The Destruction of the Dwellers of Al-Aykah, the People of Shu`ayb
The Dwellers of Al-Aykah, were the people of Shu`ayb. Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and others said that Al-Aykah refers to intertwined trees. Their evildoing included associating partners with Allah (Shirk), banditry and cheating in weights and measures. Allah punished them with the Sayhah (the awful cry or torment), the earthquake, and the torment of the Day of Shadow. They lived near the people of Lut, but at a later time, and the people of Lut were known to them, which is why Allah says,
وَإِنَّهُمَا لَبِإِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ
(They are both on an open route, plain to see.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and others said, "a visible route." This is why, when Shu`ayb warned his people, he said to them,
وَمَا قَوْمُ لُوطٍ مِّنكُم بِبَعِيدٍ
(And the people of Lut are not far off from you!) 11:89
Ma'arif al-Qur'an
Mufti Muhammad ShafiOn ayahs 78–86
Commentary
Aikah means a dense forest. There are other views too. Some commentators say that there was a dense forest near Madyan, therefore, Aikah is actually the title of the people of Madyan. Others have said that the people of Aikah and the people of Madyan were two different people. It was after the destruction of one of them that Sayyidna Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام) was sent to the other.
In Tafsir Ruh al-Ma’ ani, the following marfu` hadith appears with reference to Ibn ` Asakir:
Why did the community of Lot go beyond all limits of arrogance? The reason for this was that they saw this matter in relation to Lot. Since they were more powerful than Lot, they thought that they could do anything they liked and there was nobody to prevent them. Had they seen this matter in relation to God, the situation would have been just the opposite. Then they would have come to know that their arrogance was absolutely ridiculous, because nobody has any standing before the power of God. As a consequence, early in the morning, they were struck by a severe storm of thunder and lightning. At the command of God, the winds started showering pebbles on the towns of Lot’s community (Sodom and Gomorrah). In a very short time, the whole community was destroyed. There is a lesson in this event for those who give it serious consideration, i.e. in this world one’s dealings in reality are with God and not with human beings. If a man realises this fact, all his arrogance will come to an end.
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.
![Surah Al-Hijr 15:79 in Arabic with its translation: “So We took retribution from them, and indeed, both [cities] are on a clear highway.”](/surah/al-hijr/79/image.jpg)