{{Short description|One of the prophets in Islam}} {{Infobox religious biography | religion = Islam | honorific_prefix = Prophet | name = Shuaib | image = Chester Beatty T 414 fol 90 r Shuaib in prayer while the people are punished by God.jpg | caption = Shuaib in prayer while the people are punished by God. | honorific_suffix = Alayhi as-Salam | native_name = شُعَيْب <br>Jethro | native name lang = ar | other_names = | office1 = Prophet of Islam | predecessor1 = Ayyub | successor1 = Musa | children = | parents = | relatives = Issachar {{small|(grandfather)}} }}
'''Shuaib''', '''Shoaib''', '''Shuayb''' or '''Shuʿayb''' ({{langx|ar|{{Script|Arab|شُعَيْب}}}}, {{IPA|ar|ʃuʕajb|IPA}}; meaning: "who shows the right path") is an ancient Midianite prophet in Islam and the most revered prophet in the Druze faith.<ref name=":0" /> Shuaib is sometimes identified with the Hebrew biblical Jethro, Moses's father-in-law. Shuaib is mentioned in the Quran 11 times.<ref>Brandon M. Wheeler, ''Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism'', ''Shuayb'', pg. 303</ref> He is believed to have lived after Ibrahim (Abraham), and Muslims believe that he was sent as a prophet to the Midianites,<ref name="qref|7|85-91|b=y">{{qref|7|85-91|b=y}}</ref> who are also known as the ''Aṣḥāb al-Aykah'' ("Companions of the Wood") for their worship of a large tree.<ref name="qref|15|78-79|b=y">{{qref|15|78-79|b=y}}</ref><ref name="qref|26|176-189|b=y">{{qref|26|176-189|b=y}}</ref><ref name="qref|38|13-15|b=y">{{qref|38|13-15|b=y}}</ref><ref name="qref|50|12-14|b=y">{{qref|50|12-14|b=y}}</ref> To the Midianites, Shuaib proclaimed the "straight path", warning them to end their fraudulent ways{{such as|date=June 2025}}. When the community did not repent, God destroyed the community.<ref name="qref|7|85-91|b=y"/><ref name="qref|26|176-189|b=y"/>
Alongside Hud, Salih, and Muhammad, Shuaib is understood by Muslims as one of the four Arabian prophets sent by God. Ibn Kathir stated that he was known by Muslims as "the eloquent preacher amongst the prophets" because he was, according to tradition, granted talent and eloquence in his language.<ref name="QA">{{cite book |last=Ibn Kathir |first=Ismail |author-link=Ibn Kathir |title=Qisas Al-Anbiya |page=220}}</ref>
The Druze honor Shuaib as their principal prophet and hold an annual pilgrimage to Nabi Shu’ayb—a site in the Lower Galilee believed by Druze to be his tomb—from April 25 to 28, known as Ziyara.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |author=Sandra Mackey |title=Mirror of the Arab World: Lebanon in Conflict |date=16 March 2009 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-3933-3374-9 |page=28 |edition=Illustrated, Reprint}}</ref>
== Historical context == The area to which Shuʿayb was sent to is named ''Madyan'' in the Qur'an, known in English as Midian, which is frequently referred to in the Hebrew Bible. The Midianites were said to be of Arab descent, though being neighbors of the Biblical Canaanites, they intermixed with them. It is said they were a wandering tribe, and that their principal territory at the time of Moses was the Sinai Peninsula. The historical region of Midian roughly corresponds to what is now province of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.<ref name="TheSaudi_Tabouk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.the-saudi.net/saudi-arabia/tabouk/Tabouk%20-%20Saudi%20Arabia.htm |title=Tabouk City Profile, Saudi Arabia |website=The Saudi |access-date=2019-02-24}}</ref><ref name="Edwards2013">{{cite book |last=Edwards |first=Grace |title=Saudi Arabia |chapter=6: Tabuk and Medina Provinces |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |pages=188–246 |isbn=978-1-7847-7933-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9PrEAAAQBAJ |date=2023-12-19}}</ref>
