Ayah Study

"And O my people! Act according to your ability and way, and I am acting (on my way). You will come to know who it is on whom descends the torment that will cover him with ignominy, and who is a liar! And watch you! Verily, I too am watching with you."

AND UNTO [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu’ayb. He said: O my people! Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him; and do not give short measure and weight [in any of your dealings with men]. Behold, I see you [now] in a happy state; but, verily, I dread lest suffering befall you on a Day that will encompass [you with doom]!

اور برادران ملت! تم اپنی جگہ کام کیے جاؤ میں (اپنی جگہ) کام کیے جاتا ہوں۔ تم کو عنقریب معلوم ہوجائے گا کہ رسوا کرنے والا عذاب کس پر آتا ہے اور جھوٹا کون ہے اور تم بھی انتظار کرو، میں بھی تمہارے ساتھ انتظار کرتا ہوں

{ و ْ} لما أعيوه وعجز عنهم قال: { يَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمْ ْ} أي: على حالتكم ودينكم. { إِنِّي عَامِلٌ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ ْ} ويحل عليه عذاب مقيم أنا أم أنتم، وقد علموا ذلك حين وقع عليهم العذاب. { وَارْتَقِبُوا ْ} ما يحل بي { إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ ْ} ما يحل بكم.

ويا قوم اعملوا كل ما تستطيعون على طريقتكم وحالتكم، إني عامل مثابر على طريقتي وما وهبني ربي مِن دعوتكم إلى التوحيد، سوف تعلمون مَن منا يأتيه عذاب يذلُّه، ومَن منا كاذب في قوله، أنا أم أنتم؟ وانتظروا ما سيحل بكم إني معكم من المنتظرين. وهذا تهديد شديد لهم.

لما يئس نبي الله شعيب من استجابتهم له قال يا قوم "أعملوا علي مكانتكم" أي طريقتكم وهذا تهديد شديد "إني عامل" علي طريقتي "سوف تعملون من يأتيه عذاب يخزيه ومن هو كاذب" أي مني ومنكم "وارتقبوا" أي أنتظروا "إني معكم رقيب".

Shu` ayb's threatening of His People When the Prophet of Allah,Shu` ayb, despaired of their response to him, he said, "O mypeople اعْمَلُواْ عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمْ (Act according to your ability,) This means, "Act according to your current ways." This is actually a severe threat. إِنِّى عَـمِلٌ (I am acting.) according to my way. سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ (You will come to know who it is on whom descends the torment that will cover him with ignominy, and who is a liar!) meaning, between me and you. وَارْتَقِبُواْ (And watch you!) This means to wait. إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ (I too am watching with you.) Allah then says, وَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُواْ فِى دِيَـرِهِمْ جَـثِمِينَ (And when Our commandment came, We saved Shu`ayb and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us. And As-Sayhah (awful cry) seized the wrongdoers, and they lay (Jathimin) in their homes.) His saying Jathimin means extinct and lifeless without any movement. Here Allah mentions that a loud cry (Sayhah) came to them. In Surat Al-A`raf He says a severe quake (Rajfah) came to them. In Surat Ash-Shu`ara', He said it was a torment of a cloudy day. They were one nation upon which all of these punishments were gathered on the day of their destruction. In each context, Allah only mentioned that which was suitable. In Surat Al-A`raf when they said, لَنُخْرِجَنَّكَ يـشُعَيْبُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَكَ مِن قَرْيَتِنَآ (We shall certainly drive you out, O Shu`ayb, and those who have believed with you from our town.)7:88 In this verse it was suitable to mention a tremor, or quake (Rajfah). The earth in which they practiced their wrongdoing and they wanted to expel their Prophet from it, shook them. Here, due to their disrespectful manners in speaking to their Prophet, Allah mentioned the awful cry (Sayhah) which overcame them and killed them. In Surat Ash-Shu`ara' when they said, فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفاً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ (So cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful!)26:187 Allah said in response, فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ (So the torment of the day of Shadow seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.)26:189 This is from the intricate secrets and to Allah belongs all praise and much bounty forever. Concerning the statement, كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْاْ فِيهَآ (As if they had never lived there!) This means it was as if they had not lived in their homes before that. أَلاَ بُعْدًا لِّمَدْيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ (So away with Madyan as just as Thamud went away!) They (Thamud) were their neighbors and they did not live far from the homes of the people of Madyan. They were similar in their disbelief and their highway robbery. They were also both Arabs.

مدین والوں پر عذاب الٰہی جب اللہ کے نبی ؑ اپنی قوم کے ایمان لانے سے مایوس ہوگئے تو تھک کر فرمایا اچھا تم اپنے طریقے پر چلے جاؤ میں اپنے طریقے پر قائم ہوں۔ تمہیں عنقریب معلوم ہوجائے گا کہ رسوا کرنے والے عذاب کن پر نازل ہوتے ہیں اور اللہ کے نزدیک جھوٹا کون ہے ؟ تم منظر رہو میں بھی انتظار میں ہوں۔ آخرش ان پر بھی عذاب الٰہی اترا اس وقت نبی اللہ اور مومن بچا دیئے گئے ان پر رحمت رب ہوئی اور ظالموں کو تہس نہس کردیا گیا۔ وہ جل بھجے۔ بےحس و حرکت رہ گئے۔ ایسے کہ گویا کبھی اپنے گھروں میں آباد ہی نہ تھے۔ اور جیسے کہ ان سے پہلے کے ثمودی تھے اللہ کی لعنت کا باعث بنے ویسے ہی یہ بھی ہوگئے۔ ثمودی ان کے پڑوسی تھے اور گناہ اور بدامنی میں انہیں جیسے تھے اور یہ دونوں قومیں عرب ہی سے تعلق رکھتی تھیں۔