His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And to Midian, We sent their brother Shu'ayb. He said, 'O my people, worship Allah. You have no deity other than Him. And do not diminish the measure and the weight. Indeed, I see you in good, and indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a Day encompassing.'" "And O my people, give full measure and weight in justice, and do not deprive people of their due, and do not commit abuse in the land, spreading corruption.'" "What remains from Allah is better for you if you should be believers. And I am not a guardian over you." The interpretation: And to Midian, We sent their brother Shu'ayb. There is a difference regarding the term Midian. It is said to be a place, thus the interpretation is: And to the people of Midian - as He said: 'And ask the town.' It is said that this region was in the vicinity of the Levant, and it is said that Midian is the name of a man whose tribe was named after him. Midian does not decline in the two cases. Al-Naqqash reported that Midian is the son of Ibrahim the Friend by his lineage. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is far-fetched. It has been said that Shu'ayb was Arab, so how can this be when the Arabs have no connection to Ibrahim except through Ishaq? And Shu'ayb's call to 'the worship of Allah' implies that they were worshipping idols, and this is evident from their later words. Their disbelief is what warranted them the punishment, not their sins, for Allah has never punished a nation except for disbelief. If a sin is added to that, it is a consequence. And I mean by punishment the punishment of total destruction. The heinous sin of this nation was that they conspired to take from those who came to them from others fully, while giving less in their weights and measures. So Shu'ayb, by the revelation of Allah, forbade them from that. It appears from the book of Al-Zajjaj that they had mutually agreed among themselves to cheat one another. And His saying, 'in good,' Ibn Abbas said: Its meaning is in abundance of prices, and 'the punishment of the encompassing day' is the arrival of a devastating famine. This interpretation aligns with the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: 'No people ever diminished the measure and the weight except that their provision was lifted from them.' It is said that His saying, 'in good' is general regarding all the blessings of Allah, exalted and majestic is He, and 'the punishment of the day' is the destruction that befell them in the end. All that has been said regarding the term 'good' is confined to what we have mentioned. And the description of 'the day' as 'encompassing' is a figurative description of the punishment, as the punishment on that day was encompassing. It may be correct to describe 'the day' as 'encompassing' in the sense of 'its evil is encompassing.' And likewise. And He repeated the admonition to them regarding 'the measure and the weight' for emphasis, clarification, and admonition, for 'and do not diminish' is the same as 'give full measure.' However, they both lead to one meaning. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

My father, may Allah be pleased with him, told me that he heard Abu al-Fadl ibn al-Jawhari on the pulpit in Egypt advising the people about measuring and weighing. He said: Consider that when a person raises his hand with the scale and his three fingers extend, and the thumb and index finger meet on the edge of the scale, a shape resembling the letters written comes from the form of his fingers, as if the scale is saying: Allah, Allah.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is a beautiful and reminding admonition. Justice is fairness and similar to it, and "bakhsa" means deficiency. And "ta'thaw" means: you strive in corruption. He repeated "mufsidin" for emphasis. It is said: 'atha ya'thu' or 'atha ya'thi', and 'aththa ya'th' and 'atha ya'ith' - if he corrupts, and similar to it in meaning. And 'uththa' is the worm that corrupts woolen garments.

And his saying: "Baqiyat Allah" Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said its meaning is: what Allah keeps for you of your wealth after your death, measuring and weighing is better for you than what you excessively desire in a manner other than its proper way.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This interpretation fits the wording of the verse. And Mujahid said: Its meaning is: obedience to Allah. And Ibn Abbas - also - said its meaning is: provision from Allah. And all of this is not given by the wording of the verse, but the meaning in my view is: Allah's preservation upon you if you obey.

And Ismail ibn Ja'far read from the people of Medina with a lightening of the 'ya', and this is a dialect. And his saying: "If you are believers" is a condition for the remaining to be good for them. As for with disbelief, there is no good for them in any of the deeds. And the answer to this condition is already mentioned. And "al-Hafidh" is the observer who keeps track of the conditions of those he observes, and the meaning is: I am only a messenger, and the one who keeps track and holds accountable is the one who rewards you for your deeds.