AN ADMONITORY INCIDENT (VERSE NO. 163 - 166)

      According to Islamic traditions, here is the story of a group of the Israelites fishermen, who lived in a port, at the bank of the Red Sea, named Ealeh, and now it is called, `Ilجt.'

      It happened so that by God's trial, in the every Sabbath Day, which all activities are forbidden for the Jews, more and more fish appeared floating on the top of the sea water with a sense of security! This allured the fisherman, so that by mischievous tricks they made fish pounders for entrapping them in the Sabbath and catching them in other days. Thus the Jews played fast and loose with their rites and laws, because the punishment for breach of Sabbath under the Mosaic Law is death. (EXODUS 31: 14)

      When a group of the Jews cunningly defied the Law, another group of them who were pious and God- fearing admonished them and warned them against their tricks and contumacious defiance of the Law; the punishment for which was death. But their warnings was of no effect! Another group of them said to the admonishers:

      ``Why should you bother yourselves and the fishermen who are condemned to death by the Law, and sooner or later Allah will destroy them, or sternly punish them as you say?! Leave them alone to do what they want to!''

      This group of silent and inactive people should have known that every man who sees evil, must speak out against it, as his duty and responsibilty to God. This is because there is always a chance that the warnings, and rescue a soul from the hands of Devil.

      Therefore, the inhabitants of the port were divided into three groups, namely the fishermen who stubbornly broke the Sabbath - the God- fearing admonishers - and the silent and inactive group in between.

      According to these verses, and some Islamic traditions, when the punishment of God came, the admonishers were all saved; and the sinners, as well as the silent group were punished.

TURNING TO APES

      A few numbers of the commentators have understood the phrase;' `BE YOU APES' to mean; `BE YOU AS APES' and conclude that the breakers of Sabbath, spiritually turned to apes, and not physically. But the majority of the commentators, like us, believe that in God's power, nothing is impossible. So their breach of Sabbath was a contumacious defiance of the law, and the punishment for such a sin, according to TOWRطT was death. (EXODUS 31: 14) Therefore, God through His infinite power and universal justice, executed the decree that He had issued in His Law.

      It has been narrated that, the sinners at first were afflicted with a mysterious disease, that, turned them into the shape of the apes; and a couple of weeks after that, they all died away!

      Fishing and fishery is not something unlawful or prohibited. But on the Sabbath, all activities of this kind is prohibited for the Israelites, and it is one of the ten commandments on which they have made a covenant with Allah.

      Therefore their fishing in Sabbath with trickery was a mere pretence to deceive the Law and the Lord! The fish who had a mysterious sense of security on the Sabbath, came up floating on the top of the sea water. They tempted the Jews, who played fast and loose with their rites and Law, by making fish pounders for entrapping them in the Sabbath, and catching them in lawful days!

      They actually were deceiving God, to satisfy the warnings of their own conscience. Therefore the punishment was not for their fishing itself, but for their contumacious defiance of the Law.