Surah al-A`raf (The Elevated Places) 7 : 90

Overview (Verses 90 - 93)

At this moment, the unbelievers turn to those who have believed with Shu`ayb to warn and threaten them, hoping to turn them away from their faith: “The great ones who disbelieved among his people said: ‘If you follow Shu`ayb, you shall indeed be losers.” (Verse 90)

The same aspects of the continually raging battle are seen very clearly. The tyrants try first with the advocates of divine faith hoping to stop them. If they stand firm, showing that they trust only in their Lord and that they are determined to fulfil their task and deliver His message, paying little heed to the warnings of unbelievers and to the power they may possess, then the tyrants turn to those who have accepted such advocacy, trying to turn them away from their faith with stern warning and serious threats. Those tyrants have no solid argument to justify their falsehood, but they have brute force. They cannot win hearts over to their jāhiliyyah, particularly the hearts of those people who have recognized the truth and no longer pay respect to falsehood. But the tyrants can still persecute those who insist on following the divine faith and submitting to God alone.

But it is a rule that God has established in human life that when truth and falsehood have adopted their respective stands and become clearly distinct, confronting each other on the basis of principle, then God’s law will come into operation. This was what took place with Shu`ayb and his people: “Thereupon an earthquake overtook them and the morning found them lying lifeless on the ground in their very homes.” (Verse 91)

The earthquake and their lying lifeless clearly contrast with their threats and arrogance and with their persecution of believers. Thus, the punishment seems to perfectly fit the arrogant attitude. The sūrah also replies to their earlier warnings to the believers that if they follow Shu`ayb, they will be losers. This was a serious threat that they intended to carry out. But the sūrah states with clear derision that it was not Shu`ayb’s followers that turned out to be losers. “As if those that rejected Shu`ayb had never prospered there. Those that rejected Shu`ayb were indeed the losers.” (Verse 92) It was only a split second and they were lying lifeless, motionless, in their homes, as if they had never lived.

The account is concluded with remonstrations and a declaration of dissociation by the Prophet sent to them. He used to be their brother, but then they parted company and, in consequence, their respective destinies were totally different. He no longer felt any sadness or sorrow for what befell them. “He turned away from them and said: ‘My people, I delivered to you my Lord’s messages and counselled you sincerely. How, then, could I grieve for people who persist in unbelief.’” (Verse 93) They belonged to two different phases, and thus they were two separate communities. Ties of family and nationhood are of no consequence in this faith and of no weight in God’s measure. The only solid tie is that of faith. True bonds between human beings can only be established on the basis of their strong ties with God’s faith