قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَهْطِي أَعَزُّ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ وَرَاءَكُمْ ظِهْرِيًّا إِنَّ رَبِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ ﴿۹۲﴾ وَيَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ وَارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ ﴿۹۳﴾ وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ ﴿۹۴﴾

﴾92﴿ Qaala yaa qawmi arahteee a'azzu 'alaikum minal laahi wattakhaztumoohu waraaa'akum zihriyyan inna Rabbee bimaa ta'maloona muheet
﴾93﴿ Wa yaa qawmi' maloo 'alaa makaanatikum innee 'aamilun sawfa ta'lamoona many ya'teehi 'azaabuny yukhzeehi wa man huwa kaazib; wartaqibooo innnee ma'akum raqeeb
﴾94﴿ Wa lammaa jaaa'a amrunaa najjainaa shu'aibanw wal lazeena aamanoo ma'ahoo birahmatim minnaa wa akhazatil lazeena zalamus saihatu fa asbahoo fee diyaarihim jaasimeen

﴾92﴿ O my people, is my tribe more honorable to you than Allah? Yet you cast Him away behind your backs. Verily, my Lord encompasses all that you do
﴾93﴿ And O my people, work according to your way and strength; indeed, I too am working (on my mission). Soon you will know who it is upon whom a disgraceful punishment will come and who it is that lies. Wait, and I too am waiting with you
﴾94﴿ And when Our decree of punishment came, We saved Shu'ayb (peace be upon him) and those who believed with him by Our mercy. But the wrongdoers were seized by a terrifying cry, and they lay lifeless, fallen in their homes (perished)

[92] This is a reprimand from Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) directed at the third statement made by his people.
He is pointing out that idolaters and false worshippers do not consider Allah in their actions — rather, they are more concerned about the opinion of people.
They do not fear Allah, but they fear society, status, or human backlash.
(ظِهْرِيًّا) — is derived from ẓahr (back) and carries the meaning of casting something behind one's back — i.e., treating it as insignificant or discarded.
The kasrah on the ظاء (ẓ) comes from the rule of nisbah (attribution).
(وَرَاءَكُمْ) — intensifies the meaning, indicating something thrown far behind, with complete disregard.
Altogether, the verse illustrates how such people disregard divine truth, tossing it aside while clinging to the fear of public opinion or worldly gain.
[93] In this verse, Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) declares his disassociation (barā’ah) from his people and issues a warning of punishment in a wise and composed manner.
(مَكَانَتِكُمْ) — refers to the state or position in which a person still has power or ability to act.
It’s not just physical place, but also one’s stance, strength, and status — meaning: Remain in your position if you insist.
(سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ) — the particle "sawfa" indicates future certainty, but unlike previous verses, no “fa” (فـ) is used before it.
This signals that the sentence is a fresh, independent statement (istināf bayānī) — a new, firm warning disconnected from the previous phrases.
(وَارْتَقِبُوا) — is stronger than mere “wait” (انتظروا). It implies not only waiting but also carefully watching, often with a sense of anticipation mixed with fear — like one watching for an inevitable danger.
So, the verse carries a tone of: Watch and wait — your outcome is approaching swiftly and surely.
[94] In this verse, the salvation of Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) and the believers is mentioned, and its cause is stated to be the mercy of Allah.
It also mentions the punishment of the deniers who rejected the truth.
Question: Why is the phrase (وَلَمَّا جَاءَ) introduced with "wāw" (و) in the stories of ʿĀd and Madyan, but in the stories of Thamūd and the people of Lūṭ, it begins with "fā’" (ف) — as in (فَلَمَّا جَاءَ)?
Answer: In the stories of Thamūd and Lūṭ, a clear promise of punishment was mentioned beforehand — such as:
– (وَعْدٌ غَيْرُ مَكْذُوبٍ) — a promise not to be denied,
– and (مَوْعِدُهُمُ الصُّبْحُ) — their appointed time is the morning.
These phrases function like causes or preludes, so the fā’ is used to show immediate consequence or connection.
However, in the stories of ʿĀd and Madyan, no such prior promise is mentioned explicitly,
so the wāw (و) is used instead, indicating a simple narrative continuation, not direct consequence.