(11-84-87)(7-84-90)
Shuaib further elaborated
his position and said, “You want us to join you in your ancient ways, but this
would amount to telling lies about Allah and fabricating stories about the Almighty.
This daring step we cannot take. Once the guidance comes to us and we have
accepted it, we cannot turn back. I do
not tell other people to do something and then refuse to do it myself. I see that you are enjoying prosperity. God
has given you many bounties, so don’t change these bounties into doom by
defrauding people and not giving them their due.
The stiff-necked
chieftains refused to accept Shuaib’s advice. Since the guidance was clear and
based on facts, they were unable to give a reasonable answer. Like most
powerful and mean people, they took refuge in violence. The proud leaders went to the members of
Shuaib’s party and threatened them with the dire consequences of their
choices. With the help of money and
power, they blocked every road that led to righteous living. Shuaib also reminded them about the painful
end of those who denied God’s laws.
All of Shuaib’s sympathy
and compassion for the nation bore no fruit.
The leaders blankly refused to accept Shuaib’s advice. They said, “We do not understand what you are
saying. One thing we do understand: you want us to leave the gods of our
forefathers. Moreover, the worship of gods according to us is: to pray in the
temple, sing praises for various gods, do some charity in their name, and help in
maintaining the structure of the temple. But you are telling us that we cannot
spend our money in any way we like. Your
salath (prayer) is covering every
aspect of our behavior. You say we have
to surrender ourselves completely to the laws of God. This concept is beyond our
comprehension, and we do not believe in it.”
(11-92)(26-186-188)(7-91-92)
Shuaib’s only answer was,
“I have received the light of guidance from God, and I am calling you towards
it. I am not afraid of you because I depend on God for my protection and
food. The greatest difficulty you face
in understanding my message is that you comprehend God not as all powerful sovereign.
You use the Almighty God as a dhriah (extra).”
In ancient times, people
used to travel on camels. Sometimes the
camel could fall sick or meet an accident. In order to safeguard such an
eventuality, Midians used to take an extra camel with them, so they could use
it in the time of emergency. Otherwise
this extra camel had no use; it was a burden for the caravan. What Shuaib pointed out was their use of God
as a last resort, or an excuse. In
reality, the people of Midian and the Dwellers of the Dense Forest did not
believe in God.
When Shuaib pointed out
the weakness in their concept of God, the leaders became furious and said, “You
are not a powerful man in our nation. We
place you among the weak folks. We are
not doing any harm to you because we have regards for your community. You want to rob us of our prosperity by
introducing your new way of living. You had better be more careful about what
you say. We think you are either a liar
or bewitched. Ask your God to cut a
piece of sky and throw it upon us; then we will believe in you. At present, you are posing as though you are
the only kind and righteous person in the nation.”
“Shame on you! You are not
afraid of God Almighty; you are afraid of my community,” said Shuaib. “You have called me a liar. Let us wait and
see what God will decide between us because He is the best judge, and I put all
my trust in Him. Be careful because no
one can repel the doom when it comes.
The retribution for your acts will definitely come to you. It is the law of God and your feeble tricks cannot
alter it.”
The stiff-necked
chieftains of Midian and the Dense Forest Dwellers did not pay any heed to
Shuaib’s advice. Ultimately, an earthquake seized them. The next morning found
them lying lifeless in their homes. The bustling city of trade and commerce had
changed into a silent ruin when Shuaib and his companions left it.
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