Surah 7

Surah 7:90

"The assembly of those who disbelieved among his people said, ‘If indeed you follow Shu‘ayb, surely then you will be losers indeed.’"
Tafsir Ibn Kathir Verses 7:90-92
Show Full Scripture Context (7:90-92) — 3 Verses
Verse 90

وَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَوۡمِهِۦ لَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعۡتُمۡ شُعَيۡبًا إِنَّكُمۡ إِذٗا لَّخَٰسِرُونَ

The assembly of those who disbelieved among his people said, ‘If indeed you follow Shu‘ayb, surely then you will be losers indeed.’

Verse 91

فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلرَّجۡفَةُ فَأَصۡبَحُواْ فِي دَارِهِمۡ جَٰثِمِينَ

And then the earthquake seized them, and morning found them leveled in their home(s).

Verse 92

ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ شُعَيۡبٗا كَأَن لَّمۡ يَغۡنَوۡاْ فِيهَاۚ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ شُعَيۡبٗا كَانُواْ هُمُ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ

Those who called Shu‘ayb a liar – (it was) as if they had not lived in prosperity there. Those who called Shu‘ayb a liar – they were the losers.

Allah said that the chiefs of Shu'ayb’s people said,

{"If you follow Shu'ayb, be sure then you will be the losers!"} Allah said in response,

Quoted Scripture
"So the earthquake seized them and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes."

Allah said that the earthquake seized them as a corresponding punishment to their threat to Shu'ayb and the believers, when they threatened to expel them from their village. Allah said in another Surah,

So the torment of the Day of Shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

This was because they challenged Shu'ayb, saying,

"So cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful!".

Therefore, Allah stated that each of these forms of punishment struck them on the Day of the Shadow. First,

So the torment of the Day of Shadow ( a gloomy cloud) seized them

when a gloomy cloud came over them (containing) fire, flames and a tremendous light. Next, a cry from the sky descended on them and a tremor shook them from beneath. Consequently, their souls were captured, their lives were taken and their bodies became idle,

Quoted Scripture
"and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes}."

Allah said next,

Quoted Scripture
"They became as if they had never dwelt there"

meaning, after the torment seized them, it looked as if they never dwelled in the land from which they wanted to expel their Messenger Shu'ayb and his followers. Here, Allah refuted their earlier statement,

Quoted Scripture
"Those who belied Shu'ayb, they were the losers."
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.