Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:44
And the inhabitants of Madyan. And Moses was denied, so I prolonged enjoyment for the disbelievers; then I seized them, and how [terrible] was My reproach.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And the inhabitants of Madyan — these are the people of Shuʿayb. He says: All these nations called their messengers liars. And Mūsā was called a liar — it says "and Mūsā was called a liar," not "and the people of Mūsā," because the people of Mūsā are the Children of Israel, and these had followed him and had not called him a liar. Only Faraʿawn and his people of the Copts had called him a liar.
It has also been said: the reason this is expressed in this way is that he [Mūsā] was born among them, just as [the Prophet ﷺ] was born among the people of Mecca.
His word: فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ — that is to say: I granted the disbelievers (kāfirīn) of these nations a respite and I did not strike them immediately with vengeance and punishment; ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ — that is to say: then I made the punishment descend upon them after the respite; فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ — that is to say: see then, O Muḥammad, how was My changing of the favor they enjoyed and My rejection of them after My former beneficence toward them — did I not replace their abundance with scarcity, and their life with death and destruction, and their flourishing with decay? He says: Thus shall My dealing be with those of Quraysh who call you a liar — even though I grant them a respite until their appointed terms, for I shall fulfill My promise to you concerning them, just as I fulfilled the promise that I made to others of My messengers concerning their nations: I destroyed them and saved the messengers from their midst.
