Quran Universe
11:87

قَالُواْ يَٰشُعَيۡبُ أَصَلَوٰتُكَ تَأۡمُرُكَ أَن نَّتۡرُكَ مَا يَعۡبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَآ أَوۡ أَن نَّفۡعَلَ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِنَا مَا نَشَـٰٓؤُاْۖ إِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ ٱلۡحَلِيمُ ٱلرَّشِيدُ

Qaloo ya shuAAaybu asalatuka tamuruka an natruka ma yaAAbudu abaona aw an nafAAala fee amwalina ma nashao innaka laanta alhaleemu alrrasheedu

They said, "O Shu'ayb, does your prayer command you that we should leave what our fathers worship or not do with our wealth what we please? Indeed, you are the forbearing, the discerning!"

Word by word
  1. قَالُواْThey said
  2. يَٰشُعَيۡبُO Shuaib
  3. أَصَلَوٰتُكَDoes your prayer
  4. تَأۡمُرُكَcommand you
  5. أَنthat
  6. نَّتۡرُكَwe leave
  7. مَاwhat
  8. يَعۡبُدُworship
  9. ءَابَآؤُنَآour forefathers
  10. أَوۡor
  11. أَنthat
  12. نَّفۡعَلَwe do
  13. فِيٓconcerning
  14. أَمۡوَٰلِنَاour wealth
  15. مَاwhat
  16. نَشَـٰٓؤُاْۖwe will
  17. إِنَّكَIndeed you
  18. لَأَنتَsurely you
  19. ٱلۡحَلِيمُ(are) the forbearing
  20. ٱلرَّشِيدُthe right-minded
Hud · 11:87Makkah

Does your prayer tell us how to spend our money?

Mocking the idea that prayer reaches business

Madyan's mocking reply
Shu'ayb's prayerthey laughed at it
tells us to drop
our fathers' idolswhat we inherited
our way with moneycheating the scales
How far prayer reaches
prayer is privatemy money is my business
prayer shapes all of itworship and trade alike

Shu'ayb had told Madyan to stop cheating in weights and measures. They mocked him: does your prayer order us to leave our fathers' gods, or to stop doing what we like with our wealth? Ibn Abbas and others said that calling him the forbearing, the right-minded was sarcasm.

You pray on time, then fudge the timesheet or overcharge a customer who will never notice. A colleague says, "Religion has nothing to do with business." Shu'ayb's people said the same. Real prayer walks with you into the shop and the spreadsheet.

My prayer is between me and Allah; how I handle money is a separate matter.

Prayer is meant to shape how I earn and spend, not stay on the prayer mat.

Try this

Check one transaction or bill you handle today and make sure it is fully fair.

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

They said: "O Shu'ayb! Does your Salah command you that we give up what our fathers used to worship, or that we give up doing what we like with our property? Verily, you are the forbearer, right-minded! (87)

The Response of Shu'ayb's People

They said to Shu'ayb, in mockery,

أَصَلَاتُكَ 

(Does your Salah) Al-A'mash said, "This means your reading."

تَأْمُرُكَ أَن نَّتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا

(command you that we give up what our fathers used to worship,) meaning the idols and statues.

أَوْ أَن نَّفْعَلَ فِي أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَاءُ

(or that we give up doing what we like with our property?) This means, "Should we abandon our practice of lightening the scales because of your statement This is our wealth and we will do with it as we please." Al-Hasan said concerning Allah's statement,

أَصَلَاتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَن نَّتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا

(Does your Salah command you that we give up what our fathers used to worship,)[11:87] "By Allah, this means that his prayer commanded them to abandon what their fathers used to worship." At-Thawri said concerning Allah's statement,

أَوْ أَن نَّفْعَلَ فِي أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَاءُ

(or that we give up doing what we like with our property?) "They were speaking in reference to the paying of Zakah (charity)."

إِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ الْحَلِيمُ الرَّشِيدُ

(Verily, you are the forbearer right-minded!) Ibn 'Abbas, Maymun bin Mihran, Ibn Jurayj, Ibn Aslam, and Ibn Jarir all said, "These enemies of Allah were only saying this in mockery. May Allah disfigure them and curse them from ever receiving His mercy. And verily, He did so."