Shafaqna English- Commentary on the 2nd Chapter of the Holy Quran by Mohammad Sobhanie.
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ﴿٦٥﴾ فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَكَالًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٦٦﴾
2:65 And certainly you know those of you who violated the Sabbath, after that We said to them, ‘Be you spurned apes.’
2:66 So We made them an example for the present and the succeeding (generations), and a lesson for the righteous.
2:65 Human Face and Nature
Commentary: The fourth commandment[1] requires Israelites to observe the Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and spiritual enrichment. Economic activities are forbidden for the Children of Israel on the Sabbath day, and those who breach the law are condemned to death[2], though it is no longer enforced in modern days.
A community of Israelites lived in a seaside town during the days of Prophet Dawood (David)[3]. Like any other economic activity, they were prohibited from fishing on the Sabbath. As this practice was observed, fishes appeared with a sense of security on the surface of the water within reach, but not on the other days of the week. Therefore, this created a great temptation for fishing on Saturday.
A group among the Israelites devised a legal trick to bypass the Sabbath rulings. They dug canals and pools and connected them to the sea. On Saturdays, they delightfully watched as fishes swam from the sea through the channels to the ponds. Just before the sunset, they closed the gates of the channels so the fishes could no longer swim back to the sea. The next day, they caught the entrapped fish in the canals and the ponds.
Their fellow brethren of strong faith criticized them for defiling the sanctity of the Sabbath. The deceitful Israelites disregarded the advice and continued to defy God’s ordinance. Their continuous transgression made them unfit for receiving God’s mercy, and eventually, divine torment seized them. Indeed, this is a severe warning for those who try to find loopholes to religious laws and ordinances. The details of the event are narrated in verses 7:163-166 and 5:60.
Human Face and Human Nature: Man has a face and a nature. Those who live outside of the boundaries of humanity have the face of a human being but with the nature of a beast[4]. Man can disguise his evil nature behind his human face in this mortal world. But his true nature will reveal itself in the Hereafter.
For instance, those who unjustly seize the wealth of orphans are filling their bellies with fire[5]. Although they do not realize that now, they will witness it on the Day of Judgment.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ الْيَتَامَىٰ ظُلْمًا إِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ نَارًا وَسَيَصْلَوْنَ سَعِيرًا ﴿١٠﴾
4:10 Indeed, those who consume the property of orphans wrongfully, only ingest fire into their bellies, and soon they will enter the Blaze.
Word-for-Word Translation:
2:65 [وَلَقَدْ] and indeed [عَلِمْتُمُ] you knew [الَّذِينَ] those who [اعْتَدَوْا] transgressed [مِنكُمْ] amongst you [فِي] in [السَّبْتِ] in the matter of the Sabbath (Saturday). [فَقُلْنَا] We said [لَهُمْ] to them [كُونُوا] be you [قِرَدَةً] apes [خَاسِئِينَ] despised (and rejected).
2:66 [فَجَعَلْنَاهَا] And we made it [نَكَالًا] a deterrent punishment [لِّمَا] for those [بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا] in front of them [وَمَا] and those [خَلْفَهَا] after them [وَمَوْعِظَةً] and a lesson [لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ] for the pious.
Note:
[1]. http://www.10commandmentslist.com/ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
[2]. http://www.sabbathtruth.com/faq/arguments-refuted/id/1021/arent-sabbath-breakers-supposed-to-be-stoned-why-dont-you-enforce-that “Exodus 31:14 reads, Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.”
[3]. (تفسير کشاف) Vol.1, P 355
http://www.hawzah.net/fa/Question/View/63991/%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B2%DB%8C%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%AA(%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%87).
[4]. Nahj-al-Balagha, Sermon 82; (فَالصُّورَةُ صُورَةُ إِنْسَان، وَ الْقَلْبُ قَلْبُ حَيوَان،) .
[5]. An-Nisa 4:10.
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