They used to cast their nets on a week day, in order to catch fish on the Sabbath (Saturday), so they would say that they did not fish on the Sabbath, however, the nets caught the fish. That was a very malicious trick. Here is the explanation of it:
- The Jews who lived in a town by the sea (which is Al-Aqaba today), violated the sanctity of Saturday which was a holy day for them. They transgressed the Command of Allah Almighty who forbade fishing on that sacred day. Allah tried them and sent the fish to them on Saturday while on all other days, there were no fish. So, some of them threw their nets in the water before Saturday, and on Saturday when the fish came, they got trapped in the nets. They left them till Saturday passed and on the following day they caught them.
2 – A group of people among them advised them not to do that and reminded them of Allah Almighty, but they did not pay heed to the advice.
3- Allah the Almighty punished them by turning them into servile and humiliated apes.
(You are already aware of those of you who broke the Sabbath. We said to them, “Be disgraced apes!”) (Al-Baqarah 2: 65)
(Ask them ˹O Prophet˺ about ˹the people of˺ the town which was by the sea, who broke the Sabbath. During the Sabbath, ˹abundant˺ fish would come to them clearly visible, but on other days the fish were never seen. In this way We tested them for their rebelliousness.) (Al-A’raf 7:163 )
(But when they stubbornly persisted in violation, We said to them, “Be disgraced apes!”) (Al-A’raf 7:166 )
إنهم كانوا ينصبون شباكهم في يوم الأسبوع لتصيد لهم يوم السبت و ذلك ليقولوا أنهم لم يصطادوا يوم السبت و لكن الشباك هي التي صادت و هذه حيلة في غاية الخبث. وتوضيح ذلك
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كان اليهود الذين يسكنون القرية التي على ساحل البحر و هي تسمى اليوم العقبة، كانوا يعتدون على حرمة السبت. و يتجاوزون حكم الله الذي يحرم الصيد فيه، فامتحنهم الله بأن جعل الأسماك و الحيتان لا تأتيهم في أيام الأسبوع أما يوم السبت فتأتي الحيتان. فكانوا يحتالون على الله و ينصبون الشباك قبل السبت فلما تأتي الحيتان السبت كانت تقع فيها فيتركوها حتى ينتهي السبت
قامت منهم أمة تنصحهم ألا يفعلوا ذلك و تذكرهم بالله عز و جل و لكنهم لم يلتفتوا لنصح الناصحين.
عاقبهم الله بأن مسخوا قردة ذليلين صاغرين.
(وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ )
البقرة 2: 65
(وَاسْأَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِي السَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ )
الأعراف 7: 163
(فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا عَن مَّا نُهُوا عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ
الأعراف 7: 166