VERSES NO. 88 - 89

      The reaction of the Medianites against the logics of their prophet is cited here. Their only answer to the call was: ``We expel him from our town. We expel him and whoever follows him! Or else, let them come back to the creed of our fathers.''

      By the creed of their fathers, they meant idolatry, injustice, oppression, and fraud under the mask of honesty, and so on! In fact they wanted Shuaib and his companions to practice the vices that they detested and to deceive their own conscience and God! The answer was therefore:

      We must have then forged a lie against Allah if we take your creed for our religion, after we have been rescued from that.''

      Here the aim of the argument is not Shuaib himself, because prophets are innocent and infalliable, and so he was not an idolater or mischief maker before his prophet hood. May be some of his followers had been so, who then repented and converted, recanting their fromer creed and beliefs.

      The major sins that the Midianites commonly committed, was giving short measure or weight, dealing with fraud, and depriving people of their rightful dues. They disturbed the social order, and security of people, by high robbery. They also barred people from having access to the worship of God and practically ridiculed religion and faith in Allah.