Surah Al A'raf Tafseer

Those Who breached the Sabbath were turned into Monkeys, but Those Who prohibited Their Actions were saved

Allah says;

وَإِذَ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ

And when a community among them said:

Allah said that the people of this village were divided into three groups, a group that committed the prohibition, catching fish on the Sabbath, as we described in the Tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah. Another group prohibited them from transgression and avoided them. A third group neither prohibited them, nor participated in their action. The third group said to the preachers,

لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا

"Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment!"

They said, `why do you forbid these people from evil, when you know that they are destroyed and have earned Allah's punishment!' Therefore, they said, there is no benefit in forbidding them.

قَالُواْ

(The preachers) said:

مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ

"In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah),"

`for we were commanded to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil,'

وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

"and perhaps they may fear Allah."

for on account of our advice, they might stop this evil and repent to Allah. Certainly, if they repent to Allah, Allah will accept their repentance and grant them His mercy.'

Allah said