Quran Universe
29:36

وَإِلَىٰ مَدۡيَنَ أَخَاهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٗا فَقَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱرۡجُواْ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَ وَلَا تَعۡثَوۡاْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مُفۡسِدِينَ

Waila madyana akhahum shuAAayban faqala ya qawmi oAAbudoo Allaha waorjoo alyawma alakhira wala taAAthaw fee alardi mufsideena

And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb, and he said, "O my people, worship Allah and expect the Last Day and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."

Word by word
  1. وَإِلَىٰAnd to
  2. مَدۡيَنَMadyan
  3. أَخَاهُمۡtheir brother
  4. شُعَيۡبٗاShuaib
  5. فَقَالَAnd he said
  6. يَٰقَوۡمِO my people
  7. ٱعۡبُدُواْWorship
  8. ٱللَّهَAllah
  9. وَٱرۡجُواْand expect
  10. ٱلۡيَوۡمَthe Day
  11. ٱلۡأٓخِرَthe Last
  12. وَلَاand (do) not
  13. تَعۡثَوۡاْcommit evil
  14. فِيin
  15. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  16. مُفۡسِدِينَ(as) corrupters
Al-'Ankabut · 29:36Makkah

Worship, keep the Last Day in view, harm no one.

Shu'ayb's three-part call to Madyan

Shu'ayb's call
worship Allahalone
expect the Last Dayhope and fear it
no corruptionno cheating, no harm
Faith and business
separate worldsprayer here, profit there
one lifethe scales are part of faith

Shu'ayb, their brother, called Madyan to worship Allah alone and look to the Last Day. Ibn Kathir says spreading corruption meant going around doing evil to people: they cheated in weights and measures and ambushed people on the road.

You round up your hours on the timesheet. You describe a used car as better than it is. Small cheats in ordinary trade. Shu'ayb's call puts the Last Day right next to the scales. Faith shows up in how you deal.

My religion is about prayer, not about how I do business.

Worshipping Allah and remembering the Last Day show in honest weights and fair deals.

Try this

Check one transaction or timesheet this week and make it exactly honest.

Related60:6
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And to Madyan, We sent their brother Shu'ayb. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah and hope for the last Day, and commit no mischief on the earth as mischief-makers. (36)And they denied him; so the earthquake seized them, and they lay, prostrate in their dwellings (37)

Shu'ayb and His People

Allah tells us that His servant and Messenger Shu'ayb, peace be upon him, warned his people, the people of Madyan, and commanded them to worship Allah Alone with no partner or associate, and to fear the wrath and punishment of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. He said:

يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَارْجُوا الْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ

(O my people! Worship Allah and hope for the last Day,) Ibn Jarir said: "Some of them said that this meant: Fear the Last Day." This is like the Ayah,

لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ

(for those who look forward to (meeting with) Allah and the Last Day)(60:6).

وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

(and commit no mischief on the earth as mischief-makers.) This is forbidding them to make mischief on earth by spreading corruption, which means going around doing evil to people. They used to cheat in weights and measures, and ambush people on the road; this is in addition to their disbelief in Allah and His Messenger. So Allah destroyed them with a mighty earthquake that convulsed their land, and the Sayhah (shout) which tore their hearts from their bodies, and the torment of the Day of Shade, when their souls were taken. This was the torment of a great day. We have already examined their story in detail in Surat Al-A'raf, Surat Hud and Surat Ash-Shu'ara'.

فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ 

(and they lay, prostrate in their dwellings.) Qatadah said, "They were dead." Others said that they were thrown on top of one another.