Surah Araf ayat 164 Tafsir Quran 7:164

﴿وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ﴾
[ الأعراف: 164]

7:164 And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise [or warn] a people whom Allah is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" they [the advisors] said, "To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him."

And when wa-idh is a supplement to the preceding idh ‘how’ a community among them who neither fished nor prohibited it said to those who prohibited it ‘Why do you preach admonition to a folk whom God is about to destroy or chastise with a severe chastisement?’ They said our admonishing them is ‘As an exculpation by which we excuse ourselves before your Lord lest we are reproached for failing to prohibit them in any way; and so that they might be wary of fishing’.

Those indifferent among the people of Mussa, said to those concerned: why waste your breath admonishing people destined to suffer annihilation or condemnation!. This said the concerned, is only to discharge the duty imposed by Allah, your Creator, toward these people, they might hope fully open their hearts ears and be dutiful to Him

Those Who breached the Sabbath were turned into Monkeys, butThose Who prohibited Their Actions were saved 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 Surat 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 اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَاباً 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.
The preachers replied, مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ ( "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah ),") `for we were commanded to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil,' r 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, فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ ( So when they forgot the reminder that had been given to them, ) when the evil doers refused the advice, أَنجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ ( We rescued those who forbade evil, but We seized who did wrong, ) who committed the transgression, بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ ( with a severe torment ).
Allah stated that those who enjoined good were saved, while those who committed the transgression were destroyed, but He did not mention the end of those who were passive ( the third group ), for the compensation is comparable to the deed.
This type did not do what would warrant praise, nor commit wrong so that they are admonished.
`Ikrimah said, "Ibn `Abbas said about the Ayah: `I do not know whether or not the people were saved who said; لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ ( "Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy..." ) So I continued discussing it with him until I convinced him that they were.
Then he gave me the gift of a garment." Allah said, وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ ( and We seized those who did wrong with a Ba'is torment ) indicating that those who remained were saved.
As for `Ba'is', it means `severe', according to Mujahid, or `painful', according to Qatadah.
These meanings are synonymous, and Allah knows best.
Allah said next, خَـسِئِينَ ( despised ), humiliated, disgraced and rejected.

Those Who breached the Sabbath were turned into Monkeys, butThose Who prohibited Their Actions were saved 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 Surat 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 اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَاباً 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.
The preachers replied, مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ ( "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah ),") `for we were commanded to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil,' r 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, فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ ( So when they forgot the reminder that had been given to them, ) when the evil doers refused the advice, أَنجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ ( We rescued those who forbade evil, but We seized who did wrong, ) who committed the transgression, بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ ( with a severe torment ).
Allah stated that those who enjoined good were saved, while those who committed the transgression were destroyed, but He did not mention the end of those who were passive ( the third group ), for the compensation is comparable to the deed.
This type did not do what would warrant praise, nor commit wrong so that they are admonished.
`Ikrimah said, "Ibn `Abbas said about the Ayah: `I do not know whether or not the people were saved who said; لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ ( "Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy..." ) So I continued discussing it with him until I convinced him that they were.
Then he gave me the gift of a garment." Allah said, وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ ( and We seized those who did wrong with a Ba'is torment ) indicating that those who remained were saved.
As for `Ba'is', it means `severe', according to Mujahid, or `painful', according to Qatadah.
These meanings are synonymous, and Allah knows best.
Allah said next, خَـسِئِينَ ( despised ), humiliated, disgraced and rejected.

( And when a community ) a group ( among them said: Why preach ye to a folk whom Allah is about to destroy ) by turning them into animals ( and punish with an awful doom ) with the Fire, ( they said: In order to be free from guilt before your Lord ) in order to have an argument before your Lord, ( and that haply they may ward off (evil )) ward off taking the fish on the Sabbath. These were three people who used to catch fish on the Sabbath and encouraged others to do so too. There was another group of people who did not catch fish on the Sabbath but did not warn others against doing so. And lastly there was another group of people who did not catch the fish on the Sabbath and warned others against doing so. Allah turned those who caught fish on the Sabbath and enjoined others to do so into animals and spared the others.

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 torment?" (The preachers) said: "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah), and perhaps they may fear Allah."

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