His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And O my people, let not my opposition cause you to incur the same fate as that which befell the people of Noah or the people of Hud or the people of Salih. And the people of Lot are not far from you." "And seek forgiveness from your Lord, then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Loving." They said, "O Shu'ayb, we do not understand much of what you say, and we see you among us as weak. Were it not for your clan, we would have stoned you, and you are not mighty against us." He said, "O my people, is my clan more esteemed by you than Allah? And you have taken Him behind you as a disregard. Indeed, my Lord encompasses what you do."

"Let not your opposition" means: do not let it earn you. It is said: I have earned him such and such, and I earn him if I cause him to gain. Just as it is said: he gained and earned in meaning. From this is the saying of the poet:

"And indeed you have stabbed Abu 'Uyaynah with a stab, That earned the Banu Fazarah after it to be angry."

And the majority read: "let not your opposition" with a fatḥah on the yā', and al-Amash and Ibn Waththab read: "let not your opposition" with a ḍammah. And "my opposition" means: my enmity and hostility. And "that" is a verbal noun governed by "let not your opposition earn you." The story of the people of Lot is the closest story in time to the story of the people of Shu'ayb. It may be intended: and what are the abodes of the people of Lot far from you? As if he said: and what are the people of Lot far from you in distance? This saying includes a parable for them with the people of Lot.

And the majority read: "like" in the nominative as it is the subject of "will befall you." Mujahid, al-Jahdari, and Ibn Abi Ishaq read: "like" in the accusative; and this is on one of two interpretations: either "like" is the subject, and the fatḥah of the lām is a fatḥah of construction for what is added to something non-possessor, for "like" may run in the manner of circumstances in this regard even if it is not purely a circumstance, or the subject is understood to be omitted as required by the meaning, and "like" is in the accusative as an adjective for a hidden source whose estimation is: the befalling of like.

And His saying: "And seek forgiveness from your Lord" - the verse. The saying has preceded regarding the order of this seeking forgiveness before repentance. And "Loving" means that His actions and kindness towards His servants, when they are in the utmost of kindness to them, are like the actions of one who seeks to befriend and loves the one for whom he does kindness.

And His saying, exalted is He: "They said, O Shu'ayb" - the verse. "We do not understand" means: we do not comprehend. This is similar to the saying of Quraysh: "Our hearts are in coverings." And the meaning of "we do not understand much of what you say" is: we do not understand the correctness of your words. As for their understanding of the wording and meaning, that is achieved. It has been narrated from Ibn Jubayr and Sharik the judge regarding their saying: "weak" that he was blind, and al-Zahrawi narrated that Himyar says to the blind: weak, just as it is said to him: blind. It is said: he was thin in body.

Abu Muhammad the judge, may Allah have mercy on him, said: All of this is weak, and there is no proof for the weakness of his sight or body. The apparent meaning of their saying: "weak" is that he is weak in support and ability, and that his clan of disbelievers were considerate of him.

And the raht: it is the group of a man, and from it is the rahatā; because the yarbūʿ clings to it as a man does to his raht. And 'We would stone you' is said to mean with stones, and this is the apparent meaning, and this was said by Ibn Zayd. It is said: its meaning is: 'We would stone you with insults,' and with this, Al-Tabari explained it. This is also something the Arabs use, and from it is His saying, the Most High: ﴿I will surely stone you and leave me for a time﴾ [Maryam: 46]. And their saying: 'with a mighty one' means: with one of strength, honor, and status in our souls.

And His saying, the Most High: ﴿He said, O my people, is my raht﴾ the verse. 'Al-zahriyy' is the thing that is behind the back, and a thing can be behind the back in two ways in speech: either by being cast aside, as you say: 'You have placed my words behind your back and behind your ear,' and from it is the saying of Al-Farazdaq:

Tamim ibn Zayd, let my need not be in the back, so that its answer does not escape me.

And either by leaning on it and seeking refuge. From this is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in his supplication: 'And I have leaned my back on You.' The majority of the interpreters said regarding the meaning of this verse: that 'You have taken Allah as a backer - meaning: not being considered - behind the back,' in the sense of being cast aside, and Al-Tabari favored this.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is for me on the basis of an omitted addition, and it is necessary.

And some of them said: The pronoun in His saying: 'And you have taken Him' refers back to the command of Allah and His law, as it is included in the speech. And a group said: The meaning is: Do you see my raht as more honored to you than Allah while you take Allah as the support of your backs and the foundation of your hopes?

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The saying of the majority is that the disbelief of the people of Shuʿayb was denial of Allah, the Most High, and ignorance of Him. And this second saying is that they acknowledged the Creator, the Provider, and believed in idols as intermediaries and means, and so on. And these two groups exist among the disbelievers. And from the wording: seeking support with evidence. And Ibn Zayd said: Al-zahriyy means: the surplus, like a camel that goes out with it with camels that are surplus, preparing them if he needs them, otherwise they are surplus.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: All of this is what can be relied upon.

And His saying: ﴿Indeed, my Lord is All-Encompassing of what you do﴾ is news that contains a threat, and its meaning is: His knowledge and power encompass.