The Quran asserts that Allah punished a certain group of Jews by transforming them into apes and pigs:

And ye know of those of you who broke the Sabbath, how We said unto them: Be ye apes, despised and hated! S. 2:65    

Shall I tell thee of a worse (case) than theirs for retribution with Allah? (Worse is the case of him) whom Allah hath cursed, him on whom His wrath hath fallen and of whose sort Allah hath turned some to apes and swine, and who serveth idols. Such are in worse plight and further astray from the plain road. S. 5:60           

So when they took pride in that which they had been forbidden, We said unto them: Be ye apes despised and loathed! S. 7:166

AHADITH & SIRAH

The allegedly sound narrations attributed to Muhammad confirm that both he and his followers took these statements literally, meaning, that they actually thought Allah literally, physically changed these rebellious Jews into actually monkeys and swine. All emphasis is mine:

He came to them, and He reminds them of the beginning of their creation when He created them, and what happened to their forefather Adam and how he was dealt with for his disobedience; then He says:¹ ‘O children of Israel,’ addressing the Jewish rabbis, ‘Remember the favour I showed you,’ i.e. My care for you and your fathers, wherewith He delivered them from Pharaoh and his army. ‘And fulfil My covenant’ which I placed on your necks with regard to My prophet Ahmad when he should come to you. ‘I shall fulfil My part of the covenant.’ I shall carry out what I promised you for believing in and following him by removing the bonds and chains which were upon your necks because of the sins which you had committed. ‘And stand in awe of Me,’ i.e. lest I bring down on you what I brought down on your fathers before you—the vengeance that you know of, BESTIAL TRANSFORMATION and the like. ‘And believe in what I have sent down confirming what you already have, and be not the first to disbelieve it’ seeing that you have knowledge which others have not about it. ‘And fear Me and do not mingle truth with falsehood nor hide the truth which you know,’ i.e. do not conceal the knowledge which you have about My apostle and what he has brought when you will find it with you in what you know of the books which are in your hands. ‘Would you tell men to be good and forget to be so yourselves, you being readers of scripture ? Do you not understand?’ i.e. would you forbid men to disbelieve in the prophecy you have and the covenant of the Torah and abandon it yourselves ? i.e. when you deny that it contains My covenant with you that you must pronounce My apostle to be true, and you break My agreement and you contradict what you know to be in My book. (The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, with introduction and notes by Alfred Guillaume [Oxford University Press, Karachi, thenth impression 1995], p. 250)

Abu Huraira reported that Allah’s Messenger said: A group of Bani Isra’il was lost. I do not know what happened to it, but I think (that it underwent a process of metamorphosis) and assumed the shape of rats. Don’t you see when the milk of the camel is placed before them, these do not drink and when the milk of goat is placed before them, these do drink. Abu Huraira said: I narrated this very hadith to Ka’b and he said: Did you hear this from Allah’s Messenger? I (Abu Huraira) said: Yes. He said this again and again, and I said: Have I read Torah? This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Ishaq with a slight variation of wording. (Sahih Muslim, Book 042, Number 7135 https://sunnah.com/muslim:2997a)

Abu Huraira reported that the rat (is the result of) metamorphosis (of a group of Bani Isra’il) and the proof of this is that when the milk of goat is placed before it, it drinks it, and when the milk of the camel is placed before it, it would not taste it at all. Ka’b said: Did you hear it from Allah’s Messenger? Thereupon he said: Has Torah been revealed to me? (Sahih Muslim, Book 042, Number 7136 https://sunnah.com/muslim:2997b)

Abdullah reported that Umm Habiba, the wife of Allah’s Apostle, said: O Allah, enable me to derive benefit from my husband, the Messenger of Allah, and from my father Abu Sufyan and from my brother Mu’awiya. Allah’s Apostle said: You have asked from Allah about durations of life already set, and the length of days already allotted and the sustenances the share of which has been fixed. Allah would not do anything earlier before its due time, or He would not delay anything beyond its due time. And if you were to ask Allah to provide you refuge from the torment of the HellFire, or from the torment of the grave, it would have good in store for you and better for you also. He (the narrator) further said: Mention was made before him about monkeys, and Mis’ar (one of the narrators) said: I think that (the narrator) also (made a mention) of the swine, which had suffered metamorphosis. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Verily, Allah did not cause the race of those which suffered metamorphosis to grow or they were not survived by young ones. Monkeys and swine had been in existence even before (the metamorphosis of the human beings). (Sahih Muslim, Book 033, Number 6438 https://sunnah.com/muslim:2663b)

The next hadiths state that Muhammad wasn’t certain which type of land animals were these Jews morphed into. And as some of the previous narrations show, he even thought that at first Allah had transformed them into rats!

