سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 163
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 ﴿163﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And ask them (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) about the town that was by the sea; when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday): when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day, and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial of them, for they used to rebel against Allâh’s Command (disobey Allâh) [see the Qur’ân: V.4:154 and its footnote].
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَسْـَٔلْهُمْ
wasalhum
And ask them
عَنِ
ʿani
about
ٱلْقَرْيَةِ
l-qaryati
the town
ٱلَّتِى
allatī
which
كَانَتْ
kānat
was
حَاضِرَةَ
ḥāḍirata
situated
ٱلْبَحْرِ
l-baḥri
(by) the sea
إِذْ
idh
when
يَعْدُونَ
yaʿdūna
they transgressed
فِى
fī
in
ٱلسَّبْتِ
l-sabti
the (matter of) Sabbath
إِذْ
idh
when
تَأْتِيهِمْ
tatīhim
came to them
حِيتَانُهُمْ
ḥītānuhum
their fish
يَوْمَ
yawma
(on the) day
سَبْتِهِمْ
sabtihim
(of) their Sabbath
شُرَّعًۭا
shurraʿan
visibly
وَيَوْمَ
wayawma
and (on the) day
لَا
lā
not
يَسْبِتُونَ ۙ
yasbitūna
they had Sabbath
لَا
lā
(they did) not
تَأْتِيهِمْ ۚ
tatīhim
come to them
كَذَٰلِكَ
kadhālika
Thus
نَبْلُوهُم
nablūhum
We test them
بِمَا
bimā
because
كَانُوا۟
kānū
they were
يَفْسُقُونَ
yafsuqūna
defiantly disobeying
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
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.
[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.
