People of al-Aykah

The People of al-Ayka (Arabic: أَصْحَابُ الأیکة ) were a community condemned in the Qur'an for cheating in measure and weight and for idolatry. According to exegetical and hadith sources, they rejected the call of their prophet, Shu'ayb (a), who urged them to abandon sinful practices—especially cheating in measure and weight—and they attempted to prevent his mission. Ultimately, they were destroyed by divine punishment. The People of al-Aykah lived along the trade route between the Hijaz and the Levant. The name Ashab al-Aykah appears four times in the Qur'an.

Introduction and Status

The People of al-Aykah were a community that lived in a region known as Aykah, situated along the trade route between the Hijaz and the Levant. Aykah was a well-known settlement located near Madyan. The term "Ashab al-Aykah" appears four times in the Qur'an: Quran 15:78, Quran 26:176, Quran 38:13, and Quran 50:14. According to Qur'anic exegetes, this community was condemned for various forms of corruption and rejected the call of their prophet, Shu'ayb (a). After denying their prophet, they were struck by divine punishment and destroyed.

The People of al-Aykah and the People of Madyan

Exegetes differ on whether the People of al-Aykah and the People of Madyan were the same community mentioned in the Qur'an under two different names, or whether they were two distinct groups who shared a common prophet and similar characteristics. According to some researchers, citing the view of most exegetes, Prophet Shu'ayb (a) was initially sent as a prophet to the People of Madyan, and after their destruction, he was charged with guiding the People of al-Aykah.

Their argument is based on a hadith from the Prophet (s), a statement attributed to Qatada b. Di'amah, the Qur'anic exegete, and the distinct Qur'anic expressions describing the punishments of the People of al-Aykah and the People of Madyan. In the Qur'an, the punishment of the People of al-Aykah is referred to as "ʿadhāb yawm al-ẓullah" (the punishment of the day of the overshadowing cloud), whereas the punishment of the People of Madyan is described with the terms "rajfah" (a severe tremor) and "ṣayhah" (a mighty blast). Moreover, in the Qur'an—specifically in Quran 7:85—Shu'ayb is called the "brother of the People of Madyan," yet he is not described as the "brother of the People of al-Aykah."

Characteristics

The characteristics of the People of al-Aykah are described as cheating in measure and weight and idolatry:

Cheating in Commercial Dealings

Main article: Cheating in Measure and Weight

According to one study, Qur'anic verses indicate that the greatest deviation of the People of al-Aykah was cheating in measure and weight. Based on various sources, they committed numerous forms of deceit and corruption in their trade, including shortchanging in weight and measure, tampering with scales and measurements, and even altering the colour or quality of goods.

Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi, in his Qisas al-Anbiya', reports from Imam al-Sajjad (a) that Prophet Shu'ayb (a) crafted the measuring vessel and the balance scale with his own hands so that people would conduct transactions with correct measurement and in observance of others' rights. Initially, the people measured fairly and delivered full weight; however, over time, they began to cheat in measure, disregarding justice in their weighing.

According to Tafsir-i nimuna by Makarim Shirazi, the People of al-Aykah, due to the commercial position they held, would purchase people's goods at very low prices while selling their own goods at the highest possible prices. Moreover, when measuring their own merchandise, they exercised great precision, but when weighing the goods of others, they did so with carelessness and neglect. As stated by al-Tabari, the 3rd–4th/9th–10th century historian, they secured a comfortable lifestyle for themselves through these methods.

Idolatry

Main article: Idolatry

According to various reports, although the People of al-Aykah enjoyed abundant natural and environmental blessings, they did not show gratitude to God and instead turned to idol worship and to the veneration of lush trees. They also denied the Resurrection.

Call of Prophet Shu'ayb (a) and Their Reaction

According to historical and exegetical sources, when polytheism and corruption became prevalent among the People of al-Aykah, God commissioned Prophet Shu'ayb (a) to guide them. Shu'ayb (a) called the people to the worship of God, to piety and avoidance of sin, to sincerity in worship, and to obedience to God's commands, and he forbade them from idolatry and polytheism.

He also urged the People of al-Aykah to refrain from cheating in measure and weight, and he warned them against creating disorder and corruption, murder, violating others' property, and highway robbery. He cautioned his people that if they did not repent from their sins, they would be struck by divine punishment.

In contrast, according to a report attributed to Ibn 'Abbas, the People of al-Aykah would sit along the travel routes and, through their propaganda, portray Shu'ayb (a) as an enemy of the people and as someone who sought to corrupt their religion. According to al-Tafsir al-Munir, by threatening Shu'ayb (a), they tried to weaken his position and render his call ineffective.

According to various sources, the People of al-Aykah rejected the words of Prophet Shu'ayb (a) and described him as mad, a liar, a sorcerer, and merely a human being like themselves, claiming that he possessed no superiority over them.

Destruction

In addition to rejecting Prophet Shu'ayb (a), the People of al-Aykah challenged him by saying that if he were truthful, stones from the sky should fall upon them and bring upon them the very punishment with which he warned them. After the completion of the proof against them, God subjected them to divine punishment.

According to exegetical and hadith sources, the People of al-Aykah were afflicted with intense heat for seven days, during which no breeze blew across their town and land. Then a cloud appeared, and they gathered under its shade to escape the heat; however, at that very moment, a fire descended from the cloud and consumed all of them.