What did Ibn Kathir say about Prophet Shuʿayb?
Shuʿayb preached to a people who cheated in trade. His story in the Qur'an is a rebuke to economic injustice dressed in religious language.
10 passages from 8 books in the library
Ibn Kathir presents Shuʿayb as the prophet sent to the people of Madyan, who cheated in their trade and weights, making his story a rebuke of economic injustice dressed in religious language. The passages note his close link to Mūsā — his daughter became the wife of Mūsā, the one who spoke with God — and that he was thought to have lived a long time after his people's destruction. Ibn Kathir records the Qur'anic refrain pronouncing ruin upon the wrongdoing nations: "Away with ʿĀd, the people of Hūd... away with Thamūd... away with Madyan."
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 8 books by Ibn Battuta, Ibn Kathir, and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
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"Shuayb, peace be upon him, his daughter, the wife of Moses, the speaker with God, peace be upon him,"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
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"It was also said that he was the son of Shuayb's brother or his cousin or another man, a believer"
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"Some have explicitly stated that Shuayb, peace be upon him, lived for a long time after the"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"One account, transmitted by Ibn Majah, involves Amr ibn Shuayb, who narrated from his father"
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"The hadith, sin is unease in the hearts, was reported by Bayhaqi and Shuayb al-Iman from"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Isa ibn Shuayb, whom Ibn Hibn declared weak. Al-Nasai narrated from the hadith of al-Aswad"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"by a haqi from Amr ibn Shuayb, from his father, from his grandfather, with some additions"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"was narrated by Abu Dawud from the tradition of Amr ibn Shuayb from his father from his"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"the rank of a blind prophet like Shuayb would surpass that of Moses and other prophets,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Almighty's phrase, Away with Ad, the people of Hud, away with Thamud, away with Madyan"
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