وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ
لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ ٱللَّهُ
مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ
عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا۟
مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ
وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا۟ مَا
ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهِۦٓ أَنجَيْنَا
ٱلَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ
ٱلسُّوٓءِ وَأَخَذْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ
ظَلَمُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍۭ بَـِٔيسٍۭ
بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ
فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا۟ عَن مَّا
نُهُوا۟ عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ
كُونُوا۟ قِرَدَةً خَـٰسِـِٔينَ
And when a community
among them said:
“Why do you preach
to a people whom
Allah is about to
destroy or to punish
with a severe torment”
(The preachers) said:
“In order to be free
from guilt before
your Lord (Allah),
and perhaps they
may fear Allah.”
So when they
forgot the reminder
that had been given
to them, We rescued
those who forbade
evil, but with a
severe torment We
seized those who
did wrong, because
they used to rebel
against Allah’s command.
So when they exceeded
the limits of what
they were prohibited,
We said to them:
“Be you monkeys,
despised.”
Those Who breached the Sabbath were turned into Monkeys, but Those 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,’
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 (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.