People of Aiykah References

 

The progeny of Prophet Abraham from his wife Keturah, is well known in Arabia and in the history of the Israelites as the children of Keturah.  Their most prominent branch was the one which became famous as Midianites, after their ancestor, Midian, son of Abraham.  The rest of the children of Keturah, among whom the Dedanites are comparatively better known, settled in the territory between Taima' and Tabuk and Al-Ula in northern Arabia, their main city being Tabuk, the Aiykah of the ancient times.  Prophet Shu'aib was sent to the Midianites and the people of Aiykah.  These tribes were descendents of the same ancestors, spoke the same language and settled in the adjoining areas.  Then, these two branches were traders by profession and had developed similar evil practices and social and moral weaknesses.  These people worshipped Baal-peor.  When the children of Israel came out of Egypt and entered this territory, they also became infected with the evils of idolatry and adultery.  Then those people had settled on the two main international trade routes, the one joining Yaman with Syria and the other the Persian Gulf with Egypt.  Due to their advantageous position they had started big scale highway robbery and would not let any caravan pass till it had paid heavy taxes.  They had thus rendered these trade routes highly unsafe.  Prophet Shuaib has admonished them from committing highway robbery.

 

Prophet Shu'aib asked them no to fear him.  He was a Messenger to them worthy of full trust so he asked them to fear Allah and obey him.  He reminded them he did not ask of them any reward for this duty, for his reward was with the Lord of the worlds.  He stressed that they (1) should give full measure, (2) should not give people less than what was due to them, (3) weigh with even balance , (4) should not cheat people of their goods, (5) and should not spread evil in the land, and fear Him Who has created them and those who had gone before them.  They said that he was only an enchanted person and no more than a person like them.  They considered him  to be an utter liar.  They asked Prophet Shu'aib that if he was truthful, he should cause a fragment of the sky to fall down upon them.  Shu'aib said that it was not in his power to bring down the torment; it is in Allah's power, and He is fully aware of their misdeeds.  He would send down the torment as and when He willed.  They treated him as a liar.  Allah sent upon them a cloud which hung over them like a canopy and kept hanging until they were completely destroyed by the torment of continuous rain.

 

References Ash-Shu'araa' 26:176-189

 

Ash-Shu'araa' 26:176-189

 

The people of Aikah rejected the Messengers.EN26:115 26:176

 

EN26:115 The progeny of Prophet Abraham from his wife (or slave girl) Keturah, is well known in Arabia and in the history of the Israelites as the children of Keturah.  Their most prominent branch was the one which became famous as Midianites, after their ancestor, Midian, son of Abraham.  The rest of the children of Keturah, among whom the Dedanites are comparatively better known, settled in the territory between Taima' and Tabuk and Al-Ula in northern Arabia, their main city being Tabuk, the Aiykah of the ancient times.

 

Prophet Shu'aib was sent to the Midianites and the people of Aiykah.  These tribes were descendents of the same ancestors, spoke the same language and settled in the adjoining areas.  It is just possible that they lived side by side in the same area and had marriage and other social relations between them.  Then, these two branches were traders by profession and had developed similar evil practices and social and moral weaknesses.  According to the early books of Bible, these people worshipped Baal-Peor.  When the children of Israel came out of Egypt and entered this territory, they also became infected with the evils of idolatry and adultery (Numbers 25:1-5, 31:16-17).  Then those people had settled on the two main international trade routes, the one joining Yaman with Syria and the other the Persian Gulf with Egypt.  Due to their advantageous position they had started big scale highway robbery and would not let any caravan pass till it had paid heavy taxes.  They had thus rendered these trade routes highly unsafe.  Their characteristic of highway robbery has been mentioned in the Quran, for which they were admonished through Prophet Shu'aib, thus "And do not lie in ambush by every path (of life) as robbers in order to frighten the people (Al-A'raaf 7:86).

 

Remember the time when Shu'aib said to them, "Do you not fear?  26:177

I am a Messenger to you worthy of full trust 26:178

so fear Allah and obey me.  26:179

I do not ask of you any reward for this duty, for my reward is with the Lord of the worlds.  26:180

Give full measure and do not give people less than what is due to them; 26:181

weigh with even balance 26:182

and do not cheat people of their goods; and do not spread evil in the land, 26:183

and fear Him Who has created you and those who have gone before you."  26:184

They said, "You are only an enchanted person 26:185

and no more than a person like us: we consider you to be an utter liar.  26:186

However, if you are truthful, cause a fragment of the sky to fall down upon us." 26:187

Shu'aib said, "My Lord knows whatever you are doing."EN26:116  26:188

 

EN26:116: "It is not in my power to bring down the torment; it is in Allah's power, and He is fully aware of your misdeeds.  He will send down the torment as and when He wills."  In this demand of the people of Aiykah and the answer of Prophet Shu'aib to them there was an admonition for the Quraish as well.  They also demanded from the Holy Prophet to bring down the torment on them.

 

They treated him as a liar.  At last, the torment of the Day of Canopy overtook them,EN26:117 and it was the torment of an extremely dreadful day. 26:189

 

EN26:117: As these people had demanded a torment from the sky, Allah sent upon them a cloud which hung over them like a canopy and kept hanging until they were completely destroyed by the torment of continuous rain.