28 Foods (Kitab Al-At’imah)

(28) Chapter: Regarding eating mastigure

Narrated Thabit ibn Wadi’ah: We were in an army with the Messenger of Allah. We got some lizards. I roasted one lizard and brought it to the Messenger of Allah and placed it before him. He took a stick and counted its fingers. He then said: A group from the children of Isra’il was transformed into an animal of the land, and I do not know which animal it was. He did not eat it nor did he forbid (its eating).

Grade: SAHIH (Al-Albani)

Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 3795

In-book reference: Book 28, Hadith 60

English translation: Book 27, Hadith 3786 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/abudawud:3795)

Narrated (Abu Huraira): The prophet said, ‘a group of Israelites was lost. Nobody knows what they did. But I do not see them except that they were cursed and transformed into rats, for if you put the milk of a she-camel in front of a rat, it will not drink it, but if the milk of a sheep is put in front of it, it will drink it.’ I told this to Ka’b who asked me, ‘did you hear it from the prophet?’ “I said, ‘Yes”. Ka’b asked me the question several times; I said to Ka’b, ‘do I read the Taurat (Torah)? (i.e., I tell you this from the prophet).’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 524 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3305)

Here’s the translator to Bukhari, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan’s footnotes:

[1] It was illegal for the Israelites to eat the meat or drink the milk of camels while they were allowed to eat the meat and drink the milk of sheep. The Prophet inferred from the rats’ habit that some Israelites had been transformed into rats.

[2] Later on the Prophet … was informed THROUGH INSPIRATION about the fate of those Israelites: They were transformed into pigs and monkeys.

Returning to al-Bukhari, we also read:

Narrated Abu ‘Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari:

that he heard the Prophet saying, “From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful. And there will be some people who will stay near the side of a mountain and in the evening their shepherd will come to them with their sheep and ask them for something, but they will say to him, ‘Return to us tomorrow.’ Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 69, Number 494v https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5590)

Muhammad further believed that on the judgment day Allah would transform Abraham’s pagan father into a hyena who would then be thrown into hell:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The prophet said, ‘On the Day of Resurrection Abraham will meet his father Azar whose face will be dark and covered with dust. (The Prophet Abraham will say to him): “Didn’t I tell you not to disobey me?” His father will reply: “Today I will not disobey you.” Abraham will say: “O Lord! You promised me not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection; and what will be more disgraceful to me than cursing and dishonoring my father?” Then Allah will say (to him):’ “I have forbidden Paradise for the disbelievers.” Then he will be addressed, “O Abraham! Look! What is underneath your feet?” He will look and there he will see a Dhabh (an animal,) blood-stained, which will be caught by the legs and thrown in the (Hell) Fire.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 569 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3350)

Once again, here is what Dr. Khan states in respect to Abraham’s father’s metamorphosis:

[1] Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) father will be transformed into an animal and thrown into the Fire, for his Muslim son’s intercession will not avail, as he was an infidel. Ibrahim (Abraham) then will repudiate his father.

In light of this, it shouldn’t surprise us that Muhammad actually thought that his god would literally change people’s faces into donkeys if they raised their heads in prayers before the imam!

Narrated Abu Huraira: the prophet said, “isn’t he who raises his head before the Imam afraid that Allah may transform his head into that of a donkey or his figure (face) into that of a donkey?” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 11, Number 660 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:691)

Narrated An-Nu’man bin Bashar: the prophet said, ‘straighten your rows or Allah will alter your faces.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 11, Number 685 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:717)

Once again, we are told by the translator that,

“This is a severe warning, that if you do not straighten your rows [in Salat (prayers)], Allah may change your faces to that of an animal, e.g. donkey, etc. Or make them like the backs of necks, etc. (see Fath Al-Bari, Vol. 2, page 349).”

There’s more:

47 Chapters on Tafsir

(6) Chapter: Regarding Surat Al-Ma’idah

Narrated ‘Ammar bin Yasir: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘The Ma’idah was sent down from the Heavens with bread and meat. And they were commanded to not be deceitful with it and hide it for tomorrow. So they were deceitful with it and they hid it, so it was raised up in the morning. Then they were transformed into monkeys and pigs.'”

