Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 163

(Ayah 163) ➊ {وَ سْـَٔلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ … :} The style of narration of this incident is somewhat different from the previous verses. It is said: Ask them about the town, because there was no mention of it in the Torah or any book, but the Jews knew this incident well and, like their other faults, they used to hide it. When you ask, they will surely be forced to think about how this news reached you; there is no possible source for this except revelation, so inevitably they will receive yet another testimony to your being a divine Prophet.

➋ Allah Almighty has only stated that the town was situated by the sea, and for admonition, this much information was sufficient. However, most commentators have said that the town (city) refers to "Eilat," which is located on the coast of the Red Sea between Madyan and Tur. This city was situated in the Gulf of Aqaba within the Red Sea, where now the Jordanian port of Aqaba is found. Near it, in the Gulf of Aqaba, the Jews have built a new port and named it "Eilat" as well. But without any definite evidence, it is not possible to determine this city with certainty.

➌ { اِذْ يَعْدُوْنَ فِي السَّبْتِ:} From this, it is understood that hunting was not permissible for them on the Sabbath.

➍ { اِذْ تَاْتِيْهِمْ حِيْتَانُهُمْ … : ’’حِيْتَانٌ ‘‘ } This is the plural of { ’’حُوْتٌ‘‘ }, meaning large fish. Elsewhere, regarding Yunus (peace be upon him), it is said: «{ فَالْتَقَمَهُ الْحُوْتُ }» [ الصافات : ۱۴۲ ] "So the fish swallowed him." (Raghib) { ’’ شُرَّعًا ‘‘ ’’ شَارِعٌ ‘‘} is the plural, meaning they would come with their heads out of the water. The commentators have written that they were commanded to honor this day and refrain from hunting and such activities, but they began to catch fish through trickery and deceit. Thus, they dug large ponds by the sea; on the Sabbath, the fish would come to the surface and enter these ponds, and they would block their way from the sea and catch them on Sunday, or they would set nets in the sea on Friday, and on the Sabbath, the fish caught in them would be taken on Sunday. From this, it is understood that using a trick to commit a forbidden act is itself forbidden. However, using a trick for a permissible act is also permissible. Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) has narrated from Imam Abu Abdullah bin Battah (may Allah have mercy on him), with his chain, from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَا تَرْتَكِبُوْا مَا ارْتَكَبَتِ الْيَهُوْدُ فَتَسْتَحِلُّوْا مَحَارِمَ اللّٰهِ بِأَدْنَی الْحِيَلِ ] "Do not do what the Jews did, otherwise you will make Allah's forbidden things lawful through minor tricks." And he said that this chain is strong. But unfortunately, some Muslim jurists invented many tricks to evade the obligations of Islam, for example, at the end of Ramadan, naming two rak‘ahs as qada-e-umri and issuing a fatwa that all previous missed prayers are forgiven, and clearly writing that using a trick to evade zakat and shufa‘a is not only not forbidden but not even disliked. To abolish qisas for murder, they stipulated the condition of using a sharp instrument, and said that if someone intentionally kills with the heaviest stone or hammer, or drowns someone, or kills by placing in a block of ice, or by keeping someone hungry and thirsty within four walls, then qisas will not be taken, at most blood money can be taken. To make adultery lawful, they abolished the hadd for committing adultery with a woman for a fee. To make alcohol lawful, they declared only wine made from grapes and dates forbidden, and all others lawful. The hadd for theft, after the crime is proven by testimony, was abolished simply by the thief claiming ownership of the stolen property, even if he presents no evidence. Tell me! If a thief can save his hand from being cut by making a baseless claim, then which thief would not make such a claim? Usury was made lawful in dar al-harb and in many self-invented situations. Some declared the faith of one who prays and one who does not as equal. When such great sins became permissible through tricks, their perpetrators were also deemed righteous and just, and considered eligible for government and judiciary. The result of the decisions of such rulers, such courts, and such witnesses and judges is, just like the People of the Book, first severe misconduct, then utter humiliation in front of everyone. The remedy for this is that Muslims abandon the ways of these {’’ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} and firmly hold to the Book and Sunnah without tricks and excuses, then Allah Almighty will again grant them the same honor and dignity that He had granted before.

➎ {كَذٰلِكَ نَبْلُوْهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوْا يَفْسُقُوْنَ:} From this, it is understood that if a person does not find lawful sustenance and unlawful is easily available, it is necessary for him to consider it a test from Allah Almighty. If he commits the unlawful, that sustenance will become a curse, and if he is patient and avoids the unlawful, succeeding in the test, then he will be rewarded.

163. 1. In "وسئلہم", the pronoun (ھم) refers to the Jews. That is, ask them. In this, it is also intended to inform the Jews that the Prophet ﷺ also has knowledge of this incident, which is a proof of his ﷺ's truthfulness. Because without revelation from Allah, he ﷺ could not have knowledge of this incident. (2) There is a difference of opinion regarding the identification of this town; some say its name was Eila, some Tabariyyah, some Ilya, and some say it was a town in Syria near the sea. The majority of commentators lean towards Eila, which was on the shore of the Red Sea between Madyan and Mount Tur. (3) "حیتان" is the plural of "حوت" (fish). "شرعا" is the plural of "شارع". The meaning is those that come up to the surface of the water. This refers to the incident of the Jews in which they were forbidden to catch fish on the Sabbath. But as a test, on the Sabbath, fish would come in abundance and appear on the surface of the water, inviting them to catch. And when that day passed, they would not come like that. Eventually, the Jews devised a trick and transgressed the command of Allah by digging pits so that the fish would get trapped in them, and when the Sabbath passed, they would catch them.

163. And ask them about the town that was by the sea, when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. When their fish would come to them openly on their Sabbath day, but on the days they had no Sabbath, they would not come to them. Thus We tested them because [167] they used to defiantly disobey.

[167] That is, just ask the Jews of Madinah about the people of the Sabbath, which clearly means that this incident was very well-known and famous among them and had been transmitted through continuous narration. The Jews could not deny it. This was not a command that you were required to carry out, nor did you actually ask the Jews about it. The details of this incident have already been mentioned in the footnotes of Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 65. The purpose of mentioning this story here is to show that these Jews have been rebellious and disobedient generation after generation. Rebellion and disobedience run in their very veins. Therefore, one should not be surprised at their anti-Islamic activities and disobedience to Allah Almighty. As for whether their forms actually became like monkeys or not, although some people have denied this, the preferred opinion is that they were indeed turned into monkeys, who recognized each other, screamed, and cried, and then died in that state after three days. Some say that a kind of swelling appeared on their faces, making their faces look exactly like monkeys. In the end, they died in that state after three days, and this incident took place during the time of Sayyiduna Dawudؑ.