Transliteration:( Qaala yaa qawmi ara'aitum in kuntu 'alaa baiyinatim mir Rabbee wa razaqanee minhu rizqan hasanaa; wa maaa ureedu an ukhaalifakum ilaa maaa anhaakum 'anh; in ureedu illal islaaha mastata't; wa maa tawfeeqeee illaa billaah; 'alaihi tawakkaltu wa ilaihi uneeb )
179. By clear proof is meant prophethood and revelation while the adverb 'if is used to indicate the condition of his people. Otherwise Hazrat Shuaib's (On whom be peace) prophethood and revelation are so positive that there was no room for doubt about them.
180. By this is meant spiritual sustenance i.e Divine Guidance, prophethood and revelation which are connected with eternal life. It could also mean physical lawful sustenance in which there should be no trace of anything unlawful. Hazrat Shuaib (On whom be peace) was very wealthy and possessed many animals and properties. (Tafseer Roohul Baynan)
181. This tells us that the most respected Prophets do not even intend to commit sins. To incline anyone towards committing sins is the work of either the baser self or the Devil. The blessed Prophets do not have a baser self.Â
Allah Almighty says: No doubt the soul is used to command evil but that to whom my Lord has mercy" (S12 V53), and the devil does not overpower or subdue them. Allah Almighty further says: "No doubt those who are my bondsmen, have no control over them" (S17:V65). In this verse it is pointed out that let alone committing prohibited acts. I do not any intention of doing anything which is prohibited by Allah Almighty. When the blessed Prophets are protected from intention of sinful acts, then sin itself has no meaning by them. The one who regards them as sinful is worse than the devil because the devil had said that he would not be able to control Allah Almighty's beloved servants. while this wretched person is believing them to be sinful or misguided.Â
182. In these blessed words of Hazrat Shuaib (On whom be peace) there is a hint towards an important issue that besides Allah Almighty's help no one can obtain guidance merely through his intelligence. What this means is that my hand is in the Hand of Allah and it is important for you to let your hand be in myhand so that the mercy of Allah Almighty can help you. This tells us that only the Prophets maintain absolute contact with Allah Almighty and it is only through them that others can reach Allah Almighty.
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88. He said: “O my people! Tell me if I have a clear evidence from my Lord and He has given me a good sustenance from Himself (shall I corrupt it by mixing it with the unlawfully earned money). I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. I only desire reform to the best of my power. And my guidance cannot come except from Allah, in Him I put my trust and unto Him I repent.”
He said to them: Do you see O my people, that if I
(have a clear evidence from my Lord) meaning, upon clear guidance in that which I am calling to.
(and He has given me a good sustenance from Himself.) It has been said that he meant the prophethood. It has also been said that he meant the lawful provisions. It seems that the verse carries both meanings. Ath-Thawri said,
(I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you.) meaning, `do not forbid you from something and at the same time I contradict my prohibitions in secret behind your backs, doing what I have forbidden.’ This is similar to what Qatadah said concerning Allah’s statement,
(I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you.) “He is saying, `I do not forbid you all from something while I do it myself.”’
(I only desire reform to the best of my power.) This means, “In that which I command and forbid you, I only want to correct your affair as much as I am able.”
(And my guidance cannot come) This means, “In whatever I intend that agrees with the truth.”
(except from Allah, in Him I put my trust) This means in all of my affairs.
(and unto Him I repent.) meaning; “I return.” This has been said by Mujahid and others.
(11:88) Shu’ayb said: ‘My people! What do you think? If I stand on clear evidence from my Lord, and He has also provided me a handsome provision from Himself[98] -(should I be ungrateful to Him and share your error and iniquity?) Nor do I desire to act contrary to what I admonish you.[99] I desire nothing but to set things right as far as I can. My succour is only with Allah. In Him have I put my trust, and to Him do I always turn.
98. Here rizq implies two things: provision of the knowledge of the truth and provision of the necessities of life from Allah. In the first sense, it refers to the same thing that has been declared in this Surah by Prophets Muhammad, Noah and Salih (peace be upon them all), that is, Allah bestowed on me by revelation that knowledge of the truth, which I already had gained by making keen observations of my own self and of the phenomena of nature. Therefore I cannot be a party to your evil creeds and unlawful practices. In the second sense, it is the answer to this taunt of theirs: Indeed you are the only generous and righteous person left in the land! It meant, so to say, this: When my Lord has bestowed on me both the knowledge of the truth and the good and lawful provisions of life, your taunts cannot turn this favor into disfavor. Therefore I cannot be so ungrateful to Him as to declare your deviations to be the truth and your unlawful practices lawful.
99. That is, It is a proof of the truth of my claim that I myself practice what I preach to you. For instance, if I had forbidden you to visit the shrines of gods and goddesses but had myself become the guardian of some such shrine, you would have been justified in bringing this charge against me that I was preaching the doctrine of Tauhid merely for the sake of ruining the business of others in order to make room for my own trade. Likewise, if I had prohibited the use of unlawful means for you but had myself applied the same in my own trade, you would have been justified in charging me with preaching honesty merely for winning good reputation for the prosperity of my own trade. But you yourselves are a witness to this that I myself abstain from those evils which I forbid you to practice and I keep myself pure from those blemishes of which I desire to cleanse you and I follow the way to which I invite you. All this is a clear proof that I believe in the truth of the message I am conveying to you.
[573]- The conclusion of the sentence is estimated as "...would it not be my duty to warn you against corruption and disobedience?" [574]- i.e., I turn to Allāh frequently in supplication and repentance.
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