The People of the Thicket (Ashab al-Aykah): Verses 176–191

Reading of "Ashab al-Aykah" (The People of the Thicket):

It was read with a hamza (أصحاب) and with a softened hamza, and also in the genitive case (أصحابِ) as an idafa (possessive construction), which is the preferred reading.

Some read it with the accusative case (أصحابَ), claiming that Aykah (Thicket) is the name of a known town, similar to the pattern of laylah (night). This assumption might have led to the script of the Mushaf, as it is written in this Surah and in Surah Sad without an alif (ليكة). However, in the rest of the Qur'an, it is written according to the standard form (الأيكة). The story is the same: Aykah is not a known proper name.

It is narrated that the People of the Thicket were people who owned dense, intertwined trees. These trees are what the māql (a type of tree/plant) carried.

Regarding Shu'ayb's Absence:

If one asks why their brother Shu'ayb was not mentioned as being sent to them, as in other instances, the answer is that Shu'ayb was not among the People of the Thicket. A Hadith states: "Indeed, Shu'ayb, the brother of Midian, was sent to them and to the People of the Thicket."

Shu'ayb's Commands to Them:

Shu'ayb (عليه السلام) commanded them concerning several matters:

1. Honesty in Measure: His statement: {Give full measure and be not among those who cause loss.} (26:181)
   • Measuring has three states: full measure, deficient measure (cheating), and excess.
   • He commanded the obligatory action, which is fulfilling the measure, by saying: {Give full measure}.
   • He forbade the forbidden action, which is cheating (deficiency), by saying: {and be not among those who cause loss}.
   • He did not mention excess because if they do it, they have done well, and if they do not, there is no sin upon them.
   • Then, after commanding full measure, he clarified how to do it: {and weigh with the straight balance}.
   • It was read as bil-qisṭās (with a ḍammah or kasrah on the qāf), which means the scale. It is also called al-qirsṭūn.

2. Respecting Others' Property: {And do not withhold from people the things that are their due} (26:182).
   • To "diminish" someone's right (بخسه) means to reduce it. This is general, applying to every right established for someone that should not be violated, and every possession that should not be usurped from its owner, nor should one unjustly take from it, nor dispose of it except with their legitimate permission.

3. Prohibition of Corruption: {And do not commit evil or mischief in the land} (26:183).
   • To "commit evil" (عثا) in the land can be pronounced with a fatḥah (عَثَا) or a kasrah (عَثِيَ). This refers to things like highway robbery, raiding, and destroying crops.
   • They were doing these types of corruption, so they were forbidden from it.

4. Fear of the Creator: {And fear Him Who created you and the former generations} (26:184).
   • It was read as al-jiblata (like al-ablata) and al-jiblata (like al-khilqah). Both mean the same thing: O possessors of creation!
   • This means He is the Benefactor who created them and those who preceded them, without whom they would not have been created.

Their Response to Shu'ayb:

The people had no response except what would have been better for them had they left it alone. This response had two aspects:

1. Accusation of Sorcery/Humanity: {You are only one of those who are bewitched} (26:185) and {You are nothing but a human being like us} (26:186).
   • If one asks whether the meaning differs by including the conjunction 'and' (و) here versus omitting it in the story of Thamud: When the 'and' is included, they intended two meanings, both negating the prophethood in their view: sorcery and being merely human. When the 'and' is omitted, they intended only one meaning—that he was bewitched—and then reinforced it by saying he was like them.

2. Accusation of Lying: {And indeed, we think you are one of the liars} (26:187). The meaning is clear.

The Challenge and the Punishment:

Shu'ayb (عليه السلام) warned them of punishment if they persisted in denial. They replied by challenging him: {So cause a piece of the sky to fall upon us} (26:187).

• It was read as kisfan (with sukūn or fatḥah on the sīn), both being the plural of kisfa, meaning a piece or fragment. As-samā’ (the sky) means the cloud or the canopy.
• They requested this because they considered it impossible, thinking that if it did not happen, his falsehood would be evident.

In response, Shu'ayb said: {My Lord knows best what you are doing} (26:188). He did not curse them but entrusted the matter to God.

When they persisted in denial, God sent down the punishment they requested, according to what they proposed: the punishment of the Day of the Canopy (Yawm al-Ẓillah), if they meant the sky as clouds. If they meant a canopy/shade, then they were led away from their request.

It is narrated that God withheld the wind from them for seven days, and sent upon them dust/sand that suffocated them, where neither shade nor water benefited them. They were forced to go out into the open desert, where a cloud overshadowed them, bringing them coolness and a breeze. They gathered beneath it, and it rained fire upon them, burning them up.

It is also narrated that Shu'ayb was sent to two nations: the People of Midian and the People of the Thicket. Midian was destroyed by the cry of Gabriel (عليه السلام), and the People of the Thicket were destroyed by the punishment of the Day of the Canopy.

Conclusion of the Stories and Scholarly Questions:

Here ends the discussion of these seven stories mentioned by God in this Surah, serving as solace for Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) regarding the intense grief he experienced.

Two questions remain here:

First Question: Why can it not be said that the punishment that befell 'Ad, Thamud, the people of Lot, and others was not due to their disbelief and obstinacy, but rather due to the conjunctions and alignments of the stars, as agreed upon by astrologers? If this possibility stands, then the lesson from these stories is not achieved, as the lesson is only achieved if we know that the descent of this punishment was due to their disbelief and obstinacy.

Second Question: God sometimes sends down punishment as a trial and test for the accountable, as He says: {And We will surely test you until We know those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and are patient} (Muhammad: 31). Since this is the case, the descent of affliction upon them does not indicate that they were in error.

The Answer:

God Almighty revealed these stories to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to console him and remove sorrow from his heart. When God informed Muhammad that He was the One who sent down the punishment, and that He sent it down only as retribution for their disbelief, it was incumbent upon Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that the matter was indeed so. At that point, consolation and joy were achieved for him (عليه السلام).

Some people used this to argue against the validity of knowledge concerning celestial influences by stating: The effective agent in these matters is either the planets, the zodiac signs, or the planet being in a specific sign.

1. The first is false, otherwise, these effects would occur wherever the planet is found.
2. The second is also false, otherwise, the effect would necessitate permanence as long as the sign endures.
3. The third is also false, because, according to them, the celestial sphere is simple and not composite, so the nature of every sign is equal to the nature of every other sign in its complete essence. Thus, the state of the planet while in its sign is the same as its state while in another sign, necessitating that the effect endures as long as the planet endures.

The astrologers can counter by asking: Why can it not be that the emission of the effect from a specific planet is contingent upon it being in a specific alignment with another planet? If that alignment is lost, the condition for influence is lost, and the effect does not occur.

They can also say: This evidence only proves that they are not effective according to their inherent natures and essences, but it does not prove that they are not effective according to the established custom ('ādah). If God has established His custom that specific effects occur following the conjunctions, alignments, and cycles of the stars, it is not necessary that the occurrence of these effects proves that God created them specifically to deter the disbelievers. Perhaps God created them as a repetition of those customs. And God knows best.

Regarding What God Mentioned of the States of Muhammad (عليه الصلاة والسلام)

{And indeed, it is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down upon your heart, that you may be one of the warners, in clear Arabic tongue. And indeed, it is mentioned in the scriptures of former peoples.} (26:192–196)