Quran Universe
7:85

وَإِلَىٰ مَدۡيَنَ أَخَاهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٗاۚ قَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُۥۖ قَدۡ جَآءَتۡكُم بَيِّنَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡۖ فَأَوۡفُواْ ٱلۡكَيۡلَ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ وَلَا تَبۡخَسُواْ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشۡيَآءَهُمۡ وَلَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بَعۡدَ إِصۡلَٰحِهَاۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ خَيۡرٞ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ

Waila madyana akhahum shuAAayban qala ya qawmi oAAbudoo Allaha ma lakum min ilahin ghayruhu qad jaatkum bayyinatun min rabbikum faawfoo alkayla waalmeezana wala tabkhasoo alnnasa ashyaahum wala tufsidoo fee alardi baAAda islahiha thalikum khayrun lakum in kuntum mumineena

And to [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be believers.

Word by word
  1. وَإِلَىٰAnd to
  2. مَدۡيَنَMadyan
  3. أَخَاهُمۡhis brother
  4. شُعَيۡبٗاۚShuaib
  5. قَالَHe said
  6. يَٰقَوۡمِO my people
  7. ٱعۡبُدُواْWorship
  8. ٱللَّهَAllah
  9. مَاnot
  10. لَكُمfor you
  11. مِّنۡany
  12. إِلَٰهٍgod
  13. غَيۡرُهُۥۖother than Him
  14. قَدۡVerily
  15. جَآءَتۡكُمhas came to you
  16. بَيِّنَةٞa clear proof
  17. مِّنfrom
  18. رَّبِّكُمۡۖyour Lord
  19. فَأَوۡفُواْSo give full
  20. ٱلۡكَيۡلَ[the] measure
  21. وَٱلۡمِيزَانَand the weight
  22. وَلَاand (do) not
  23. تَبۡخَسُواْdeprive
  24. ٱلنَّاسَ[the] people
  25. أَشۡيَآءَهُمۡin their things
  26. وَلَاand (do) not
  27. تُفۡسِدُواْcause corruption
  28. فِيin
  29. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  30. بَعۡدَafter
  31. إِصۡلَٰحِهَاۚits reformation
  32. ذَٰلِكُمۡThat
  33. خَيۡرٞ(is) better
  34. لَّكُمۡfor you
  35. إِنif
  36. كُنتُمyou are
  37. مُّؤۡمِنِينَbelievers
Al-A'raf · 7:85Makkah

Give full measure. Do not short people their due.

Shu'ayb's call to honest dealing

Shu'ayb's message
worship Allahno god but Him
full measurefull weight
no cheatingin buying and selling
Where faith shows
only in prayerbusiness is separate
on the scale toohonest weight is worship

Madyan was a tribe and a city on the route from Sham to the Hijaz. Their sin was cheating in buying and selling, giving less in weight and measure. Shu'ayb joined belief in Allah with honest dealing. He was called the speaker of the prophets for his eloquence.

The invoice padded by an hour. The used car sold without mentioning the noise. The shift where you clocked in and scrolled. The scale is not only in the market.

Small shortcuts in business are just how things work.

Giving people their full due is part of my faith in Allah.

Try this

Check one deal, bill or timesheet this week and make sure it is exactly fair.

Related83:128:23
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And to (the people of) Madyan, (We sent) their brother Shu'ayb. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Verily, a clear proof (sign) from your Lord has come unto you; so give full measure and full weight and wrong not men in their things, and do not do mischief on the earth after it has been set in order, that will be better for you, if you are believers (85)

Story of Shu'ayb, upon him be Peace, and the Land of Madyan

Muhammad bin Ishaq said, "They (the people of Madyan) are the descendents of Madyan, son of Midyan, son of Ibrahim. Shu'ayb was the son of Mikil bin Yashjur. And in the Syrian language, his name was Yathrun (Jethro)". I (Ibn Kathir) say, Madyan was the name of the tribe and also a city that is close to Ma'an on route to the Hijaz (from Ash-Sham). Allah said in another Ayah,

وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ 

(And when he arrived at the water (a well) of Madyan he found there a group of men watering (their flocks).)[28:23]

They are also the people of Al-Aykah (the Woods), as we will mention later on, Allah willing, and our trust is in Him.

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ

(He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him") and this is the call of all Messengers,

 قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ

("Verily, a clear proof (sign) from your Lord has come unto you;") meaning, 'Allah has presented the proof and evidences of the truth of what I brought you.' He then advised them and commanded them to give full measure and full weight and not to wrong men in their dealings, meaning, to refrain from cheating people in buying and selling. They used to treacherously avoid giving full weight and measure. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ

(Woe to Al-Mutaffifin (those who give less in measure and weight)...)[83:1] until He said,

 لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

(before the Lord of all that exists?)[83:6]. These Ayat contain a stern warning and sure promise that we ask Allah to save us from. Shu'ayb was called 'Speaker of the Prophets', because of his eloquent words and eloquent advice, and Allah stated that Shu'ayb said: