peace—was Kalaman on the Day of the Canopy. When he perished, his daughter mourned him, saying:

Kalaman’s death has broken my support,
there in the midst of the settlement.
The chief of the people was met by doom—
fire beneath its shade.
Their dwelling was made a fire over them,
like a place utterly effaced.

His saying, “As though they had never lived there,” means: they had neither dwelt nor resided there. It is said, “I have lived in a place,” when one has stayed there. Dwellings are called abodes; the singular is an abode. It has also been said that the meaning is: as though they had never enjoyed comfort there. “Those who denied Shuayb were themselves the losers,” not the believers, as they had claimed.

“So he turned away from them and said, ‘O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the messages of my Lord and advised you. So how could I grieve for a disbelieving people?’ (93) We did not send a prophet to any town without afflicting its people with hardship and adversity, so that they might humble themselves. (94) Then We replaced adversity with prosperity, until they increased and said, ‘Hardship and ease have touched our forefathers as well.’ So We seized them suddenly while they were unaware. (95)”

“So he turned away from them”: Shuayb departed from among them when the punishment came upon them. And he said, “O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the messages of my Lord and advised you. So how could I grieve for a disbelieving people?” That is, how could I be sorrowful for them? The word used here can mean grief, and it can also mean patience.

His saying, “We did not send a prophet to any town,” contains an implied phrase: that they denied him. “Without afflicting its people” means: without punishing them when they did not believe, “with hardship and adversity.” Ibn Masud said: hardship means poverty, and adversity means illness. This is the meaning of those who said that hardship concerns one’s wealth, while adversity concerns one’s person. It has also been said that hardship means misery and straitened living, while adversity and harm mean a wretched condition. Another view is that hardship occurs in war, while adversity is drought—“so that they might humble themselves,” that is, so that they would humbly entreat Allah and repent.

“Then We replaced adversity with prosperity”: that is, We replaced hardship and adversity with prosperity, meaning blessings, abundance, fertility, and health, “until they increased”—that is, until they multiplied and grew in number, and their wealth became abundant. [It is said, “Hair has grown,” when it has become abundant. Mujahid said: Their wealth and children became abundant.] (1) “And they said,” out of their self-deception and heedlessness, after they had come to