His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And the elite of those who disbelieved from his people said, 'If you follow Shu'ayb, you will surely be among the losers.'" "So the earthquake seized them, and they became in their home, fallen on their knees." "Those who denied Shu'ayb were as if they had never dwelled therein. Those who denied Shu'ayb, they were the losers." "So he turned away from them and said, 'O my people, I have certainly conveyed to you the messages of my Lord and advised you. So how can I grieve for a disbelieving people?'" This statement was made by the elite to their followers and the rest of the people who imitate them. And "the earthquake" is the severe shaking that causes a person to experience trembling, shivering, and disturbance. (p-617) Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It is possible that a group from the people of Shu'ayb was destroyed by the earthquake, and a group by the shadow; and it is possible that the shadow and the earthquake occurred at the same time. It has been narrated that Allah - blessed and exalted is He - sent Shu'ayb - peace be upon him - to the people of Madyan and to the companions of the grove. It is said that they were two groups, and it is said that they were one; and they, despite their disbelief, used to cheat in measuring and weighing. So he called them, and they denied him; and this previous conversation took place between them. When they persisted in their disbelief and the time became long for them, Allah - exalted is He - opened for them a door from the doors of Hell, and the heat from it destroyed them; and neither shade nor water benefited them. Then He sent a cloud with a pleasant wind, and they found the coolness of the wind and its fragrance. So they called out: 'To you, O shadow!' When they gathered under the shadow, which was that cloud, it collapsed upon them and destroyed them. Al-Tabari said: It has reached me that a man from the people of Madyan, called Amr ibn Jalha, said when he saw it: O my people, indeed Shu'ayb is a messenger, so abandon Samir and Imran ibn Shaddad. I see a cloud, O my people, has risen, calling with a voice over the valley's heights. And if you see in it the brightness of tomorrow, except for the Raqeem, it walks among the flocks. And Samir and Imran are their soothsayers; and the Raqeem is their dog. It has been narrated that the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - when he mentioned Shu'ayb said: 'That is the orator of the prophets,' for his words to his people: "And I do not intend to differ from you to that which I forbid you. I intend only reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but through Allah. Upon Him I have relied, and to Him I turn in repentance." [Hud: 88]. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: He means by his good manner of addressing them and his beautiful kindness. Al-Tabari narrated from Abu Abdullah al-Bajali that he said: Abu Jad, Hawwaz, Hutti, and Kalmun, and Safas, and Qarsht: are names of the kings of Madyan; and the king on the day of the shadow was Kalmun; and his sister lamented him: Kalmun has been destroyed, my support has collapsed, his destruction is in the midst of the settlement. The leader of the people came to him, death is a fire in the midst of the shadow. It has become a fire upon them, their home is like a desolate place. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this narration is presumed; and Allah knows best; and the meaning of "fallen on their knees" has been previously mentioned.

And His saying, exalted is He, "As if they had not dwelt therein"; it is a phrase that informs about the strength of their destruction and the descent of punishment upon them. It serves as a reminder for reflection upon them. This is similar to the saying of the poet:

"As if there had not been between the Hajoon and the Safa..."

And "yaghna"; its meaning is: to reside; and to dwell.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "I have dwelt in the place"; it is said in the context of residence that is accompanied by comfort and a pleasant life. This is what I have inferred from the poetry in which the Arabs have mentioned this term. Among that is the saying of the poet:

"And we have dwelt in it and we see the ages..."

And from it is the saying of another:

"And indeed, your neighbors have dwelt in it..."

Al-Tabari narrated it; and from it is the saying of another:

"O you who live for the sake of the beloved..."

And from it is the saying of Muhalhal:

"Our home has dwelt in Tihama..."

And it resembles that the term may be from "al-istighna"; and as for His saying, exalted is He, "As if they had not dwelt yesterday" [Yunus: 24]; it contains this meaning. For what is intended is: "As if it had not been a pleasant, flourishing abode"; and it is not found - as far as I know - except in connection with this meaning. And as for the saying of the poet:

"We have dwelt for a time in poverty and wealth..."

Its meaning is: we have become self-sufficient with that; and we accepted it; although this term is not associated with a place.

And His saying, exalted is He, "O my people, I have conveyed to you the messages of my Lord"; to the end of the verse, it is a statement that necessitates that Shu'ayb - peace be upon him - found in himself, when he saw the destruction of his people, sorrow and compassion. For his hope in them was otherwise. So when he found that, he sought to stir within himself a reason for consolation for them and harshness towards them. So he began to enumerate their sins and their rejection, which warranted that he should not feel sorry for them. He mentioned that he conveyed the message and advised; and the meaning is: "So they turned away and denied; then he said to himself when he reflected on this: how can I feel sorry for these disbelievers?" And it is possible that he said this statement in a manner similar to the saying of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - to the people of the Well of Badr. And Makki said: And Shu'ayb traveled with those with him until he settled in Mecca; until they died there.

And "asa" means: I grieve.

Ibn Wathab, Talhah ibn Musarif, and Al-A'mash read: "Isa"; with the hamzah being broken; and it is a dialect, as it is said: "Ikhal"; and "Iman"; Abdullah ibn Umar - may Allah be pleased with both of them - said: "I do not think it"; and his son Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Umar, in the book of "Hajj": "No Iman"; and all of this is in Al-Bukhari; and this dialect is consistent in the three signs: the hamzah of speaking, the noon of the plural, and the taa of addressing; and it is not permissible in the ya of the absent; thus said Sibawayh; and as for their saying from "wajila": "yijalu"; it may be from outside this category.