Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:163

{And ask them about the town...}

{And ask them}: Ask the Jews. It is also recited as wa-is’alhum (ask them). This question is meant for confirmation and reproach regarding their ancient disbelief and their transgression of the limits of Allah. It serves as an announcement that this is among the knowledge that cannot be known except through a Book or revelation. Thus, when one who has not read their Book informs them of it, they know it is from the side of revelation. Its equivalent is the interrogative hamza used for confirmation in your saying: "Did you transgress in the Sabbath?"

The town: It is Ayla. It is also said to be Midian, or Tiberias. The Arabs call a city a qarya (town). Abu Amr ibn al-Ala said: "I have not seen two qarawiyyin (townsmen) more eloquent than al-Hasan and al-Hajjaj," meaning two men from the cities.

{Which was situated by the sea}: Near it, resting on its shore.

{When they transgressed in the Sabbath}: When they exceeded the limit of Allah therein, which was their fishing on the Sabbath, despite being forbidden from it. It is also recited as ya‘udduna (they count), meaning they count the tools for fishing on the Sabbath, while they were commanded not to occupy themselves with anything other than worship. Al-Sabt (the Sabbath) is the verbal noun of sabata (the Jews rested/observed the Sabbath), meaning they glorified their Sabbath by abandoning fishing and occupying themselves with worship. Thus, its meaning is: they transgressed in the glorification of this day. Likewise, His saying: {the day of their Sabbath} means the day of their glorification of the matter of the Sabbath. This is indicated by His saying: {and the day they do not observe the Sabbath}.

Grammatical note: You might ask: What is the grammatical position of idh ya‘udduna (when they transgressed) and idh ta’tihim (when they came to them)? I say: The first is in the genitive case as a substitute (badal) for "the town," for the town refers to its people; it is as if it were said: "Ask them about the people of the town at the time of their transgression." It is a badal ishtimal. It is also permissible for it to be in the accusative case as the object of kanat or hadira. The second is in the accusative case as the object of ya‘udduna.

{The fish}: Al-hitan are fish; the Arabs mostly use al-hut to mean a fish.

{Visible}: Appearing on the surface of the water. Al-Hasan said: "They would appear at their doors like white rams." It is said: "He appeared (shara‘a) to us" if he drew near and loomed over us.

{Thus We test them}: Meaning, with such a severe trial, We test them because of their wickedness.

{And when a party among them said}: This is conjoined to idh ya‘udduna, and its grammatical status is the same.

{Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or punish with a severe punishment?}: They said this because they knew that preaching would not benefit them.

{They said: "As an excuse to your Lord"}: Meaning, our preaching is an excuse before Allah, so that we are not attributed with any negligence in forbidding the evil. {And perhaps they may fear Him}: We hoped that they might attain some fear.

{So when they forgot}: Meaning the people of the town; when they abandoned what the righteous reminded them of, like one who forgets what he is supposed to remember. {We saved those who forbade evil, and We seized the wrongdoers}.

Regarding the party that asked "Why do you preach?": They were from the group of the saved, for they were among those who forbade evil. They only asked to inquire about the reason for preaching, as they saw no benefit in it given the state of the people. When the one who forbids knows that the prohibition will have no effect, the obligation to forbid falls away, and it may even become a form of futility.

The Story: It is narrated that the Jews were commanded to observe the day we were commanded to observe, which is Friday, but they abandoned it and chose the Sabbath. They were tested with it, and fishing was forbidden to them on that day. The fish would come to them on the Sabbath, visible, white, and fat, as if they were pregnant, so numerous that the water could not be seen. On the days they did not observe the Sabbath, the fish would not come. This continued for a time, until Iblis came to them and suggested they dig basins to trap the fish on the Sabbath and catch them on Sunday. They did so, and eventually, they began to fish, eat, salt, and sell them. They were about 70,000. The town divided into three: a third who forbade it (about 12,000), a third who asked "Why do you preach?", and a third who were the sinners. When they did not desist, the believers separated from them by a wall. David (peace be upon him) cursed them. One morning, the righteous found that the sinners had not emerged. They looked over the wall and found them transformed into monkeys. The monkeys would approach their relatives, smell their clothes, and weep. The relative would ask, "Did we not forbid you?" and the monkey would nod its head in agreement. It is said the youth became monkeys and the elders became swine.

{Severe}: Ba’is means intense.

{So when they were insolent regarding that which they were forbidden}: When they grew arrogant about abandoning what they were forbidden from.

{We said to them: "Be monkeys"}: This is an expression of their transformation into monkeys, similar to His saying: "His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, 'Be,' and it is." The meaning is that Allah first punished them with a severe punishment, and when they remained insolent, He transformed them.