AN ADMONITORY INCIDENT (VERSE NO. 163 - 166)

      According to Islamic traditions, here is the story of a group of the Israelites fishermen, who lived in a port, at the bank of the Red Sea, named Ealeh, and now it is called, `Ilجt.'

      It happened so that by God's trial, in the every Sabbath Day, which all activities are forbidden for the Jews, more and more fish appeared floating on the top of the sea water with a sense of security! This allured the fisherman, so that by mischievous tricks they made fish pounders for entrapping them in the Sabbath and catching them in other days. Thus the Jews played fast and loose with their rites and laws, because the punishment for breach of Sabbath under the Mosaic Law is death. (EXODUS 31: 14)

      When a group of the Jews cunningly defied the Law, another group of them who were pious and God- fearing admonished them and warned them against their tricks and contumacious defiance of the Law; the punishment for which was death. But their warnings was of no effect! Another group of them said to the admonishers:

      ``Why should you bother yourselves and the fishermen who are condemned to death by the Law, and sooner or later Allah will destroy them, or sternly punish them as you say?! Leave them alone to do what they want to!''

      This group of silent and inactive people should have known that every man who sees evil, must speak out against it, as his duty and responsibilty to God. This is because there is always a chance that the warnings, and rescue a soul from the hands of Devil.

      Therefore, the inhabitants of the port were divided into three groups, namely the fishermen who stubbornly broke the Sabbath - the God- fearing admonishers - and the silent and inactive group in between.

      According to these verses, and some Islamic traditions, when the punishment of God came, the admonishers were all saved; and the sinners, as well as the silent group were punished.