The Sabbath
- philhoraia
- Sep 9
- 4 min read
S 2:65 And you knew those of you who transgressed concerning the Sabbath. And we said to them: Be vile apes.
This suggests that this incident took place in the 7th century and around the Arabian Peninsula. And what is particularly vile about apes?
S 4:47 Those who have been given the Book, believe in what we have sent down confirming what you have before we efface faces and repel them onto their backsides or curse them as we cursed the companions of the Sabbath! And Allah’s command was done.
S 4:154 And we raised above them the Tur for their covenant and said to them: Enter the gate doing sujud. And we said to them: Do not transgress concerning the Sabbath. And we took from them a thick covenant.
S 7:163 And ask them about the village that was present by the sea when they transgress concerning the Sabbath, when their whales come to them on their Sabbath day openly, and on a day they do not keep the Sabbath they do not come to them. Thus do we test them because they were acting immorally.
There is a question mark over the word حوت which today means 'whale'. According to Grok:
"[T]he Arabic word حوت (pronounced "ḥūt") likely originally referred to a broader category of large sea creatures or fish, not strictly a whale as it is often understood today. The term appears in classical Arabic texts, including the Quran, where it is famously associated with the story of Prophet Jonah (Yunus) and the "great fish" that swallowed him. In this context, حوت is sometimes translated as "whale" in modern interpretations, but the word's historical and linguistic scope is wider.
In classical Arabic, حوت could denote any large aquatic creature, including fish, whales, or other sea monsters, depending on the context. The root ḥ-w-t relates to gathering or encompassing, which may suggest something large or encompassing in the sea. Early Arabic lexicographers, like those cited in works such as Lisān al-‘Arab, describe حوت as applying to various sea creatures, not exclusively whales. This broader usage aligns with how similar terms in related Semitic languages, like Hebrew (דָּג dag for fish or sea creature), were used to describe large marine life in general.
Over time, as marine biology became more precise and modern taxonomies developed, حوت became more commonly associated with "whale" in contemporary Arabic, especially in scientific or technical contexts. However, in literary, poetic, or religious contexts, the term retains its older, more general sense of a large fish or sea creature."
S 16:24 The Sabbath was only appointed for those who had differed concerning it. And your lord judges between them on the day of resurrection concerning what they used to differ about.
Safwan b. ‘Assal told how, when a Jew said to his friend, “Let us go to this prophet,” his friend said to him, “Don’t say ‘prophet’, for if he heard you he would be greatly pleased.” 1 They went to God’s messenger and asked him about nine clear signs. God’s messenger said, “Do not associate anything with God. do not steal, do not commit fornication, do not kill anyone whom God has declared inviolate without a just cause, do not bring an innocent person before a ruler in order that he may put him to death, do not use magic, do not devour usury, do not slander a chaste woman, do not turn in flight on the day the army marches, and, a matter which affects you Jews particularly, do not break the Sabbath.” He said that thereupon they kissed/his hands and feet saying, “We testify that you are a prophet.” He asked “What prevents you from following me?” to which they replied, “David prayed to his Lord that prophets might never cease to arise from his offspring, and we are afraid that if we follow you the Jews will kill us.” Tirmidhi, Aba Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it. 1 Lit. “he would have four eyes.”
What exactly is the Sabbath and why is it so important for the Banu Isra'il/Jews to observe? If it's important for them, why isn't it important for Muslims?
Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my hands and said:
Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light on Wednesday and He caused the animals to spread on Thursday and created Adam (peace be upon him) after 'Asr on Friday; the last creation at the last hour of the hours of Friday, i. e. between afternoon and night. This hadith is narrated through another chain of transmitters.
In the Bible the Sabbath was after creation; it wasn't the first day of creation.
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