Sayyidna Shu’ayb (علیہ السلام) — The Honest Scales of Madyan
Sayyidna Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام) — The Honest Scales of Madyan
Sayyidna Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام) — The Honest Scales of Madyan
The people of Madyan were not poor. Their trade flourished — yet in their market the measure that went out to the buyer quietly came up short: what they took in full, they gave back less, and other people's rights slipped into their own sacks. They also worshipped others besides Allah. So Allah sent them a prophet from among themselves, their own brother: Sayyidna Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام). His call joined worship and honesty in one breath:
يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَنقُصُوا۟ ٱلْمِكْيَالَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ ۚ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُم بِخَيْرٍ وَإِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ مُّحِيطٍ
> "O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. And do not curtail the measure and the weight. I see you quite well off, and I fear for you the punishment of an encircling day."
He did not only forbid the wrong; he commanded the right. Ibn Kathir adds that their disorder reached even the roads, where travellers were robbed:
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ أَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْمِكْيَالَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشْيَآءَهُمْ
> "And O my people, perfect the measure and the balance with justice and do not make the people short of their things"
And he showed them a better bargain than cheating could offer: what stays with a person lawfully, once every right is paid in full, is better for him than all dishonesty promises. And he was no watchman over them — the choice was theirs.
But Madyan answered its prophet with a taunt, mocking the very prayer he was known for:
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰشُعَيْبُ أَصَلَوٰتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَن نَّتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَآ أَوْ أَن نَّفْعَلَ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِنَا مَا نَشَـٰٓؤُا۟
> "They said, “O Shu‘aib, does your Salāh (prayer) command you that we should forsake what our fathers used to worship or that we should not deal with our wealth as we please?"
Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام) did not answer mockery with mockery. He stood, he told them, on a clear path from his Lord, who had blessed him with good provision of his own — and he would never do in their absence what he forbade them in the open. His whole aim was only this:
إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلَّا ٱلْإِصْلَـٰحَ مَا ٱسْتَطَعْتُ ۚ وَمَا تَوْفِيقِىٓ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ ۚ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ
> "I want nothing but to set things right as far as I can. My ability to do any thing comes from none but Allah. In Him alone I have placed my trust and to Him alone I turn in humbleness."
Then he warned them: let not hatred of him drag them towards what struck the people of Nuh, of Hud and of Salih — and the people of Lut were not far away. Yet his warning ended in mercy: he invited them to seek their Lord's forgiveness and turn back to Him, "very merciful, most loving."
The people's answer was a threat. They claimed barely to understand him, called him weak among them, and then said plainly:
وَلَوْلَا رَهْطُكَ لَرَجَمْنَـٰكَ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْنَا بِعَزِيزٍ
> "But for your clan, we would have stoned you. And to us, you are not a man of respect.”"
His reply turned their own threat back upon them:
قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ أَرَهْطِىٓ أَعَزُّ عَلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَٱتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ وَرَآءَكُمْ ظِهْرِيًّا
> "He said, “O my people, is my clan more respectable to you than Allah, as you have taken Him as something thrown behind your backs?"
— for his Lord, he told them, encompasses all they do. Words had run their course: he would do what he could, and they would do what they would; soon they would know whom disgrace would visit, and who had been the liar. His last word was a quiet command:
وَٱرْتَقِبُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ
> "And wait. I am, with you, waiting.”"
And when Allah's command came, Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام) and the believers with him were saved by His mercy — while the wrongdoers were seized where they stood:
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دِيَـٰرِهِمْ جَـٰثِمِينَ
> "And when Our command came, We saved Shu‘aib and those who believed along with him, out of mercy from Us; and those who transgressed were caught by the Cry, and they were found (dead) in their homes, fallen on their knees"
By morning the prosperous town lay silent, "as though they never lived there." "Lo! Ruined were Madyan, like Thamūd were ruined."
---
🌿 Stop and Think About This Scene
Stay with his words: "I see you quite well off, and I fear for you." His people did not cheat from hunger; they were blessed. The short measure was not need; it was greed. And his warning was love speaking: not "I fear you," but "I fear *for* you."
---
❤️ The Greatest Lesson
Worship and honesty are a single call. In one breath Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام) said "worship Allah" and "do not curtail the measure and the weight." The scale in a believer's hand is part of his faith — and giving others their full due is itself worship.
---
📚 Important Lessons From This Story
1. Worship and justice come together — the same verses command both.
2. The lawful remainder is the better portion: "Whatever is allowed by Allah to retain (lawfully) is better for you, if you are believers."
3. Practise before you preach: "I do not want to do in your absence what I forbid you from."
4. Answer mockery with gentleness — they taunted his prayer; he answered with patience and trust.
5. The door of return never closes: "Seek forgiveness from your Lord, then turn towards Him in repentance. Surely, my Lord is very merciful, most loving."
---
🏠 How Can We Apply This in Our Daily Lives?
Give full measure in all you owe — not only the shopkeeper's scale, but the worker's hours, the student's effort, and every promise you make. Let what is due from you leave your hands complete, as you would wish to receive it. Correct others as he did: kindly, with clean hands.
---
🌹 The Most Beautiful Message
An honest remainder carries a blessing stolen increase never can. And the Lord who encompasses all we do is "very merciful, most loving" — so a past of short measure need not be anyone's future. Turn back, pay every due in full, and what remains will be better for you.
---
📖 What the Tafsir Says
From Ma'ariful Quran (Mufti Muhammad Shafi), on verse 84:
> An account of Sayyidna Shu'aib and his people appears in the verses cited above. Besides being kafirs and mushriks, his people used to give less in weights and measures. Sayyidna Shu'aib (علیہ السلام) carried his call to them, told them not to give less in weights and measures, and warned them of Divine punishment if they persisted with this way of life.
From Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), on verse 84:
> Allah sent unto them the Prophet Shu`ayb and he was of the noblest of them in lineage. For this reason, Allah said, أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا (their brother Shu`ayb.) Shu`ayb commanded them to worship Allah alone without associating any partners with him. He also prohibited them from cheating in their weights and measures (for business transactions).
---
📖 Authentic Reference
Book: The Holy Quran
Verses: Quran 11:84 · Quran 11:85 · Quran 11:86 · Quran 11:87 · Quran 11:88 · Quran 11:89 · Quran 11:90 · Quran 11:91 · Quran 11:92 · Quran 11:93 · Quran 11:94 · Quran 11:95
Tafsir: Ma'ariful Quran (Mufti Muhammad Shafi) and Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), as shown on this site's verse pages.