7:164 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

معظمهم اعتدوا وتجرؤوا، وأعلنوا بذلك. وفرقة أعلنت بنهيهم والإنكار عليهم. وفرقة اكتفت بإنكار أولئك عليهم، ونهيهم لهم، وقالوا لهم: لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا كأنهم يقولون: لا فائدة في وعظ من اقتحم محارم اللّه، ولم يصغ للنصيح، بل استمر على اعتدائه وطغيانه، فإنه لا بد أن يعاقبهم اللّه، إما بهلاك أو عذاب شديد. فقال الواعظون: نعظهم وننهاهم مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ أي: لنعذر فيهم. وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ أي: يتركون ما هم فيه من المعصية، فلا نيأس من هدايتهم، فربما نجع فيهم الوعظ، وأثر فيهم اللوم. وهذا المقصود الأعظم من إنكار المنكر ليكون معذرة، وإقامة حجة على المأمور المنهي، ولعل اللّه أن يهديه، فيعمل بمقتضى ذلك الأمر، والنهي.

يخبر تعالى عن أهل هذه القرية أنهم صاروا إلى ثلاث فرق فرقة ارتكبت المحذور واحتالوا على اصطياد السمك يوم السبت كما تقدم بيانه في سورة البقرة وفرقة نهت عن ذلك واعتزلتهم وفرقة سكتت فلم تفعل ولم تنه ولكنها قالت للمنكرة "لم تعظون قوما الله مهلكم أو معذبهم عذابا شديدا" أي لم تنهون هؤلاء وقد علمتم أنهم قد هلكوا واستحقوا العقوبة من الله فلا فائدة في نهيكم إياهم؟ قالت لهم المنكرة "معذرة إلى ربكم" قرأ بعضهم بالرفع كأنه على تقدير هذا معذرة وقرأ آخرون بالنصب أي نفعل ذلك "معذرة إلى ربكم" أي فيما أخذ علينا من الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر "ولعلهم يتقون" يقولون ولعل لهذا الإنكار يتقون ما هم فيه ويتركونه ويرجعون إلى الله تائبين فإذا تابوا تاب الله عليهم ورحمهم.

Those Who breached the Sabbath were turned into Monkeys, butThose Who prohibited Their Actions were saved

Allah said that the people of this village were divided into three groups, a group that committed the prohibition, catching fish on the Sabbath, as we described in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Baqarah. Another group prohibited them from transgression and avoided them. A third group neither prohibited them, nor participated in their action. The third group said to the preachers,

لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَاباً شَدِيدًا

("Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment"). They said, `why do you forbid these people from evil, when you know that they are destroyed and have earned Allah's punishment' Therefore, they said, there is no benefit in forbidding them. The preachers replied,

مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ

("In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah),") `for we were commanded to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil,' r

وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

("and perhaps they may fear Allah") for on account of our advice, they might stop this evil and repent to Allah. Certainly, if they repent to Allah, Allah will accept their repentance and grant them His mercy.' Allah said,

فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ

(So when they forgot the reminder that had been given to them, ) when the evil doers refused the advice,

أَنجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ

(We rescued those who forbade evil, but We seized who did wrong,) who committed the transgression,

بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ

(with a severe torment). Allah stated that those who enjoined good were saved, while those who committed the transgression were destroyed, but He did not mention the end of those who were passive (the third group), for the compensation is comparable to the deed. This type did not do what would warrant praise, nor commit wrong so that they are admonished. `Ikrimah said, "Ibn `Abbas said about the Ayah: `I do not know whether or not the people were saved who said;

لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ

("Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy...") So I continued discussing it with him until I convinced him that they were. Then he gave me the gift of a garment." Allah said,

وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ

(and We seized those who did wrong with a Ba'is torment) indicating that those who remained were saved. As for `Ba'is', it means `severe', according to Mujahid, or `painful', according to Qatadah. These meanings are synonymous, and Allah knows best. Allah said next,

خَـسِئِينَ

(despised), humiliated, disgraced and rejected.

And when wa-idh is a supplement to the preceding idh ‘how’ a community among them who neither fished nor prohibited it said to those who prohibited it ‘Why do you preach admonition to a folk whom God is about to destroy or chastise with a severe chastisement?’ They said our admonishing them is ‘As an exculpation by which we excuse ourselves before your Lord lest we are reproached for failing to prohibit them in any way; and so that they might be wary of fishing’.

The detailed discussion of the events contained in the above verses have been produced in Surah Al-Baqarah (under verses 58-60). Those interested may refer to those verses for details.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked to warn the Israelites present in his time by reminding them the events related in these verses. The events referred to in these verses are clear and require no explanation.