According to the Book of Genesis, the Midianites were the descendants of Midian, a son of Abraham and his wife Keturah: "Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah" (Genesis 25:1–2, King James Version).<ref name="BibleGateway_Genesis25">{{Cite web |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+25%3A1-2&version=KJV |title=Genesis 25:1–2 |version=King James Version |website=Bible Gateway}}</ref><ref name="Bryce2009">{{cite book |last=Bryce |first=Trevor |author-link=Trevor R. Bryce |date=2009 |title=The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia: From the Early Bronze Age to the Fall of the Persian Empire |page=472 |url= |location=London, the U.K. |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-39485-7}}</ref><ref name="Christian2017">{{Cite journal |title=Une première mention de Madyan dans un texte épigraphique d'Arabie |journal=Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_2017_num_161_1_96407 |last1=Robin |first1=Christian |issue=1 |volume=161 |pages=363–396 |last2=Al-Ghabban |first2=Ali |doi=10.3406/crai.2017.96407 |year=2017 |s2cid=246891828 |language=fr}}</ref>
Midian can be considered as being part of the Hejaz,<ref name="Rothenberg2003">{{citation |last=Rothenberg |first=B. |author-link=Beno Rothenberg |title=Egyptian Chariots, Midianites from Hijaz/ Midian (Northwest Arabia) and Amalekites from the Negev in the Timna Mines: Rock drawings in the Ancient Copper Mines of the Arabah – new aspects of the region's history II |publisher=Institute for Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies |issue=newsletter no. 23 |year=2003 |page=12}}</ref> which is significant for Muslims as the region of their two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.<ref name="Leatherdale1983">{{cite book |last=Leatherdale |first=Clive |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lt0-U4cUj9sC&pg=PA12 |title=Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925–1939: The Imperial Oasis |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-7146-3220-9 |page=12 |publisher=Psychology Press}}</ref>
<gallery> File:Midian.png|A map of Midian, the area where Shuʿayb was sent to prophesy, in Islamic belief File:مدائن شعيب.jpg|Maghayir Shu'ayb in what is now Tabuk Province in Saudi Arabia File:قلعة تبوك.jpg|The historical castle of Tabuk </gallery>
=== Discussion on identification with Jethro === Jethro is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Exodus 3:1) as the father-in-law of Moses. The entry for "Shu'ayb" in the Encyclopaedia of Islam notes that while the Quranic narrative focus is different from the Biblical one, Muslim tradition (starting with early commentators) almost universally identifies the two because both are linked to the land of Midian and Moses<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wensinck |first=A.J. |title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam |publisher=Brill |edition=2nd}}</ref>. Some scholars reject this identification. The classical commentator Ibn Kathir says Shuʿayb was a great-grandson of Abraham: Shuʿayb is believed to have been the son of Mikil, son of Midian, son of Abraham.<ref name=QA/> That would render impossible the identification with Jethro, who purportedly lived hundreds of years after Abraham.<ref>Abdullah Yusuf Ali: ''Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary''</ref>
== Narrative in the Quran == {{Islamic prophets|Prophets in the Quran}}
The Qur'an states that Shuaib was appointed by God to be a prophet to the people of Midian. The people of this land were said to be especially notorious for cheating others through dishonesty and for idolatry. Shuʿayb's prophecy mainly involved calling the Midianites to the correct path of God,<ref>{{qref|7|85|b=y}} "And to the people of Midian We sent their brother Shu’aib. He said, “O my people! Worship Allah—you have no other god except Him. A clear proof has already come to you from your Lord. So give just measure and weight, do not defraud people of their property, nor spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order. This is for your own good, if you are ˹truly˺ believers."</ref> and forbidding them to worship false gods.
It is also said he told his people to stop being dishonest in their daily activities. Although he preached and prophesied for a sustained period of time, the majority of the people refused to listen to him. Shuayb, however, remained steadfast. He consistently preached powerfully against the wicked, telling them of the punishment that had befallen the sinful before them. Shuʿayb warned the people that their ignorance would lead to the destruction of Midian, giving historical examples of earlier prophets, including Noah, Hud, Saleh and Lot,<ref name="qref|11|61-94|b=y">{{qref|11|61-94|b=y}}</ref> all of whose people had been destroyed by God.
