سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 164
وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ ٱللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا۟ مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿164﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when a community among them said: "Why do you preach to a people whom Allâh is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment?" (The preachers) said: "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allâh), and perhaps they may fear Allâh."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَتْ
qālat
said
أُمَّةٌۭ
ummatun
a community
مِّنْهُمْ
min'hum
among them
لِمَ
lima
Why
تَعِظُونَ
taʿiẓūna
(do) you preach
قَوْمًا ۙ
qawman
a people
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
(whom) Allah
مُهْلِكُهُمْ
muh'likuhum
(is going to) destroy them
أَوْ
aw
or
مُعَذِّبُهُمْ
muʿadhibuhum
punish them
عَذَابًۭا
ʿadhāban
(with) a punishment
شَدِيدًۭا ۖ
shadīdan
severe
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
مَعْذِرَةً
maʿdhiratan
To be absolved
إِلَىٰ
ilā
before
رَبِّكُمْ
rabbikum
your Lord
وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
walaʿallahum
and that they may
يَتَّقُونَ
yattaqūna
become righteous
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.
164. And (remember) when some among them said to others, "Why do you advise a people whom Allah is going to destroy or punish with a severe punishment?" They replied, "So that we may have an excuse before your Lord, and also that perhaps they may become mindful (and refrain from disobedience)."
[168] These were the people who themselves did not commit the crime of catching fish, but neither did they stop those who were catching them. When Allah's punishment came, only those people were saved who themselves did not catch fish and also kept forbidding those who did. The intermediate group was punished merely because they did not forbid this sinful act. Thus, just as committing an evil is a crime, so too is not forbidding evil a crime. This is also made clear by the following ahadith.
Ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ Regarding Forbidding Evil (Nahi 'Anil Munkar):
1. Nu'man bin Bashir ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The example of those who violate the limits set by Allah and those who, upon seeing the violation, remain silent, is like the people who drew lots for places on a ship. Some people's lot was the lower deck and others' was the upper deck. Now, when the people of the lower deck would pass by the people of the upper deck to fetch water, it would trouble them. Seeing this, one of the people of the lower deck took an axe and began to make a hole in the bottom of the ship. The people of the upper deck came to him and said, 'What has happened to you?' He replied, 'You are troubled because of us, and we cannot do without water.' Now, if the people of the upper deck seize his hand, they will save him as well as themselves, but if they leave him, he will perish and they will perish as well." [بخاري كتاب الشركة هل يقرع فى القسمة۔ نيز كتاب الشهادات۔ باب القرعة فى المشكلات]
2. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand (power); if he cannot do so, then with his tongue; and if he cannot do that, then let him hate it in his heart, and that is the weakest level of faith." [مسلم، كتاب الايمان باب بيان كون النهي عن المنكر من الايمان]
3. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ says: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "When people see an oppressor (committing oppression) and do not seize his hand, it is near that a general punishment from Allah will descend upon them." [ترمذي۔ ابواب التفسير۔ زير آيت سورة مائده آيت نمبر 101]
The Nature of the Punishment on the People of the Sabbath:
Some commentators are of the opinion that in the Quran, regarding these three groups, it is stated that We saved those who forbade evil, and seized in punishment those who were disobedient. As for the third, intermediate group, who neither disobeyed nor forbade, the Quran remained silent about them, so we too should remain silent. A third opinion is that there were two kinds of punishments. One was the great punishment mentioned in verse number 165, in which both groups were seized—the disobedient and those who did not forbid evil. The second punishment was being transformed into apes, and that was for those who transgressed the limits; in this punishment, only those who were disobedient were seized.
[168] These were the people who themselves did not commit the crime of catching fish, but neither did they stop those who were catching them. When Allah's punishment came, only those people were saved who themselves did not catch fish and also kept forbidding those who did. The intermediate group was punished merely because they did not forbid this sinful act. Thus, just as committing an evil is a crime, so too is not forbidding evil a crime. This is also made clear by the following ahadith.
Ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ Regarding Forbidding Evil (Nahi 'Anil Munkar):
1. Nu'man bin Bashir ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The example of those who violate the limits set by Allah and those who, upon seeing the violation, remain silent, is like the people who drew lots for places on a ship. Some people's lot was the lower deck and others' was the upper deck. Now, when the people of the lower deck would pass by the people of the upper deck to fetch water, it would trouble them. Seeing this, one of the people of the lower deck took an axe and began to make a hole in the bottom of the ship. The people of the upper deck came to him and said, 'What has happened to you?' He replied, 'You are troubled because of us, and we cannot do without water.' Now, if the people of the upper deck seize his hand, they will save him as well as themselves, but if they leave him, he will perish and they will perish as well." [بخاري كتاب الشركة هل يقرع فى القسمة۔ نيز كتاب الشهادات۔ باب القرعة فى المشكلات]
2. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand (power); if he cannot do so, then with his tongue; and if he cannot do that, then let him hate it in his heart, and that is the weakest level of faith." [مسلم، كتاب الايمان باب بيان كون النهي عن المنكر من الايمان]
3. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ says: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "When people see an oppressor (committing oppression) and do not seize his hand, it is near that a general punishment from Allah will descend upon them." [ترمذي۔ ابواب التفسير۔ زير آيت سورة مائده آيت نمبر 101]
The Nature of the Punishment on the People of the Sabbath:
Some commentators are of the opinion that in the Quran, regarding these three groups, it is stated that We saved those who forbade evil, and seized in punishment those who were disobedient. As for the third, intermediate group, who neither disobeyed nor forbade, the Quran remained silent about them, so we too should remain silent. A third opinion is that there were two kinds of punishments. One was the great punishment mentioned in verse number 165, in which both groups were seized—the disobedient and those who did not forbid evil. The second punishment was being transformed into apes, and that was for those who transgressed the limits; in this punishment, only those who were disobedient were seized.
