Surah Araf ayat 165 Tafsir Quran 7:165

﴿فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ أَنجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ﴾
[ الأعراف: 165]

7:165 And when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We saved those who had forbidden evil and seized those who wronged, with a wretched punishment, because they were defiantly disobeying.

And when they forgot when they overlooked that whereof they had been reminded that for which they had been admonished and did not desist We delivered those who forbade evil and seized those who did wrong through transgression with a grievous terrible chastisement for their wickedness.

But when they counselled deaf to exhortation, We rescued those who urged them to laudable conduct and to doing homage and honour to Almighty Allah, and We put to the torment of misery and distress those wrongful of actions in requital of their prepensed malice

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.

(7:165) Then, when they forgot what they had been exhorted, We delivered those who forbade evil and afflicted the wrong-doers with a grievous chastisement *125 because of their evildoing.

And when they forgot that by which meaning

*125).
This shows that the people in that town were of three categories.
One, those who flagrantly violated God's commands.
Two, those who were silent spectators to such violations and discouraged those who admonished the criminals, pleading that their efforts were fruitless.
Three, those who, moved by their religious commitment, actively enjoined good and forbade evil so that the evil-doers might make amends.
In so doing, they were prompted by, a sense of duty, to bring back the evil-doers to the right path, and if the latter did not respond to their call, they would at least be able to establish before their Lord that for their part they had fulfilled their duty to admonish the evil-doers.
So, when the town was struck by God's punishment, only the people belonging to the last category were spared for they had displayed God-consciousness and performed the duties incumbent upon them.
As for the people of the other two categories, they were reckoned as transgressors and were punished in proportion to their crimes.

Some commentators on the Qur'an are of the opinion that whereas the Qur'an specifically, describes the fate of the people belonging to the first and third categories, it is silent about the treatment meted out to the people of the second category.
It cannot be said, therefore, with certainty, whether they were spared or punished.
It is reported that Ibn 'Abba's initially believed that God's punishment included the second category as well.
It is believed that later his disciple Ikramah convinced him that only the people of the second category would be delivered in the same manner as the people of the third category.

A closer study of the Qur'anic account, however, shows that Ibn 'Abba's earlier viewpoint is sound.
It is evident that the people of the town would inevitably have been grouped into two categories on the eve of God's punishment: those who were spared and those who were not.
Since the Qur'an states that the people of the third category, had been spared, it may be legitimately assumed that the people belonging to both the first and the second categories were punished.
This view is also corroborated by the preceding verse:
Also recall when a party of them said: 'Why do you admonish a people whom Allah is about to destroy or punish severely? They said: 'We admonish them in order to he able to offer an excuse before your Lord, and in the hope that they will guard against disobedience.' ( Verse 164. )
Thus it clearly emerges from the above discussion that all the people of the place where evil deeds are publicly committed stand guilty, One cannot be absolved merely on the basis that one had not committed any evil.
One may be acquitted only, in the event that one made every possible effort to bring about reform and actively worked in the cause of the truth.
This constitutes the divine law pertaining to collective evil as is evident from the teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith.
The Qur'an says:
And guard against the mischief that will not only bring punishment to the wrong-doers among you.
Know well that Allah is severe in punishment ( Al-Anfal 8: 15 ).

Explaining the above verse the Prophet ( peace be on him ) remarked: 'God does not punish the generality of a people for the evil committed by a particular section of that people until they observe others committing evil and do not denounce it even though they are in a position to do so.
And when they do that, God punishes all, the evil-doers and the people in general.' ( Ahmad b.
Hanbal.
Musnad, vol.
4, p.
192 - Ed. )
Moreover.
the verse in question seems to suggest that God's punishment afflicted the town concerned in two stages.
The first stage is referred to as 'grevious chastisement', for in the next stage they were turned into apes.
We may, therefore, hold that people belonging to both the first and the second categories were subjected to punishment.
But the punishment of transforming the persistent evil-doers into apes was confined only to the people of the second category.
( God knows best.
If I am right that is from God.
If I err, that is from me alone.
God is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful. )
 

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 they forgot that whereof they had been reminded ) and when they left what they were commanded to do, ( We rescued those who forbade wrong ) i.e. catching fish on the Sabbath, ( and visited those who did wrong ) by catching fish on the Sabbath ( with dreadful ) a severe ( punishment because they were evil-livers ) because they were transgressors.

So when they forgot the remindings that had been given to them, We rescued those who forbade evil, but We seized those who did wrong with a severe torment because they used to rebel (disobey Allah).

Page 172 English transliteration