وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ
كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لَئِنِ
ٱتَّبَعْتُمْ شُعَيْبًا إِنَّكُمْ
إِذًا لَّخَـٰسِرُونَ
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟
فِى دَارِهِمْ جَـٰثِمِينَ
ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًا
كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا۟ فِيهَا ۚ ٱلَّذِينَ
كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًا كَانُوا۟
هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
The chiefs of those
who disbelieved
among his people
said (to their people):
“If you follow Shu`ayb,
be sure then you
will be the losers!”
So the earthquake
seized them and they
lay (dead), prostrate
in their homes.
Those who belied
Shu`ayb, became as
if they had never
dwelt there (in their
homes). Those who
belied Shu`ayb, they
were the losers.
Allah describes the enormity of disbelief, rebellion, transgression and misguidance (of Shu`ayb’s people) and the defiance of truth encrypted in their hearts. They vowed, saying,
لَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتُمْ شُعَيْبًا
إِنَّكُمْ إِذاً لَّخَـسِرُونَ
“If you follow Shu`ayb, be sure then you will be the losers!”
Allah answered them,
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ
فَأَصْبَحُواْ فِي
دَارِهِمْ جَـثِمِينَ
So the earthquake seized them and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes
Allah said that the earthquake shook them, as punishment for threatening to expel Shu`ayb and his followers. Allah mentioned their end again in Surah Hud,
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا
شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ
مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ
الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ الصَّيْحَةُ
فَأَصْبَحُواْ فِى دِيَـرِهِمْ جَـثِمِينَ
And when Our commandment came, We saved Shu`ayb and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us. And the Sayhah (loud cry) seized the wrongdoers, and they lay (dead) prostrate in their homes. (Hud 94)
This Ayat mentions the Sayhah (cry) that struck them after they mocked Shu`ayb, saying,
أَصَلَوَتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ
Does your Salah (prayer) command you…
so it was befitting to mention here the cry that made them silence. In Surat Ash-Shu`ara’, Allah said,
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمْ
عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ
إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ
يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
But they belied him, so the torment of the Day of Shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day (Ash-Shu’ara 189)
because they challenged Shu`ayb,
فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا
كِسَفاً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ
“So cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful!” (Ash-Shu’ara 187)
Therefore, Allah stated that each of these forms of punishment struck them on the Day of the Shadow. First,
فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ
So the torment of the Day of Shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized them (Ash-Shu’ara 189)
when a gloomy cloud came over them (containing) fire, flames and a tremendous light. Next, a cry from the sky descended on them and a tremor shook them from beneath. Consequently, their souls were captured, their lives were taken and their bodies became idle,
فَأَصْبَحُواْ فِي دَارِهِمْ جَـثِمِينَ
and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes
Allah said next,
كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْاْ فِيهَآ
They became as if they had never dwelt there
meaning, after the torment seized them, it looked as if they never dwelled in the land from which they wanted to expel their Messenger Shu`ayb and his followers. Here, Allah refuted their earlier statement,
الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ شُعَيْبًا
كَانُواْ هُمُ الْخَـسِرِينَ
Those who belied Shu`ayb, they were the losers.