Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:90
Said the eminent ones who disbelieved among his people, "If you should follow Shu'ayb, indeed, you would then be losers."
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.
The explanation of His word: وَقَالَ الْمَلأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ لَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتُمْ شُعَيْبًا إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا لَخَاسِرُونَ (90) ("And the prominent ones (al-malaʾ) among his people who disbelieved said: If you follow Shuʿayb, then you will surely be among the losers.") (7:90)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: And the throng of disbelievers among the men of the people of Shuʿayb — and they are "al-malaʾ" (the prominent ones) — who rejected the signs of Allah, denied His messenger, and persisted in their misguidance, said to others among them: If you follow Shuʿayb in what he says, and obey him in that to which he calls you — namely the Oneness of Allah and the adherence to His command and prohibition — and you acknowledge his prophethood = "then you will surely be among the losers" — He says: then you will be harmed in your conduct and in abandoning your creed to which you hold fast, in favor of his religion to which he calls you = and you will, by your conduct, thereby perish.
