Surah 26

Surah 26:180

"I do not ask you for any reward for it. My reward (depends) only on the Lord of the worlds."
Shu'ayb and His Preaching to the Dwellers of Al-Aykah Verses 26:176-180
Show Full Scripture Context (26:176-180) — 5 Verses
Verse 176

كَذَّبَ أَصۡحَٰبُ لۡـَٔيۡكَةِ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ

The people of the Grove called the envoys liars:

Verse 177

إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

When Shu‘ayb said to them, ‘Will you not guard (yourselves)?

Verse 178

إِنِّي لَكُمۡ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٞ

I am a trustworthy messenger for you,

Verse 179

فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

so guard (yourselves) against God and obey me.

Verse 180

وَمَآ أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ أَجۡرٍۖ إِنۡ أَجۡرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

I do not ask you for any reward for it. My reward (depends) only on the Lord of the worlds.

The companions of Al-Aykah were the people of Madyan, according to the most correct view. The Prophet of Allah Shu'ayb was one of them, but it does not say here, their brother Shu'ayb, because they called themselves by a name denoting their deification of Al-Aykah, which was a tree which they used to worship; it was said that it was a group of trees which were tangled, like trees in a thicket. For this reason, when Allah said that the companions of Al-Aykah denied the Messengers, He did not say, "When their brother Shu'ayb said to them." Rather, He said: {When Shu'ayb said to them} He is not described as belonging to them because of the meaning that was inherent in the name given to them even though he was their brother by blood. Some people did not notice this point, so they thought that the dwellers of Al-Aykah were different from the people of Madyan, and claimed that Shu'ayb was sent to two nations; some said that he was sent to three. {The companions of Al-Aykah} were the people of Shu'ayb. This was the view of Ishaq bin Bishr. Someone besides Juwaybir said, "The dwellers of Al-Aykah and the people of Madyan are one and the same." And Allah knows best. Although there is another opinion that they were different nations with two identities, the correct view is that they were one nation, but they are described differently in different places. Shu'ayb preached to them and commanded them to be fair in their weights and measures, the same as is mentioned in the story of Madyan, which also indicates that they were the same nation.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.