The people taunted Shuʿayb and told him that, were it not for the prestigious family he came from, he would surely have been stoned to death. Shuayb replied, "Is my family of more consideration with you than God?" When the Midianites refused to believe, they were destroyed by a mighty earthquake.<ref name="qref|7|85-91|b=y"/> The Qur'an, however, mentions that Shuʿayb, and his believing companions, were rescued from the thunderous punishment.<ref name="qref|11|61-94|b=y"/><ref name="qref|23|20|b=y">{{qref|23|20|b=y}}</ref>
== Parallels with other prophets == Shuayb's mission is often mentioned in the Qur'an with the mission of Noah, Hud, Saleh and Lot. Scholars have pointed out that these five prophets exemplify the early prophetic missions: The prophet would be sent to his community; the community would pay no attention to his warning and would instead threaten him with punishment; after years of preaching, God would ask him to leave his community, while his people were subsequently destroyed in a punishment. Scholars chronologically interpret the listing of the five prophets, so Shuʿayb was a descendant of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Nuh (Noah).<ref name="autogenerated1">Wheeler, ''A-Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism'', ''Shuayb''</ref>
== Claimed burial places of Shuayb ==
=== Wādī Shuʿayb, Jordan === One claimed tomb of Shuayb is found in Jordan,<ref name="GM">{{cite web |publisher=Google Maps |title=Tomb of the Prophet Shoaib |url=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/877041/an/0/page/0#877041 |access-date=2007-04-27 |archive-date=2007-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228062620/http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/877041/an/0/page/0#877041 |url-status=dead }} ({{Coord|31|57|35|N|35|42|57|E}})</ref> {{convert|2|km|abbr=on}} west of the town of Mahis, in an area called ''Wādī Shuʿayb'' ({{langx|ar|وَادِي شُعَيْب}}).<ref name="USNA">{{cite web |publisher=The United States Naval Academy |title=Shuayb |url=https://www.usna.edu/Users/humss/bwheeler/shuayb.html |access-date=2006-10-30 |archive-date=2007-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312013147/http://www.usna.edu/Users/humss/bwheeler/shuayb.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<gallery> File:Shoaib Shrine.jpg |One of the claimed shrines of Shuayb, which is the Prophet Shu'ayb Mosque in Wadi Shuʿayb, Jordan, the Levant File:Nabi-shurayb.jpg |The shrine of Shuayb, as believed by the Druze and some Muslims,<ref name="Union-Tribune"/><ref name="Dana2003"/> near Hittin in the Galilee </gallery>
=== Galilee, Israel === [[File:PikiWiki Israel 6935 In the holy place of jethro.jpg|thumb|Nabi Shu'ayb in Israel, the holiest place in Druzism.]] The Galilean Shrine of Shu'ayb: the Druze believe the tomb of Nabi Shu'ayb is located near Hittin, in the Lower Galilee.<ref name="Union-Tribune">{{cite book |author=Firro, K. M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=owhg2R8Ndy8C |title=The Druzes in the Jewish State: A Brief History |publisher=Brill Publishers |year=1999 |isbn=90-04-11251-0 |location=Leiden, The Netherlands |pages=22–240}}</ref><ref name="Dana2003">{{cite book |author=Dana, N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2nCWIsyZJxUC&pg=PA28 |title=The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |year=2003 |isbn=9781903900369 |pages=28–30}}</ref> Each year, on the 25th of April, the Druze gather at the site to discuss community affairs.<ref name="DHAC">{{cite web |title=Druze Revered Sites in Palestine/Israel |url=http://www.druzehistoryandculture.com/historical_sites.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510125625/http://www.druzehistoryandculture.com/historical_sites.htm |archive-date=2006-05-10 |publisher=Druzehistoryandculture.com}}</ref>
=== Guriyeh, Iran === There is also a tomb in the southwest of Iran, in the village Guriyeh, Shushtar, which has been recorded as the tomb of Shuayb.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150406043613/http://iranshahrpedia.ir/docs/Asar-e%20Sabti%20(Up%20to%2026666)%20(Version%2090%2008%2029).zip Documents, Asare-Sabti] web.archive.org Retrieved 17 Nov 2018</ref>
== See also == * Biblical and Quranic narratives * Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb * Legends and the Qur'an * ''Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ'' ("Stories of the Prophets")
== References == {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
== External links == {{Prophets in the Qur'an}} {{Qur'anic people}} {{Druze footer|uncollapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shuayb (Prophet)}} Category:Prophets of the Quran Category:Prophets in the Druze faith Category:Midian Category:Jethro (biblical figure)