Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic set out [the story of] the destruction of the people of Madyan and said: وَ إِلَی مَدْیَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَیْباً قَالَ یَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللهَ مَا لَکُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَیْرُهُ وَ لَا تَنْقُصُوا الْمِکْیَالَ وَ الْمِیزَانَ إِنِّی أَرَاکُمْ بِخَیْرٍ وَ إِنِّی أَخَافُ عَلَیْکُمْ عَذَابَ یَوْمٍ مُحِیطٍ. وَ یَا قَوْمِ أَوْفُوا الْمِکْیَالَ وَ الْمِیزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَ لَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْیَاءَهُمْ وَ لَا تَعْثَوْا فِی الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِینَ [And to Madyan (We sent) their brother Shu'aib. He said: O my people, worship Allah, you have no god other than Him, and do not give short measure and weight. Indeed I see you in prosperity, and indeed I fear for you the punishment of an all-encompassing day. And O my people, give full measure and weight in justice, and do not defraud people of their things, and do not act wickedly on the earth as corrupters]. Allah sent Shu'aib (peace be upon him) to Madyan, which was a town on the road to Sham; but they did not believe in him. Allah related what they said: قَالُوا یَا شُعَیْبُ أَ صَلَاتُکَ تَأْمُرُکَ أَنْ نَتْرُکَ مَا یَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا أَوْ أَنْ نَفْعَلَ فِی أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَاءُ إِنَّکَ لَأَنْتَ الْحَلِیمُ الرَّشِیدُ [They said: O Shu'aib, does your prayer command you that we should leave what our fathers worshipped, or that we should do with our wealth as we please? Indeed you are the forbearing, the right-guided one]. They were saying: "You are foolish and ignorant"; and Allah the Mighty and Majestic set the address إِنَّکَ لَأَنْتَ الْحَلِیمُ الرَّشِیدُ [Indeed you are the forbearing, the right-guided one] as an allusion to their words. Allah destroyed them because of giving short measure and weight. قَالَ یَا قَوْمِ أَ رَأَیْتُمْ إِنْ کُنْتُ عَلَی بَیِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّی وَ رَزَقَنِی مِنْهُ رِزْقاً حَسَناً وَ مَا أُرِیدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَکُمْ إِلَی مَا أَنْهَاکُمْ عَنْهُ إِنْ أُرِیدُ إِلَّا الْإِصْلَاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ وَ مَا تَوْفِیقِی إِلَّا بِاللهِ عَلَیْهِ تَوَکَّلْتُ وَ إِلَیْهِ أُنِیبُ [He said: O my people, have you considered — if I am upon clear proof from my Lord and He has provided me from Himself a good provision? I do not wish to oppose you by doing what I forbid you; I only wish to set things right as far as I am able, and my success is only from Allah; upon Him I have relied and to Him I turn]. Then he reminded them of what had come down upon the past nations and warned them of it, and said: یَا قَوْمِ لَا یَجْرِمَنَّکُمْ شِقَاقِی أَنْ یُصِیبَکُمْ مِثْلُ مَا أَصَابَ قَوْمَ نُوحٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ هُودٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ صَالِحٍ وَ مَا قَوْمُ لُوطٍ مِنْکُمْ بِبَعِیدٍ قَالُوا یَا شُعَیْبُ مَا نَفْقَهُ کَثِیراً مِمَّا تَقُولُ وَ إِنَّا لَنَرَاکَ فِینَا ضَعِیفاً [O my people, let not my dissent cause you to be struck by the like of what struck the people of Nuh, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih; and the people of Lut are not far from you. They said: O Shu'aib, we do not understand much of what you say, and indeed we see you as weak among us]; his weakness was weakness of eyesight. وَ لَوْ لَا رَهْطُکَ لَرَجَمْنَاکَ وَ مَا أَنْتَ عَلَیْنَا بِعَزِیزٍ. قَالَ یَا قَوْمِ أَ رَهْطِی أَعَزُّ عَلَیْکُمْ مِنَ اللهِ وَ اتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ وَرَاءَکُمْ ظِهْرِیّاً إِنَّ رَبِّی بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مُحِیطٌ. وَ یَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَی مَکَانَتِکُمْ إِنِّی عَامِلٌ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ یَأْتِیهِ عَذَابٌ یُخْزِیهِ وَ مَنْ هُوَ کَاذِبٌ وَ ارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّی مَعَکُمْ رَقِیبٌ [And were it not for your clan we would have stoned you, and you are not mighty against us. He said: O my people, is my clan mightier upon you than Allah, whom you have put behind you, ignored? Indeed my Lord encompasses all that you do. And O my people, act according to your position; I too am acting. You will come to know upon whom will come a punishment that disgraces him and who is the liar. Watch, indeed I too am watching with you] — [meaning] wait; then Allah sent upon them a cry and they died. This is the saying of Allah: وَ لَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّیْنَا شُعَیْباً وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَ أَخَذَتِ الَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّیْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِی دِیَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِینَ کَأَنْ لَمْ یَغْنَوْا فِیهَا أَلَا بُعْداً لِمَدْیَنَ کَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ [And when Our command came, We saved Shu'aib and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us, and the cry seized those who had done wrong, so they became lifeless bodies in their homes, as if they had never dwelt there. Away with Madyan, as Thamud was put away].