Grade: Da’if (Darussalam)

Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3061

In-book reference: Book 47, Hadith 113

English translation: Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3061 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3061)

Here is a final example as an added bonus:

Narrated ‘Amr bin Maimun: During the pre-Islamic period of ignorance I saw a she-monkey surrounded by a number of monkeys. They were all stoning it, because it had committed illegal sexual intercourse. I too, stoned it along with them. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 188 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3849)

THE COMMENTATORS

I now turn to some of Sunni Islam’s greatest expositors:

Q. 2:65

And verily wa-la-qad the lām is for oaths you know that there were those among you who transgressed violated the Sabbath by fishing when We had forbidden you to do so — these were the inhabitants of Eilat — and We said to them ‘Be apes despised!’ rejected and they became so they died three days later. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=2&tAyahNo=65&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

(And ye know) you indeed know and heard about the punishment (of those of you who broke) who have taken the covenant (the Sabbath) the day of Saturday and this at the time of David (how We said unto them: Be ye apes, despised and hated!) turned into humiliated and base apes. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=2&tAyahNo=65&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

In his Tafsir, Al-‘Awfi reported from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said,

فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

(We said to them: “Be you monkeys, despised and rejected”) means, “Allah changed their bodies into those of monkeys and swines. The young people turned into monkeys while the old people turned into swine.” Shayban An-Nahwi reported that Qatadah commented on,

فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

(We said to them: “Be you monkeys, despised and rejected”), “These people were turned into howling monkeys with tails, after being men and women.”

The Monkeys and Swine that exist now are not the Descendants of Those that were transformed

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Those who violated the sanctity of the Sabbath were turned into monkeys, then they perished without offspring.” Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Allah turned them into monkeys because of their sins. They only lived on the earth for three days, for no transformed person ever lives more than three days. They did not eat, drink or have offspring. Allah transformed their shapes into monkeys, and He does what He wills, with whom He wills and He changes the shape of whomever He wills. On the other hand, Allah created the monkeys, swines and the rest of the creation in the six days (of creation) that He mentioned in His Book.”

Allah’s statement…

(So We made this punishment an example) means, Allah made the people of this village, who violated the sanctity of the Sabbath…

(an example) via the way they were punished. Similarly, Allah said about Pharaoh…

(So Allah, seized him with punishing example for his last and first transgression) (79:25). Allah’s statement…

(for those in front of it and those behind it) meaning, for the other villages. Ibn ‘Abbas commented, “Meaning, ‘We made this village an example for the villages around it by the manner in which We punished its people.” Similarly, Allah said…

(And indeed We have destroyed towns (populations) round about you, and We have (repeatedly) shown (them) the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in various ways that they might return (to the truth and believe in the Oneness of Allah ـ Islamic Monotheism)). (46:27)

Therefore, Allah made them an example for those who lived during their time as well as a reminder for those to come, by preserving their story. This is why Allah said…

(and a lesson for Al-Muttaqin), meaning, a reminder. This Ayah means, “The torment and punishment that this village suffered was a result of indulging in Allah’s prohibitions and their deceit. Hence, those who have Taqwa should be aware of their evil behavior, so that what occurred to this village does not befall them as well.” Also, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah bin Battah reported that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said…

(Do not commit what the Jews committed, breaching what Allah has forbidden, by resorting to the lowest types of deceit.)

This Hadith has a good (Jayid) chain of narration. Allah knows best. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir https://www.alim.org/tafsir/ibn-kathir/?surah=2&ayah=65)

The word ‘sabt’ (sabbath) is derived from sabat which means ‘cutting off’. That is because it was a day of rest, cut off from the rest of the week.

‘You are well aware’ means you recognise them individually and you know the ruling against them. The difference between the terms is that recognition (ma‘rifah) is directed at the essence of what is named and knowledge (‘ilm) is directed at the states of the named. If you say, ‘I recognise Zayd,’ it means him himself, and if you say, ‘I know Zayd,’ it means his states in respect of excellence or imperfection.

An-Nasā’ī related that Ṣafwān ibn ‘Assāl reported that a Jew said to his friend, ‘Let us go to this Prophet.’ His friend said, ‘Do not say “Prophet”! He might hear you. He has four eyes!’ They went to the Messenger of Allah g and asked him for seven clear commandments and he told them: ‘Do not associate anything with Allah; do not steal; do not fornicate; do not kill anyone Allah has made inviolate, unless with a legal right; do not slander an innocent person to a ruler; do not use magic; do not consume usury; do not slander chaste women; and do not turn your backs in retreat when the fighting is fierce; and, as Jews, you have one specially for you: that you do not profane the Sabbath.’ They kissed his hands and feet and said, ‘We testify that you are a Prophet!’ He asked, ‘What prevents you from following me, then?’ They replied. ‘Dāwūd prayed that the line of Prophets would continue to be from his descendants and we fear that if we follow you, the other Jews will kill us.’ At-Tirmidhī transmitted it and said that it is a sound good hadith.

