The Dense Forest Dwellers
(7-85-86) (26-176-178)
According to some
historians, the prophet Shuaib and the prophet Moses were contemporaries. Moses
was sent to Israel, and Shuaib was sent to the Dense Forest Dwellers and Midian.
Some historians proclaim that the Dense Forest Dwellers and Midian were two
different nations. Other scholars
maintain that these were two different tribes of the same origin, living in two
different locations. Shuaib was sent to
both of them because they came from the same origin and had similar characteristics.
These people were living
near a well-known trade-route which runs from Arabia to Syria. Their land was
fertile and covered with thick forest. Along with having lush green wood and fertile
land, these people were great experts of commerce. Their caravans went to many countries and nations,
carrying the local goods. The business of buying and selling goods in many
countries made them very rich and powerful.
The
peace and prosperity in the land helped to increase their number, which was a great
asset in those times. Wealth, number,
and prosperity made them very proud. The
money they earned lit an insatiable fire of greed in their hearts. They were not content to enjoy their material
goods; the lurking lust in their hearts led them to the unfair practice of
giving short measures in business. The
greed for wealth had such a strong grip on their minds that they forgot all
decency and morality, and occasionally took refuge in robbery.
Many prophets were sent by
God to these people, warning them about the ill consequences of their foul
deeds. But they were intoxicated with
power and money, so they paid no attention to these warnings. Near the end of their glory, the prophet Shuaib
came to them with the message of God. He
told them that there is no sovereign in the universe except God, and that he
was his messenger to warn them about the lurking doom. In addition to this, he declared, “Obey the
laws of God. You have been given the
guidance of the Almighty, so give full measures to those who buy from you. Do not upset the established law of the land;
this is the best course of action for you.
I am an honest messenger of God, so believe in me, and obey the laws of
God.”
A small minority believed
in Shuaib, but the majority of people were with the strong leaders. These leaders were very proud of their
prosperity and business. They were
convinced that no one could do any harm to them. All the powerful leaders were against Shuiab
and his movement, so they openly declared, “Shuiab, one thing is definitely
going to happen. We are going to force you,
and the people who believe in your message, to come back into the fold of ancient
traditional ways, or we are going to throw all of you out of the city.”
Shuaib reminded the nation
that once they had been few in number. God had given them peace, prosperity,
and increased their number. In addition to these blessings, He had given them
many bounties, so they had to obey his laws and not create confusion and
disorder after the establishment of order in the land. Their habit of being stingy when they were selling
things could bring doom upon them. They
had to give full measures for the money they received from the customers, not
withhold from the people the things that were their due. This is the right way. Moreover, Shuaib clarified his position and
said, “It was my duty to tell you the truth; it is up to you to follow my
guidance or reject it. I am not sent as a watchman over you.”
No comments:
Post a Comment