• Punishment for exceeding the limits of Sabbath

• The later generations

• The Covenant made with the Jews

Al-A’raaf Verses 163 – 171

وَسْـَٔلْهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ ٱلْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ

And (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) ask them about the town which was beside the sea; when they did exceed (the limits) in the Sabbath when their fish did come unto them on the day of their Sabbath, appearing on the surface of the water; and on the day they observed not the Sabbath, they (the fish) did not come unto them; Thus did We try them for they were transgressing. (7:163)

وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ٱللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا قَالُوا۟ مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

And when a party of them said: “Why admonish ye a people whom God would destroy or whom He would chastise with a severe chastisement?” said they “To be free from blame before your Lord, perchance they may guard (themselves against evil).”1(7:164)2

فَلَمَّا نَسُوا۟ مَا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهِۦٓ أَنجَيْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلسُّوٓءِ وَأَخَذْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍۭ بَـِٔيسٍۭ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ

So when they did forget what they were warned with, We delivered those who forbade evil and seized those who were unjust with a dreadful chastisement because they were transgressing.3(7:165)

فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا۟ عَن مَّا نُهُوا۟ عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا۟ قِرَدَةً خَـٰسِـِٔينَ

So when they proudly4defied what they had been forbidden, We said unto them; “Be ye apes despised, spurned (away from the human society).” (7:166)

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَن يَسُومُهُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِيعُ ٱلْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

And (recollect O’ Our Apostle!) when declared thy Lord that He would surely send against them5until the day of resurrection those who would afflict them with a grievous torment; Verily thy Lord is certainly quick to requite (evil) and Verily He is the Oft-Forgiving and the Most Merciful. (7:167)6

وَقَطَّعْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أُمَمًا مِّنْهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُونَ وَمِنْهُمْ دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ وَبَلَوْنَـٰهُم بِٱلْحَسَنَـٰتِ وَٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

And We did cut (scattered) them in the earth into (different) peoples; of them (some) are righteous, and of them (some) are otherwise, and We did try them with good (The blessings) and (also with) evil7that they might return (to the Right path). (7:168)

فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يَأْخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْأَدْنَىٰ وَيَقُولُونَ سَيُغْفَرُ لَنَا وَإِن يَأْتِهِمْ عَرَضٌ مِّثْلُهُۥ يَأْخُذُوهُ أَلَمْ يُؤْخَذْ عَلَيْهِم مِّيثَـٰقُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن لَّا يَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْحَقَّ وَدَرَسُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ وَٱلدَّارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

Then succeeded after them (an evil) posterity who inherited the Book, taking the goods8of this low life saying: “It will be forgiven us;” And if come unto them the like goods they would seize it (too); Was not a covenant of the Book (of Law) taken from them that they would speak not about God save the truth, and (that) they have read what is in it; the abode of the hereafter is the best for those who guard (against evil); What! do ye not then understand? (7:169)

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُمَسِّكُونَ بِٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِينَ

And those who hold fast by the Book9and establish prayer; verily We waste not the recompense of those who amend10(themselves). (7:170)

وَإِذْ نَتَقْنَا ٱلْجَبَلَ فَوْقَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُۥ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُۥ وَاقِعٌۢ بِهِمْ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

And when We shook the Mountain over them as if it were a covering, and thought they that it was going to fall down upon them; (Said We) “Hold ye firmly what We give you and be mindful of what is (there) in it, that ye may guard (yourself against evil). (7:171)11

Commentary

Verse 163

The prohibition of fishing on the Sabath night has been based on economical consideration to give respite to the animals at least a day in a week so that it may be better fishing the day after. This is similar to the law of cutting in the forest and hunting land animals, but the Jews violated the law of Sabath and suffered economically and also spiritually for their disobedience.

Verse 170

‘Holding fast the Book’, i.e., following faithfully and closely the Holy Qur’an. If one only sticks faithfully to the guidance of the Qur’an, there can never be any going astray in any matter, be that secular or religious. There is in the Holy Qur’an the promise of guiding aright everyone who strives in God’s way.12

Even if the meaning of ‘Kitab’, i.e., Book, be taken in an indefinite sense the purpose is not less served. By sticking to any of the ancient scriptures be that the Hindu or the Budhist or the Jewish or the Christian scriptures, there is the guidance to every sincere reader about the advent of the Last Apostle of God or the Universal World Teacher, Budha13 calling him ‘Maitria’ vide ‘The Prophet’ prophesied by Moses Deut. 18/15-18 and 33/2 and the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Ghost foretold by Jesus vide Math. 13/31; 21/33-44; Mark 12/1-11, Luke 20/9-18; John 1/22, 14/16, 14/26.

By sticking faithfully to Qur’an, one gets the guidance through14

With the guidance through the above verses of the Holy Qur’an, none would ever go astray for under the light of the above guidance, one would never follow any one else after the Holy Prophet excepting the divinely guided ones, i.e., the Holy Fourteen, (i.e., the Holy Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah, the Lady of Light and the Twelve Holy Imams and this is Islam-Original which identifies itself as ‘Shiasm’.

Verse 171

Verse 2:63 gives the details of the event. It is clearly stated by the wording of the verses themselves that the Almighty God, made the mountain hang in the air over the heads of the people. The word ‘Fawq’ mentioned in both the verses, clearly speaks of the mountain having been hung over the heads of the Israelites. Secondly, the word ‘Rafa’na’ means, we raised, also clearly means, that the mountain was raised on the occasion.

By what some commentator interprets to say that the people were made to stand at the foot of the mountain and the mountain’s height was high over the heads of the people, the expression becomes meaningless for the height of every mountain is naturally higher than that of man and it is always towering high over the heads of all men in the world and in such a case there was no necessity for God to say ‘We raised’ the mountain over the heads of the Israelites which means the function of the raising of the mountain was a special act performed for the occasion, and the wording ‘over their heads’ as the act of warning given to the people also becomes ridiculous for no people merely made to stand at the foot of any mountain, will ever be threatened, if it is said to them that if otherwise the mountain will fall upon their heads.

Unless the mountain hangs in suspense over their heads seeming to be ready to fall. Beside these words the verse ‘as if’ it were shed or a covering over their heads, clearly indicates that the mountain was made to hang over their heads and was not standing beside them. This will be the twisting of the meaning, exploiting different meanings of one and the same word and taking shelter under the various interpretations of the words by the lexicologists.15

• 1. Become pious.
• 2. This is the basis of the article of the practice of the faith, ‘Amr bi ‘l-Ma’ruf’ and ‘Nahy ‘an il-Munkar’.
• 3. This Commands those who favour ‘Amr bi ‘l-Ma’ruf’ and ‘Nahy ‘an il-Munkar’.
• 4. Revoltingly. Refer to verses 2:65, 5:60.
• 5. The Jews.
• 6. Some may think that the present State of the Israelites and their apparent progress after the first and the 2nd World-Wars does not tally with this but yet they are hated by every nation, and they have no rest in the real sense of the term - and the term ‘a Jew’ has passed into a proverb for a niggardly detestable being. This is due to their own vanities and their hatred towards the others.
• 7. Misfortunes.
• 8. Vanities.
• 9. As the Holy Prophet left it with the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt.
• 10. Also, the doers of good.
• 11. Refer to verse 2:63. They were put into hardships so that they became firm adherents to the given Scriptures.
• 12. See verse 29:16.
• 13. Buddha.
• 14. See verses10:35 & 39:9.
• 15. See verse 2:63.