It was said: they were among the doomed group. This is because, when they were told, “Give up this evil deed before punishment descends upon you. We know that Allah will inflict His might upon you if you do not desist,” they replied, “Why do you admonish a people whom Allah will destroy, or punish with a severe punishment?”

They said—that is, those who forbade evil—“As an excuse before your Lord.” In the reading of Hafs, “as an excuse” is in the accusative, meaning: We do this as an excuse before your Lord. The sounder view, however, is that this was said by the silent group. They said, “Why do you admonish a people whom Allah will destroy?” The others replied, “As an excuse before your Lord.” Its meaning is that enjoining what is right is obligatory upon us, so we must admonish these people as an excuse before Allah. “And perhaps they may become mindful of Him,” meaning, that they may fear Allah and abandon disobedience. Had the address been directed to the transgressors themselves, it would have said, “And perhaps you may become mindful of Him.”

“Then, when they disregarded what they had been reminded of,” that is, when they abandoned what they had been admonished to do, “We saved those who forbade evil and seized the wrongdoers”—meaning, the disobedient group—“with a grievous punishment,” that is, a severe and painful punishment. The word derives from ba's, meaning severity.

The reciters differed over its reading. The people of Madinah and Ibn Amir read it as bi'isin, with an i-vowel on the ba', in the pattern fi'il; Ibn Amir pronounced the hamzah, whereas Abu Ja'far and Nafi' did not. In the transmission of Abu Bakr, Asim read it as bay'as, with the ba' fathah, the ya' unvowelled, and the hamzah fathah, in the pattern fay'al, like sayqal. The others read it in the pattern fa'il, like ba'ir and saghir.

“Because of their defiance.” Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “I hear Allah saying, ‘We saved those who forbade evil and seized the wrongdoers with a grievous punishment,’ but I do not know what He did with the silent group.” Ikrimah said: “I said to him, ‘May Allah make me your ransom! Do you not see that they disapproved of and detested what those people were doing? They said, “Why do you admonish a people whom Allah will destroy?” Although Allah did not say, “We saved them,” neither did He say, “We destroyed them.”’ My words pleased him, so he was satisfied and ordered that I be given two cloaks, and I was clothed in them.

Yaman ibn Rabab said: ⦗139/b⦘ “The two groups were saved: those who said, ‘Why do you admonish a people?’ and those who said, ‘As an excuse before your Lord.’ Allah destroyed those who caught the fish.” This was also the view of al-Hasan.

Ibn Zayd said: “The group that forbade evil was saved, while the other two groups perished. This is the strongest verse concerning the neglect of forbidding what is wrong.”

“Then, when they arrogantly persisted in what they had been forbidden, We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised!’ ⦗166⦘ And when your Lord proclaimed that He would surely send against them, until the Day of Resurrection, those who would afflict them with the worst torment. Truly, your Lord is swift in punishment; yet He is surely All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ⦗167⦘”

His saying, exalted is He: “Then, when they arrogantly persisted in what they had been forbidden.” Ibn Abbas said: “They refused to turn back from disobedience.” “We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised!’”