He—the Exalted—also says in Sūrat al-Ḥijr, after recounting the story of Lot’s people:

“Indeed, the Companions of the Thicket were certainly wrongdoers; so We took vengeance on them, and the ruins of both settlements lie on a clear, well-traveled road.” (al-Ḥijr 15:78–79)

And He—Most High—says in Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ, following that account:

“The Companions of the Thicket rejected the messengers
when Shuʿayb said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of Allah?
I am a trustworthy messenger to you.
So fear Allah and obey me.
I ask of you no payment for this; my reward is only with the Lord of all worlds.
Give full measure and do not be of those who give less.
Weigh with an even balance.
Do not cheat people of their goods, and do not go about the land spreading corruption.
Fear the One who created you and the former generations.’
They said, ‘You are only one who is bewitched.
You are nothing but a mortal like us, and we think you are indeed a liar.
So cause pieces of the sky to fall on us, if you are truthful!’
He replied, ‘My Lord knows best what you are doing.’
Yet they denied him, and so the punishment of the Day of the Shadow seized them—it was indeed the punishment of a momentous day.
Surely in that is a sign, but most of them would not believe;
and your Lord is truly the Almighty, the Most Merciful.” (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:176–191)

The people of Midian were an Arab tribe who dwelt in their town, Midian—a village in the land of Maʿān on the southern fringe of Greater Syria, bordering the Ḥijāz and lying near the lake of Lot’s people. They arose not long after those people. Midian was the tribe after whom the town was named, and they were descendants of Midian son of Madyan son of Abraham, the Friend of Allah.

Their prophet Shuʿayb, according to Ibn Isḥāq, was the son of Mikīl son of Yashjun; he adds that in Syriac he was called “Yanzūn,” though this is subject to objection. Others say he was Shuʿayb son of Yashkhar son of Levi son of Jacob; still others, Shuʿayb son of Nūwab son of ʿAnqāʾ son of Midian son of Abraham; and yet others, Shuʿayb son of Dayfūr son of ʿItā son of Thābit son of Midian son of Abraham. Further genealogies have also been proposed.

Ibn ʿAsākir (1) states that it is said his grandmother—or, according to another report, his mother—was the daughter of Lot. Shuʿayb was among those who believed in Abraham, migrated with him, and entered Damascus in his company.

Wahb ibn Munabbih relates that Shuʿayb and Milgham were among those who believed in Abraham on the day he was cast into the fire; they migrated with him to Syria, and Abraham married them to the two daughters of Lot. Ibn Qutaybah (2) mentions this as well. All of this, however, requires further investigation; Allah knows best.

Abū ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, in al-Istīʿāb (3), under the biography of Salamah ibn Saʿd al-ʿAnazī—who came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, embraced Islam, and traced his lineage to ʿAnzah—relates that the Prophet said: “Excellent is the clan of ʿAnzah—wronged by others yet granted victory; they are the people of Shuʿayb and the in-laws (4) of Moses.” Were this ḥadīth authentic, it would indicate that Shuʿayb was Moses’ father-in-law and that he belonged to an ancient Arab tribe known as