26. Surah ash-Shuara, Mecca 47

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

كَذَّبَ أَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ﴿١٧٦﴾ Shape1

26: 176. The Companions of the Wood rejected the messengers.

C3214. See n. 2000 to 15:78.

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ شُعَيْبٌ ... Shape2

26: 177. Behold, Shuaib said to them:

C3215. For Shu'ayb see n. 1054 to 7:85.

... أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٧٧﴾

"Will ye not fear (Allah)?

إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ ﴿١٧٨﴾ Shape3

26: 178. "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ﴿١٧٩﴾ Shape4

26: 179. "So fear Allah and obey me.

وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ...

26: 180. "No reward do I ask of you for it:

...إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٨٠﴾ Shape5

my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds.

أَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُخْسِرِينَ ﴿١٨١﴾ Shape6

26: 181. "Give just measure, and cause no loss (to others by fraud).

C3216. They were a commercial people, but they were given to fraud, injustice, and wrongful mischief (by intermeddling with others).

They are asked to fear Allah and follow His ways: it is He Who also created their predecessors among mankind, who never prospered by fraud and violent wrong-doing, but only justice and fair dealing.

وَزِنُوا بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيم ﴿١٨٢﴾ Shape7 ِ

26: 182. "And weigh with scales true and upright.

وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءهُمْ...Shape8

26: 183. "And withhold not things justly due to men,

...وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ ﴿١٨٣﴾

nor do evil in the land, working mischief.

وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالْجِبِلَّةَ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿١٨٤﴾ Shape9

26: 184. "And fear Him Who created you and (Who created) the generations before (you).

قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مِنَ الْمُسَحَّرِينَ ﴿١٨٥﴾ Shape10

26: 185. They said:

"Thou art only one of those bewitched!

وَمَا أَنتَ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا...Shape11

26: 186. "Thou art no more than a mortal like us,

...وَإِن نَّظُنُّكَ لَمِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ ﴿١٨٦﴾

and indeed we think thou art a liar!

C3217. They deny that he is a prophet or that they are doing wrong, or that any former generations behaved differently. They think they are the true exponents of human nature, and that such as he-idealists-are mere madmen.

فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا مِّنَ السَّمَاء إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿١٨٧﴾ Shape12

26: 187. "Now cause a piece of the sky to fall on us, if thou art truthful!"

C3218. 'If you really claim any real contact with Allah, let us see if you can bring down a piece of the sky to fall on us!'

Asad’s Version:


26:176 [AND] the dwellers of the wooded dales [of Madyan] gave the lie to [one of God's] message- bearers


(26:177) when their brother Shu'ayb 74 said unto them: "Will you not be conscious of God?

(26:178) Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your

trust:

(26:179) be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!

(26:180) "And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds.


26:181 "[Always] give full measure, and be not among those who [unjustly] cause loss [to others];

(26:182) and [in all your dealings] weigh with a true balance,

(26:183) and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs; 75 and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption,



(26:184) but be conscious of Him who has created you just as [He created] those countless generations of old!" 76


26:185 Said they: "Thou art but one of the bewitched,

26:186) for thou art nothing but a mortal like ourselves! And, behold, we think that thou art a consummate liar!"

(26:187) Cause, then, fragments of the sky to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of truth! "


71 As is evident from 7:83, 11:81, 27:57 and 29:32-33, the old woman was Lots' wife - a native of Sodom - who chose to remain with her own people instead of accompanying her husband, whom she thus betrayed (cf also 66:10).


72 See 1 1 :82 and the corresponding note 114.


73 Or, in the past tense: "dire was the rain upon those who had been warned" - in which case this sentence would refer specifically to the sinful people of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, it is much more probable that its purport is general (see note 1 1 5 on the last sentence of 1 1 :83). Zamakhshari's interpretation of the above sentence is analogous to mine.


74 See note 67 on the first sentence of 7:85. The story of Shu'ayb and the people of Madyan (the 'wooded dales") is given in greater detail in 1 1 :84-95.


75 Cf. surah 7, note 68.


76 An allusion to the ephemeral character of man's life on earth and by implication to God's judgment.


26:188 Answered [Shu%yb]: "My Sustainer knows fully well what you are doing." (26:189) But they gave him the lie. And thereupon suffering overtook them on a day dark with shadows: 78 and, verily, it was the suffering of an awesome day! (26:190) In this [story), behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it). (26:191) But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!"