شعيب
Shuʿayb
Prophet
Shuayb, the prophet of Midian, sent to a people who cheated in trade; the “Companions of the Thicket” are linked to them.
What it means
Shuayb told the people of Midian to “give full measure and weight and do not defraud people of their things, and do not spread corruption on the earth” (11:84–85; 7:85). They rejected him and were seized by an earthquake (7:91). The “Companions of the Thicket” (aṣḥāb al-ayka, 26:176–191) are described in the same terms, and some commentators think they were another branch of the same people.
What the sources say
Moses’ marriage in Midian, to the daughter of an old man, is told in 28:22–28, and Muslim tradition has often named him Shuayb. Many scholars say the Bible’s Jethro is the same man, though the Quran does not say so.