Ask them concerning the town standing close by the sea. Behold! they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. For on the day of their Sabbath their fish did come to them, openly holding up their heads, but on the day they had no Sabbath, they came not: thus did We make a trial of them, for they were given to transgression. 163 And when a community among them said: Why preach ye to a folk whom Allah is about to destroy or punish with an awful doom, they said: In order to be free from guilt before your Lord, and that haply they may ward off (evil). 164 And when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We saved those who had forbidden evil and seized those who wronged, with a wretched punishment, because they were defiantly disobeying. 165 So when they exceeded the bounds of that which they were prohibited We said unto them: be ye apes despised. 166 And recall what time thy Lord proclaimed that he would surely raise upon them, till the Day of Resurrection, someone perpetrating upon them worst oppression. Verily thy Lord is swift in chastising, and verily He is Forgiving, Merciful. 167 We dispersed them in groups over the earth, some righteous, some otherwise; and We tried them with good things and bad, that they may haply turn back. 168 Then after them succeeded an (evil) generation, which inherited the Book, but they chose (for themselves) the goods of this low life (evil pleasures of this world) saying (as an excuse): "(Everything) will be forgiven to us." And if (again) the offer of the like (evil pleasures of this world) came their way, they would (again) seize them (would commit those sins). Was not the covenant of the Book taken from them that they would not say about Allah anything but the truth? And they have studied what is in it (the Book). And the home of the Hereafter is better for those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V. 2:2). Do not you then understand? 169 As for those who adhere to the Book and are firm in devotion, We shall certainly not let the wages of those who are upright to go waste. 170 ۞ When We raised the mount above them as a shadow and made it speak to them, they thought that it would fall on them. We told them to devote themselves decisively to what was given to them and follow its guidance so that they would have fear of God. 171