It is possible that the āyah refers to rulings about the Sabbath in general, or it may just refer to the Sabbath on which they caught the fish. The first view is that of al-Ḥasan. Ashhab related that Mālik said, ‘Ibn Rūmān related that a man would take a string and make a loop and throw it down after the fish. One end of the string was tied to a peg. Then he would leave it until Sunday. People were silent at what was done until a lot of fish were caught and they were taken to the markets. The deviants were public about their catch. One group openly forbade them to do that and withdrew, saying, ‘We will not live with you.’ The town was divided by a wall. One morning those who had forbidden them to do what they were doing were sitting in their gatherings and none of the transgressors came out. They said, ‘Something has happened to the people.’ They climbed up the wall to look and there were apes. They opened the gate and went in and the apes went to their kin and smelled their garments and wept. They were told, ‘Did we not forbid you?’ They nodded their heads in agreement. Qatādah said that the children became apes and the old men pigs. Only those who had forbidden them were saved; the rest were destroyed. This will be further discussed in al-A‘rāf.

There are two different positions about whether those transformed had offspring. Az-Zajjāj said that some people say that it is possible that apes are descended from them. Qāḍī Abū Bakr ibn al-‘Arabī preferred that. The majority say that they did not reproduce, and the apes, pigs and other things already existed before that. Those who were transmogrified were destroyed and nothing of them remains because wrath and the punishment smote them. They only lasted three days. Ibn ‘Abbās said that none of them survived more than three days: they did not eat or drink or reproduce. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said that it is related and confirmed from the Prophet that those transmogrified did not reproduce, eat or drink, and did not live more than three days.

This is what is sound of both views. Ibn al-‘Arabī and others cite as evidence for the first position the words of the Prophet: ‘A group of the tribe of Israel were lost. It is not known what happened them. I only think that they were turned into mice. Do you not see that they do not drink if camel milk is put in front of them but do drink if sheep’s milk is put in front of them?’ Abū Hurayrah related it in Muslim. There is also the hadith about the lizard which Muslim related from Abū Sa‘īd and Jābir. Jābir said, ‘The Prophet was brought a lizard and refused to eat it, saying, “I do not know. Perhaps it is from one of the generations that were transmogrified.”’ Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘We find in al-Bukhārī that ‘Amr ibn Maymūn said, “In the Jāhiliyyah I saw a monkey that fornicated. They stoned it and I stoned it with them.”’ The term ‘fornicated’ is omitted from some variants. Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘If it is asked whether animals have knowledge of laws which they inherited from past generations until the time of ‘Amr, we say that that is the case because the Jews altered stoning and Allah wanted it to be carried out on those transmogrified to be a stronger proof against those who denied that and altered it, so that their books, their rabbis and those who had been transmogrified would all bear witness against them and they would know that Allah knows what they conceal and what they make public and that He takes account what they change and alter. The proof will be established against them while they are unaware of that. He will help His Prophet and not help them.’

This is what he says in al-Aḥkām, and there is no proof for any of it. The story of ‘Amr was mentioned by al-Ḥumaydī in ­Jam‘ bayna-ṣ-Ṣaḥīḥayn: ‘Abū Mas‘ūd ad-Dimishqī recounted that in the two Ṣaḥīḥayn collections ‘Amr ibn Maymūn al-Awdī has a story which Ḥuṣayn related from him. He said, ‘In the Jāhiliyyah I saw a monkey that fornicated. The monkeys gathered around it and stoned it and I stoned it with them.’ That is how Abū Mas‘ūd related it. He did not mention in any place that al-Bukhārī transmitted it in his book. We investigated that and found it in some copies, but not all of them. It is mentioned in the Book of the Jāhiliyyah. The transmission of an-Nu‘aymī from al-Farabrī has nothing about this report about monkeys. It may be one of the insertions into al-Bukhārī. That which al-Bukhārī says in the Tārīkh al-kabīr is: “Nu‘aym ibn Ḥammād told me that Hushaym reported from Abū Balj and Ḥuṣayn that ‘Amr ibn Maymūn said, ‘In the Jāhiliyyah I saw monkeys gathered around a female monkey and they stoned it and I stoned it with them.’” The word “fornicated” does not appear in it. If this transmission is sound, al-Bukhārī transmitted it as evidence that ‘Amr ibn Maymūn was alive in the Jāhiliyyah. His opinion in the Jāhiliyyah is of no importance.’

Abū ‘Umar mentioned ‘Amr ibn Maymūn in al-Istī‘āb and the fact that his kunyah was Abū ‘Abdullāh. He said that he was considered to be one of the great Tābi‘ūn of the Kufans. He said, ‘He is the one who saw the monkey stoning in the Jāhiliyyah if that is sound, because its transmitters are unknown. Al-Bukhārī mentioned it from Nu‘aym from Hushaym from Ḥuṣayn from ‘Amr ibn Maymūn. ‘Abbād ibn al-‘Awwām narrated it from Ḥuṣayn as Hushaym related it. The long story depends on ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Muslim from ‘Īsā ibn Ḥiