Quran Garden

The story of the People of the Sabbath might sound like something from long ago, but it actually hits close to home.  It is about rules, temptation, and what happens when people try to bend things just enough to get away with it.  In today's Tafsir, we'll explore how the Israelites' choices reflect the struggles we face today and what their story teaches us about staying true to what is right.

Session 629

Chapter 4

Verse 47

a continuation

O people of the Book, believe in what We have revealed, which confirms what is already with you before We obliterate faces, turning them inside out, or We curse you as We cursed the Companions of the Sabbath.  God's command is always carried out.  (Chapter 4: Verse 47)

In the previous session, we discussed how the obliteration of the face means erasing all its features and turning it into a piece of flesh.  We told you the inspiring story of how Abdull?h ibn Sal?m, the prominent Jewish rabbi of Medina, embraced Islam.  If you missed it, it is worth your while to go back and listen. 

God continues, "or We curse you as We cursed the Companions of the Sabbath," meaning to expel them from His mercy and faith altogether.  God says,

Allah has set a seal on their hearts, and on their ears and over their eyes there is a dark covering, and for them is great torment. (2:7)

Allah will treat you as you want to be treated.  Since they disbelieved and expelled God from their lives, He will do the same to them.  We ask such people: Were you not the ones who chose and embraced disbelief?  God respected your choice and sealed it into your heart.  He will help you travel farther along the terrible road you chose.  He says,

There is a disease in their hearts, to which God has added more: agonizing torment awaits them for their persistent lying (2:10)

When God addressed the Jews of Medina, He highlighted a story very familiar and dear to their hearts: the story of the Sabbath: The history they embrace and pass to their children.  Allah invited them to follow His messenger, Muhammad –the one they have been eagerly awaiting-, and threatened to destroy their faces, curse them, and promised a great punishment to those who reject.  But the Almighty does not issue empty threats; He reminds them of precedent from their history.  He says,

or We curse you as We cursed the Companions of the Sabbath

Before we recall this story, we should highlight that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was an illiterate man.  He never read a book, including the Bible, nor sat with a teacher, priest, or rabbi to learn history.  Yet, the Quran narrates details about this story known only to the scholars of the Children of Israel.   Why?  As proof that the One who revealed it is the All-Knowing Lord.  He says,

Through the revelation of this Qur'an We narrate the best of histories of which you were unaware before. (12:3)

When God tells a story, He may present it as fact, and the people of knowledge will recognize and affirm it.  At other times, He frames it as a question, because He knows those being asked will find no answer except the truth.  God says,

Ask them about the town by the sea; how its people broke the Sabbath when their fish surfaced for them only on that day, never on weekdays.  In this way, We put them to the test because they were deviants. (7:163)

It is a story the Israelites cannot deny.  God did not need to recount every detail, but wanted it spoken from their own lips, so that no denier could reject it.  O Muhammad, ask them yourself; their answer will match exactly what occurred.

The town was a coastal village, possibly Aylah (Eilat), right by the sea, where the people's livelihood depended on fishing.  God had commanded the Children of Israel to honor the Sabbath, a day of complete rest and worship on Saturday, forbidding all work, including fishing.  This was part of their covenant, a day set aside for Allah.  Even today, some Jews observe the Sabbath strictly, refraining from work, technology, and travel.

To test their faith and expose hidden hypocrisy, Allah created a unique trial.  On the Sabbath, the fish would come in large schools, swimming near the surface, jumping out of the water, as if inviting capture, their fins rising like sails everywhere you look.  On every other day, however, the sea was barren and fishing difficult.  They saw the bounty and riches they so desperately loved right before their eyes, in full view from their windows, yet they were strictly forbidden to catch it.  Why such a harsh test?  God answers, "In this way We put them to the test because they were deviators."

Some people argue that everything God forbids must be harmful.  We answer: not always.  Sometimes the Lord forbids what is beneficial as a test or trial.  He says,

For the wrongdoings done by the Jews, We forbade them certain good things that had been permitted to them before, and because of their obstructing many people from God's path. (5:160)

If you overstep God's bounds and take what was not lawful, then expect that Allah will treat you the same way: He will make unlawful for you something good and lawful.  

Sadly, as in our time, many people try to outsmart God's commands with clever tricks and contrived loopholes, believing they can gain worldly benefit without consequence.  They hide behind manmade laws, convincing themselves that they are technically obeying Allah while, in reality, they violate the essence of His law.

So did a group of the villagers; they set traps and nets on Friday night, then fully observed the Sabbath.  The fish would enter the traps on Saturday, and when the Sabbath ended, the fishermen would haul in the nets.  'See!  No fishing on Saturday!  We are keeping God's command.' But Allah sees your deeds, reads your thoughts, and knows your heart's intentions.  Never think you can deceive your Creator.  No!  He may let you take it, but you will bear a punishment far greater than your gains.  People who indulge in their youth often suffer lifetime chronic illnesses, and officials who steal and accept bribes spend it on calamities that strike their children.

Now, the village was split into three groups.  One group openly transgressed, violated the Sabbath, and fished.  A second group saw their wrongdoing and sincerely warned them, reminding them of God's command.  The third remained passive; they neither sinned nor spoke out.  In fact, they questioned the point of advising, saying, 'Why preach to people whom Allah will punish anyway?' Listen to the response of the second group.  God says,

When a group of them said, "Why do you advise a people whom Allah will destroy or punish with a severe punishment?" They said, "As an excuse before your Lord, and with the hope that they may be Godwary." (7:164)

You, as a believer, must never abandon your duty of promoting what is good and advising against what is evil, even when those you advise are deeply sinful and the outcome is uncertain.  You do it simply because it is your responsibility before Allah.

This story is not just about the ancient Israelites; it is about you, whenever you are tempted to circumvent God's commands for worldly gain.  While our Lord's mercy precedes His wrath, it does not protect those who persist in sin.  Divine commands are not meant to be manipulated through loopholes.  True obedience requires sincerity and submission, in both form and spirit: not pretending to be a righteous believer while knowingly doing wrong in secret.  What Allah wants from you is integrity and moral courage.  There is still time, for God's door remains wide open.  He says in the 167^th verse of chapter 7,  

Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is most Forgiving and Merciful.

We learn another important lesson: remaining silent in the face of wrongdoing is dangerous.  Those who speak out, advise, and forbid evil have taken a responsible stand before Allah.  To remain silent is to leave yourself exposed to accountability.