the shriek seized those who had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone. As if they had never prospered therein. Then, away with Madyan as Thamud was taken away”. [11:94-11:95] Like the previous communities, their existence was wiped out in an instant.
Shuaib AS died shortly after Yusuf AS, and he lived in Egypt and died close to Mekah.
LESSONS LEARNT
The Honest Merchant
Cheating was a prevalent trait amongst the traders of Madyan. Nowadays, we indulge in a lot cheating, verbally and physically with each other. Apart from the obvious examples of fixing weights, it is common for merchants and traders to make warranties and guarantee on their goods, playing games with the language and terminology with the intention to confuse and cheat the customer, instead of being honest and transparent in their dealings.
This is not a casual wrongdoing, although many of us take it lightly. It is our obligation to be sincere, honest and truthful when dealing with each other, and be clear in our dealings with each other. Buyers should be allowed to clarify and are entitled to truthful answers. Sellers are not allowed to misrepresent.
Cheating, in whatever form, creates injustice. This extends to price manipulation, hoarding goods and controlling supply in order to gain a monopoly and oppress the buyers. The most honest way of selling something, is to disclose to the buyer the wholesale price, the expenses incurred and the profit that will be derived. It is on this data that buyers will decide whether to proceed. In reality, how many people carry on business this way?
According to the Prophet SAW, the honest merchant will be like a white hair on a black bull, and will be his companion in paradise. This shows how far and few between a truly honest merchant is. We have all been ripped off, and it could have been that we have also taken advantage and deprived our buyers of the full benefit of their purchase, whether by quality, quantity or price.
The honest merchant – who buys with ease and sells with ease – will have the blessings of Allah.
Neither buyer nor seller are allowed to oppress. For example, bargain hunters love to take advantage of the merchant, picking merchants who are desperate to make a sale and then oppressing and squeezing them until the merchant is backed into a corner, all for a few dollars that the seller can actually afford to pay. There are others, that once the goods are packed, will refuse to pay the full price and re-open the bargaining even when the terms have been agreed to. This kind of manipulative buying is also a form of cheating, and Allah will take away the good deed from the buyer. There is no good gesture in behaving this way.
Honest disclosure also applies in time of marriage. If you have a problem (for example, a physical flaw or a medical condition or disability) this must be disclosed fully before the marriage, and if the marriage proceeds on this basis, there will be barakah in it.
Why do we do injustice? It is because of our greed and stinginess. We want whatever we want, in any way we can. We forget our closet full of clothes, ignore our poorer relatives and those who are needy. How will we justify our excessive purchases to Allah when we neglect the needy ones around us?
It is similar with dealing with interest, it will eat and destroy us. If we fear Allah, Allah will make an opening for us. Allah puts barakah into every halal (lawful) transaction; with every pure and clean money comes Allah’s barakah, whereas all money which is tainted with haram earns the calamity of Allah in one way or another – through our health, marriage, children etc.
Watching the news
Natural disasters and catastrophes are increasing around us. If we watch the news through the eye of a Muslim, we should be worried. Look at the amount of earthquakes, floods and fires which are occurring.
To be arrogant, stubborn and deny, will not benefit us at all. We should listen to the power of Allah. Today, we have the power and sign of Allah. If it really strikes us, we should look at communities that are currently being wiped out. These are the signs for us to recognise His signs, and to remember Him. If we do not listen to the signs and respect it, our end will be the same exactly. This will be the promise of Allah.
We have to remember, it is always the sunnah (the custom and habit of Allah) the people who carry the truth are always a few. The majority is corrupt. We should not be deceived by the majority who have the dunia, the prestige and the status, and perform their evil actions with injustice. For example, today we see the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer because the greed and selfishness of accumulation being above the duty to society and mankind. The bottom line, always, is that this few who are holding justice and the message, will be a small in number and status, meaning finance and rank in society, but they are the chosen ones to carry the message.
If you are of the chosen ones by Allah, don’t despair or rush the result, don’t even think about the result, but hold tight in the road. The ending is in the hand of Allah. Remember, the victory is to you to live the message, live for the message and die with the message. When the time gets tough, you have the weapon of du’a and trust in Allah and the promise of Allah. He is the only one can change condition, and He will never be changed, and His promise will never be changed (constitution).
