( قَالَ الْمَلَأُ ) (Said the eminent ones): The prominent people in society who were of high social rank and people feared them.

( الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا مِن قَوْمِهِ ) (who were arrogant among his people): They said the following to Prophet Shu’ayb (PBUH):

( لَنُخْرِجَنَّكَ يَا شُعَيْبُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَكَ مِن قَرْيَتِنَا ) (“We will surely evict you, O Shu’ayb, and those who have believed with you from our city): The city is the place where all the essentials of life are there. They decided to expel Prophet Shu’ayb (PBUH) and the group that believed with him, driving them out of the city.

( أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا ) (or you must return to our religion): The speech here was addressed to the group that believed in Prophet Shu’ayb (PBUH), because it is not possible that Prophet Shu’ayb (PBUH) was a disbeliever and then became a believer, as he is a Prophet. This group is the one that Allah (swt) mentions in the previous verse:

 وَإِن كَانَ طَائِفَةٌ مِّنكُمْ آمَنُوا بِالَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ

(And if there should be a group among you who has believed in that with which I have been sent) (Al-A’raaf: 87)

(or you must return to our religion): They wanted them to return to the religion of their people, to which Prophet Shu’ayb (PBUH) replied with:

( قَالَ أَوَلَوْ كُنَّا كَارِهِينَ ) (He said, “Even if we were unwilling?”): Faith cannot be achieved through coercion and pressure, but rather through choice.