[Machine] There were some Jews who were forbidden by Allah from capturing whales on the Sabbath. Their whales would come to them on their Sabbath, prepared like eggplants with fins, resembling the shape and appearance of their offspring. But on days other than the Sabbath, they would not find any whales unless they exerted great effort and struggled to catch them. So some of them said to each other, or someone among them said, "If we take them on a day other than the Sabbath and eat them, let us do it." So a certain group from among them did so, and they took and ate them. Then their neighbors noticed the smell of cooking from the whales and said, "By Allah, we do not see that the family of so-and-so has experienced anything." So others among them also took and ate them, until this became widespread among them and prevalent. They split into three groups: one group that would eat, one group that would forbid, and one group that would say, "Why do you warn a people whom Allah is going to destroy or punish with a severe punishment?" (Al-A'raf 164). The group that forbade said, "Indeed, we warn you of the wrath of Allah and His punishment, that Allah may strike you with a calamity, or smite you with one of the punishments He has for you." But we will not reveal our secrets to you when you are in this place." So they went out of the city and stayed there overnight. They returned the next day and knocked on the city gate, but no one answered them. So they brought a ladder and leaned it against the city gate. Then one of them climbed atop the gate and said, "O servants of Allah, it is a group of monkeys, and by Allah, they have tails." Then he came down from the gate, and they opened the gate and the people entered. The monkeys realized that they were descended from humans, but the humans did not realize that they were descended from monkeys. A human would come to his relative or close one among the monkeys, touch him, cling to him, and say, "You are so-and-so, aren't you?" The monkey would nod his head, meaning "yes," and the human would cry. The monkey would go to his relative or close one among the humans, and the human would say to her, "You are so-and-so, aren't you?" She would nod her head, meaning "yes," and she would cry. Then the humans said to them, "Indeed, we warned you of the wrath of Allah and His punishment, that Allah may strike you with a calamity, or smite you with one of the punishments He has for you." Ibn 'Abbas said, "Then Allah said, 'So We saved those who forbade evil, and We seized those who did wrong with a severe punishment because of their disobedience.' (Al-A'raf 165). So I do not know what happened to the third group." Ibn 'Abbas said, "How many times have we seen something forbidden and not prevented it?" 'Ikrimah said, "So I said, 'Do you not see that Allah has made me your intercessor, that they have denied and disliked when they said, 'Why do you warn a people whom Allah is going to destroy or punish with a severe punishment?' (Al-A'raf 164).' He was pleased with my words and ordered two heavy coats for me, and I wore them."
بِهَا نَاسٌ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ فَحَرَّمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْحِيتَانَ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ فَكَانَتْ حِيتَانُهُمْ تَأْتِيهِمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا بِيضٌ سِمَانٌ كَأَمْثَالِ الْمَخَاضِ بِأَفْنِيَائِهِمْ وَأَبْنِيَاتِهِمْ فَإِذَا كَانَ غَيْرَ يَوْمِ السَّبْتِ لَمْ يَجِدُوهَا وَلَمْ يُدْرِكُوهَا إِلَّا فِي مَشَقَّةٍ وَمَؤوُنَةٍ شَدِيدَةٍ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَوْ مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلَّنَا لَوْ أَخَذْنَاهَا يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ وَأَكَلْنَاهَا فِي غَيْرِ يَوْمِ السَّبْتِ فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ مِنْهُمْ فَأَخَذُوا؛ فَشَوَوْا؛ فَوَجَدَ جِيرَانُهُمْ رِيحَ الشِّوَاءِ فَقَالُوا وَاللهِ مَا نَرَى أَصَابَ بَنِي فُلَانٍ شَيْءٌ فَأَخَذَهَا آخَرُونَ حَتَّى فَشَا ذَلِكَ فِيهِمْ وَكَثُرَ فَافْتَرَقُوا فِرَقًا ثَلَاثَةً فِرْقَةٌ أَكَلَتْ وَفِرْقَةٌ نَهَتْ وَفِرْقَةٌ قَالَتْ {لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا} [الأعراف 164] فَقَالَتِ الْفُرْقَةُ الَّتِي نَهَتْ إِنَّا نُحَذِّرُكُمْ غَضَبَ اللهِ وَعِتَابَهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَكُمُ اللهُ بِخَسْفٍ أَوْ قَذْفٍ أَوْ بِبَعْضِ مَا عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ وَاللهِ لَا نُبَايِتُكُمْ فِي مَكَانٍ وَأَنْتُمْ فِيهِ قَالَ فَخَرَجُوا مِنَ السُّورِ فَغَدَوْا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْغَدِ فَضَرَبُوا بَابَ السُّورِ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُمْ أَحَدٌ فَأَتَوْا بِسُلَّمٍ فَأَسْنَدُوهُ إِلَى السُّورِ ثُمَّ رَقِيَ مِنْهُمْ رَاقٍ عَلَى السُّورِ فَقَالَ يَا عِبَادَ اللهِ قِرَدَةٌ وَاللهِ لَهَا أَذْنَابٌ تَعَادَى ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ نَزَلَ مِنَ السُّورِ فَفَتَحَ السُّورَ فَدَخَلَ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَعَرَفَتِ الْقُرُودُ أَنْسَابَهَا مِنَ الْإِنْسِ وَلَمْ تَعْرِفِ الْإِنْسُ أَنْسَابَهَا مِنَ الْقُرُودِ قَالَ فَيَأْتِي الْقِرْدُ إِلَى نَسِيبِهِ وَقَرِيبِهِ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ فَيَحْتَكُّ بِهِ وَيَلْصَقُ بِهِ وَيَقُولُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنْتَ فُلَانٌ؟ فَيُشِيرُ بِرَأْسِهِ أَيْ نَعَمْ وَيَبْكِي وَتَأْتِي الْقِرْدَةُ إِلَى نَسِيبِهَا وَقَرِيبِهَا مِنَ الْإِنْسِ فَيَقُولُ لَهَا الْإِنْسَانُ أَنْتِ فُلَانَةُ؟ فتشيرُ بِرَأْسِهَا أَيْ نَعَمْ وَتَبْكِي فَيَقُولُ لَهُمُ الْإِنْسُ إِنَّا حَذَّرْنَاكُمْ غَضَبَ اللهِ وَعِقَابَهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَكُمْ بِخَسْفٍ أَوْ مَسْخٍ أَوْ بِبَعْضِ مَا عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ فَأَسْمَعُ اللهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ {فأَنْجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ} فَلَا أَدْرِي مَا فَعَلْتِ الْفِرْقَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ؟ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ فَكَمْ قَدْ رَأَيْنَا مُنْكَرًا فَلَمْ نَنْهَ عَنْهُ قَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ فَقُلْتُ أَلَا تَرَى جَعَلَنِي اللهُ فِدَاءَكَ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ أَنْكَرُوا وَكَرِهُوا حِينَ قَالُوا {لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا} [الأعراف 164] فَأَعْجَبَهُ قُولِي ذَلِكَ وَأَمَرَ لِي بِبُرْدَيْنِ غَلِيظَينِ فَكَسَانِيهِمَا