'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: ﴿And to Madyan, their brother Shu'ayb said, 'O my people, worship Allah. You have no deity other than Him. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. So give full measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth after its reformation. That is better for you if you should be believers.﴾ ﴿And do not sit on every path, threatening and averting from the way of Allah those who believe in Him, and seeking to make it seem deviant. And remember when you were few and He multiplied you. And see how was the end of the corrupters.﴾ It is said regarding 'Madyan': It is the name of a city; and a region; and it is said: the name of a tribe; and it is said: they are from the descendants of Madyan, the son of Ibrahim the Friend - peace be upon him -; and it has been narrated that Lut - peace be upon him - is the grandfather of Shu'ayb on his mother's side; and Makki said: he was the husband of Lut's daughter; and whoever sees 'Madyan' as the name of a man, he does not decline it; because it is a proper noun that is foreign; and whoever sees it as the name of a tribe or land, it is more appropriate that it should not be declined. And His saying: ﴿'their brother'﴾ is in the accusative case due to His saying - exalted is He - ﴿'We sent'﴾ [Al-A'raf: 94] at the beginning of the story; and this supports that 'Lut' is in the accusative; and that the term is continuous; and this brotherhood is in kinship; and the saying regarding 'other than Him' has been previously mentioned; and 'the clear proof' refers to his miracle; even if we have not been explicitly informed about it. And Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan read: 'A sign has come to you from your Lord' instead of 'a clear proof'. And His saying: ﴿'So give full measure'﴾ is a command to them to be upright in giving; and it is - in meaning - in taking and giving; and this disobedience had spread among them at that time; and it had become severe with their disbelief, which caused them to be struck with a quake because of it; and ﴿'do not deprive'﴾ means: do not wrong; and from it is their saying: 'You think it is foolish while it is depriving' meaning: it is a deceptive wrong; and 'their due' means their wealth; and their possessions that are measured or weighed. And His saying - exalted is He - ﴿'And do not commit abuse'﴾ is a general term for both minor and major corruption; and likewise, 'reformation' is general; and the interpreters have indicated that the reference to disbelief is through corruption; and to prophethood and laws through reformation; and His saying: ﴿'That is better for you'﴾ means: beneficial with Allah - exalted is He -; it earns His victory and pleasure - exalted is He - on the condition of faith and monotheism; otherwise, no deed is beneficial without faith. And His saying - exalted is He - ﴿'And do not sit on every path'﴾; the verse; Al-Suddi said: this is a prohibition against those who ambush and intercept; and similar to that; from taking people's wealth unjustly; and 'the path' is the way; and that is because they used to frequently engage in this; as it is part of: depriving them; and diminishing the measure and weight; and Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him - said: it is a prohibition against robbery; and highway robbery; and that was among their actions; and a narration has been reported regarding that from the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And what has preceded regarding the prohibition concerning wealth in the scales and measures; and the deficiency supports these two sayings; and resembles them; and in all of this is a warning to the people if they do not leave their wealth.

And Ibn Abbas; and Qatadah; and Mujahid; and Al-Suddi also said: His saying, the Exalted, ﴿ "And do not sit"; ﴾ is a prohibition for them regarding what they were doing of turning people away from Shu'ayb; so they threaten whoever intends to come to him; and they prevent him; and they say: He is a liar; so do not go to him; in the manner that Quraysh used to do with the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And what follows from the words of the verse resembles this saying.

And His saying, the Exalted, ﴿ And you prevent from the path of Allah those who believe ﴾; the meaning is: And you cause trials for those who believe; and you prevent them from the path of guidance; and the path of Allah, the Exalted, leading to His mercy; and the pronoun in "by it"; it is possible that it returns to the name of Allah - blessed and exalted is He -; and that it returns to Shu'ayb; in the saying of those who saw sitting on the roads; to turn away from Shu'ayb - peace be upon him -; and that it returns to the path in the language of those who mention "the path".

And the saying has preceded in a similar saying of His, the Exalted, ﴿ And you seek it to be crooked ﴾; at the beginning of the surah; and Abu Ubaidah; and Al-Zajjaj said: The breaking of the 'ain in meanings; and its opening in physical objects.

Then he enumerated for them the blessings of Allah - blessed and exalted is He -; and that He increased them after their small number; and it was said: He enriched them after their poverty; so the meaning - on this - is: "When you were few in number"; then he warned them and presented to them examples of those who were tested from the previous nations.