37. THE STORY OF THE PEOPLE OF AILAH
The story of the people of ailah, who transgressed the laws of their sabbath
Allah, Most High, says, {And ask them (O, Muhammad) 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 (Soorah An-Nisa’ 4:154). 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 punishment?” (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 reminders that had been given to them, We rescued those who forbade evil, but We seized those who did wrong with a severe punishment because they used to rebel (disobey Allah). So when they exceeded the limits of what they were prohibited, We said to them, “Be you monkeys, despised and rejected.” (It is a severe warning to the mankind that they should not disobey what Allah commands them to do, and be far away from what He prohibits them)} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:163-166)
‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him), Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah, Qatadah, As-Suddi and others said that they were the people of Ailah. ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) added that it lies between Madyan and At-Toor (which is in Sinai). They said that they adhered to the religious teachings of the Tawrah, according to which the Sabbath was sacrosanct. The fish were accustomed to being left alone on the Sabbath, because it was unlawful for the Jews to catch them or to undertake any activities on that day, such as trading and business. So the fish were plentiful on that day, swimming near the surface, coming from hither and thither, feeling safe and at ease, and the Jews did not disturb them or alarm them. {…and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:163). This was because they used to try to catch them on days other than the Sabbath. Allah, Most High, says, {Thus We made a trial of them} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:163). That is, We tested them through the plentiful fish on the Sabbath. {…for they used to rebel (see also Soorah An-Nisa’ 4:154)} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:163). That is, because of the sins of disobedience they had previously committed. So when they saw the profusion of fish, they resorted to duplicity, by placing nets, ropes and artificial pools of water on Friday for the purpose of fishing before the Sabbath. When the fish came in abundance on Saturday as usual, they were caught in the ropes and nets for the rest of Saturday. During the night, the Jews collected the fish after the Sabbath ended. Allah was Angry with them and cursed them for their duplicity, which went against His Command and entailed an apparent adherence to the law, while actually circumventing it. So when a group of them did that, the remainder of them split into two factions: (i) those who rebuked them for their deed and their subterfuge, in contravention of Allah’s Command and His Law at that time; and (ii) those who did not do it, but did not forbid it, indeed, they rebuked those who forbade it and they said, {“Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?”} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:164). They said, “What is the benefit of forbidding these people, when they have already merited the Punishment (of Allah) and it is inevitable?” The group which rebuked the sinners replied to them, saying, {“In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah), and perhaps they may fear Allah.”} (Soorah Al-‘Araf 6:16). That is, regarding to what He has commanded us to do of ordering that which is good and forbidding that which is evil, and we fulfill it out of fear of His Punishment. {“…and perhaps they may fear Allah.”} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:164). That is, perhaps these sinners may abandon this deed that they are doing and Allah may preserve them from His Punishment, if they turn back and listen. Allah, Most High, says, {So when they forgot the reminders that had been given to them…} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:165). That is, they paid no heed to those who forbade them from doing this disgraceful and detestable deed. {We rescued those who forbade evil} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:165). And they were the group who commanded that which is good and forbade that which is evil. {…but We seized those who did wrong} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:165). And they were those who committed the sin. {…with a severe punishment} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:165). And that was an extremely painful one. {…because they used to rebel (disobey Allah)} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:165). Then He explains the Punishment that befell them in His Words: {So when they exceeded the limits of what they were prohibited, We said to them, “Be you monkeys, despised and rejected.” (It is a severe warning to the mankind that they should not disobey what Allah commands them to do, and be far away from what He prohibits them).} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:166)
What is meant here is that Allah, Most High, destroyed the wrongdoers and saved the Believers who rebuked the sinners, and He passed over those who remained silent. The scholars divided into two groups regarding them. One held the opinion that they were among those who were saved, while the other opined that they were among those who were destroyed. The correct opinion is the first, according to the investigators and it was the preferred opinion of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him), the Imam of the Qur’anic exegetes. He reached this opinion as a result of a debate with his freed slave, ‘Ikrimah and because of this he clothed him in a garment, as a mark of honor and respect. I say: The only reason why they were not mentioned with those who were saved is because, although they inwardly expressed their disapproval of this sinful act, they did not express any outward censure of it, by verbally condemning it, which is the middle level of the three levels, the highest of which is to express disapproval by one’s hand; after that comes verbal condemnation and the third level is to condemn it in one’s heart. And since they were not mentioned, it means that they were saved along with the others who were saved, because they did not commit that evil deed; indeed, they censured it.
By Ibn Katheer
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