God sent Shuaib, peace be upon him, to the people of Midian, who lived in the northwest of the Arabian Peninsula. They were famous for their trade, but they were also famous for their injustice in measures and balances, cheating in sales, and taking people’s money unlawfully, in addition to their worship of other than God.
Shuaib, peace be upon him, was a man known among them for his eloquence and wisdom, so much so that he was called the Orator of the Prophets. He called them to worship God alone, warned them against commercial fraud and injustice, and ordered them to fulfill measures and balances fairly, not to deprive people of their things, and not to spread corruption on earth.
But his people were arrogant and said to him:
“Your prayers command you that we abandon what our fathers worshiped or that we do with our wealth whatever we want?”
They mocked him and threatened him with stoning or expulsion if he did not abandon his call, while Shuaib, peace be upon him, was steadfast, responding to them with wisdom and gentleness, reminding them of God’s blessings, and warning them of the fate of previous nations such as the people of Noah, Adad, and Thamud.
Since the people were not satisfied with stubbornness, but rather increased in injustice and corruption, the threat of God came to them. So Shuaib asked God to judge between him and his people with truth, so God commanded him to go out with the believers.
Then the torment of the Day of Shadow descended upon the people of Midian:
The temperature of the air rose until they suffocated, then a cold cloud appeared to them and they went out to it in search of shade. When they gathered under it, God sent upon them fire, a great thunderbolt, and a tremendous tremor that destroyed them, so that none of them remained.
As for Shuaib, peace be upon him, and those who believed with him, God saved them, and they left those homes. This was the fate of a people who did not repent of their injustice, despite their Prophet’s call to them for goodness and justice.