'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' He, the Exalted, said: "They said, 'O Shu'ayb, does your prayer command you that we leave off what our forefathers used to worship, or that we do with our wealth what we wish? Indeed, you are the forbearing, the wise.'" He said, 'O my people, have you considered: if I am upon clear proof from my Lord and He has provided me with good provision from Himself, and I do not intend to oppose you in that which I have forbidden you? I only intend to reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but by Allah. Upon Him I have relied, and to Him I turn.'" The majority of people read: "Does your prayer" in the plural form, while Ibn Wathab read: "Does your prayer" in the singular form. Likewise, he read in At-Tawbah: 'Indeed, your prayer,' and in Al-Mu'minun: "upon their prayers," all of which is in the singular form. There is a difference of opinion regarding the meaning of prayer here. One group said: they meant the known prayers. It has been narrated that Shu'ayb, peace be upon him, was the most prayerful of the prophets. Al-Hasan said: Allah did not send a prophet except that He made prayer and zakat obligatory upon him. It is said: they meant: your recitation, and it is said: they meant: your mosques? And it is said: they meant: your supplications. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The closest of these sayings is the first and the fourth. They made the 'command' refer to the one who performs the prayers in a figurative sense. This is because everyone who has attained a rank of good or evil is, in most cases, called to increase in that type. The meaning of this is: since you are praying, have you gone beyond to condemn our law and our state? It is as if his state from prayer emboldened him to that, so it was said: it commanded him, as He, the Exalted, said: "Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing" [Al-Ankabut: 45]. And their saying: "that we leave off what our forefathers used to worship" is a clear indication that they were worshiping other than Allah, the Exalted. The majority of people read: "we do" and "we wish" with the plural pronoun in both, while Al-Dahhak ibn Qays read: "you do" and "you wish" with the singular pronoun in both. It has been narrated from Abu Abdur-Rahman: "we do" with the plural, and "you wish" with the singular. It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them. As for those who read with the plural in both, the second 'that' is an addition to 'what' and not to the first 'that'; because the meaning becomes: does your prayer command you that we do with our wealth what we wish? And this is the opposite of what they intended. As for those who read with the singular in both, the second 'that' can be added to the first 'that.' Some grammarians said: it is also correct to add it to 'what,' and the meaning is complete in both cases. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 'we leave off' in the first means: we reject, and in the second means: we affirm. This interpretation is difficult for me due to what I mentioned about the variety of leaving in relation to the verbal ruling, or due to an omitted addition; do you not see that the leaving in the reading of those who read with the plural in both verbs is only in the sense of rejection, which is not varied? As for those who read with the plural in 'we do' and the singular in 'you wish,' then 'that' is added to the first, and it is not permissible for it to be added to 'what' because the meaning also flips and you would have to consider it.

The apparent action of them that they indicated is the deficiency in measuring and weighing that has been previously mentioned. It has been narrated that the indication is towards their lending of the dinar and the dirham and conducting that with the soundness in a manner of deceit. This was said by Muhammad ibn Ka'b and others. It has also been narrated from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib that he said: Cutting the dinars and dirhams is from the corruption in the land. He interpreted that with this previous meaning, and it is also interpreted to mean that it is the alteration of the currencies which they intend by it to consume the wealth of the people.

There is a disagreement regarding their saying: "Indeed, you are the forbearing, the rightly guided." It was said that their words were: "Indeed, you are the ignorant, the foolish," so Allah alluded to that. It was said rather that this is their exact wording, except that they said it in a manner of mockery. This was said by Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd. It was said that the meaning is: "Indeed, you are the forbearing, the rightly guided in your own view," and it was said rather that they said it in a manner of truth and that it is their belief in him. So it is as if they refuted him, meaning that he is forbearing and rightly guided, so it is not appropriate for you to command us with these commands. This meaning resembles the words of the Jews from Banu Qurayzah when the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said to them: "O brothers of the monkeys": "O Muhammad, we have not known you to be ignorant."

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The ambiguity between the two matters is only by the correspondence between the words of Shu'ayb and his gentleness, and between what Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, hastened with towards Banu Qurayzah.

And His saying, the Exalted: "He said: O my people, have you considered if I am upon a clear proof..." This is a verbal review and a good continuation and a gentle invitation. For this verse and similar ones from the dialogue of Shu'ayb, peace be upon him, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said about him: "That is the orator of the prophets." And the answer to the condition in His saying: "If I am upon a clear proof from my Lord" is omitted; its estimation is: Should I go astray as you have gone astray and abandon conveying the message? And similar to this is what is appropriate for this argument? And "clear proof" may be understood to mean: (clarity) or clear, and the 'ha' entered for emphasis as a marker, and it may be understood to be an adjective for something omitted, so the 'ha' would be a feminine marker.

And His saying: "And He has provided me from it with good provision" means: pure from the corruption that you have introduced into your wealth. Then he said to them: And I do not intend to do that which I have forbidden you from, of deficiency in measuring and weighing, to hoard wealth for myself. And I only intend the reform of all, and I return in its meaning: I repent and I rely.