Surah al-A`raf (The Elevated Places) 7 : 163

Overview (Verses 163 - 164

Temptation Overcomes Willpower

Once more the Children of Israel are guilty of sinful disobedience. In this particular case, they do not openly contravene God’s law, but they try to find loopholes to evade what the law requires. They cannot remain steadfast in the face of the trial to which they are exposed, because steadfastness requires a nature that can control desires and ambitions: “Ask them about the town which stood by the sea: how its people profaned the Sabbath. Each Sabbath their fish appeared before them breaking the water’s surface, but they would not come near them on other than Sabbath days. Thus did We try them because of their disobedience. When some among them asked: ‘Why do you preach to people whom God is certain to destroy, or at least to punish severely?’ [others] replied: So that we may be free from blame in the sight of your Lord, and that they may become God-fearing.” (Verses 163-164)

There is a change of style here as the method of reporting historical events is dropped in preference for confronting the descendants of the Israelites who opposed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Madinah. The passage beginning with this verse up to verse 171 was revealed in Madinah to give answers to its Jewish population. However, it is incorporated in this Makkan sūrah to complete the history of the Israelites with their Prophet Moses. Here God orders His Messenger (peace be upon him) to ask the Jews about this well-known event in their former history. They are questioned about it here because they were keen to assert their ancestry and that they belonged to a nation with a history extending over many generations. It reminds them of their old disobedience and the fact that their disobedience doomed a group of them to a complete change of form in this life, and condemned them all to a long history of humiliation. The only exceptions are those ready to follow the last Prophet who would certainly relieve them of the burdens and the shackles that tied them down.

The name of the city by the sea is not mentioned, because it was well known to the addressees. The event itself was perpetrated by a group of Jews who were living in a coastal city. The Children of Israel had requested that a day should be assigned to them for rest and total devotion, so that none of them would need to work on that day. Hence the appointment of the Sabbath for them. They were then subjected to a test so that they would learn how to demonstrate their willpower and resist temptation. They certainly needed to learn how to fulfil their commitments, particularly in the case of a conflict between duty and desire. That was absolutely necessary for the Children of Israel whose characters were badly weakened as a result of the humiliation they had long suffered. Their will needed to be liberated after such a long history of subjugation, so that they could get used to facing challenges and resisting temptations.

Besides, this is needed by everyone who aspires to be an advocate of God’s message, and to fulfil the trust God has given to human beings on earth. Indeed, the test of willpower was the first to which Adam and Eve were subjected. They could not stand up to it, and were tempted by Satan to eat of the fruit of the tree, which he described to them as the tree of everlasting life and imperishable wealth. Every community of advocates of God’s cause must go successfully through this test before they can be trusted with the task assigned to mankind as they are placed in charge of the earth. The nature of the test remains the same, but its methods may vary.

A group of the Children of Israel were unable to face the challenge and pass the test this time. This was the result of their repeated disobedience. Fish of different types used to come very close to the shore on Sabbath days, appearing to be so easy to catch. Yet they could do nothing to catch them because of the sanctity of the Sabbath, which they needed to observe. When the Sabbath day ended the fish were no longer there. They had gone deep into the sea. This is the event which the Prophet Muhammad was ordered to remind them of, in addition to giving them a reminder of what they did and what happened to them as a result: “Ask them about the town which stood by the sea: how its people profaned the Sabbath. Each Sabbath their fish appeared before them breaking the water’s surface, but they would not come near them on other than Sabbath days. Thus did We try them because of their disobedience.” (Verse 163) How did all this happen? What made the fish behave in this way? How could the fish out-manoeuvre them? This is a miracle that takes place by God’s will at the time He chooses. Those who are devoid of knowledge are keen to deny that God’s will can operate in any way other than what they describe as ‘the laws of nature’. But the Islamic concept, endorsed by the facts of life, has a different view. It is God (limitless is He in His glory) who has created this universe and set its laws in operation, in accordance with His absolute, free will. This means that God’s law is not restrained by those laws of nature, or that it must operate within them. God’s will remains free and absolute after these laws have come into operation, just as it was before them. This is the fact ignored by those who are devoid of knowledge. It is certainly an aspect of God’s grace which He bestows on His servants that these laws of nature remain constant, but that does not mean that His will becomes subject to them or restrained by them. Whenever He, in His wisdom, wants something to take place in a fashion that breaks these laws of nature, His will is certainly done. Moreover, every time these constant laws operate, their operation takes place by a new act of God’s will, which is specific to that particular instance. These laws do not operate automatically, of their own accord, or without God’s will. This is indeed the case, despite the fact that the laws of nature remain constant, unless God determines otherwise. Whether the constant laws of nature operate or some other laws operate in their place, whatever actually happens in the universe is subject to a special act of God’s will. Hence, the operation of the laws of nature and the accomplishment of something supernatural are equal and at the same level. There is nothing in the system of the universe that happens automatically, not even once, as those who are devoid of knowledge are keen to assert. In fact, they have recently started to recognize this.

A third group said to the ones urging their community to comply with God’s orders: what use is your admonition to those erring people, when they persist in their erring ways? God is certain to destroy them or to inflict severe punishment on them: “When some among them asked: ‘Why do you preach to people whom God is certain to destroy, or at least to punish severely?’” (Verse 164) Warnings and admonition are no longer of use, after they have condemned themselves to destruction or severe punishment by violating God’s law. The second group replied: “So that we may be free from blame in the sight of your Lord, and that they may become God-fearing.” It is a duty on us to enjoin what is right and warn against what is evil and against violating God’s law. When we have done our duty, we hope to be free from blame. Besides, it may be that our admonition will touch a sensitive heart and cause at least some disobedient people to repent.

Be that as it may, the temptation was too strong for those people of the city facing the sea. A group of them found the temptation irresistible, and all their willpower collapsed. They forgot their covenant with their Lord and began, as is typical of the Jews, to try to find subtle ways of fishing on the Sabbath. When faith is weak in people’s hearts, many a deviant way can be found, since people start to deal with the law as a mere restriction which they need to evade. No law can be properly enforced by its mere statements, or by a police force. A law is safeguarded by God-fearing hearts who are keen to please God and to avoid His punishment. People will continue to try to evade the law when they have an interest in evading its provisions. Therefore, a law cannot be safeguarded by material power or a police force. No strong-handed tactics can give a government enough power to appoint a policeman to watch every individual to ensure observance of the law. That can only be achieved through faith, when people are God-fearing, keen to abide by God’s law in public and private.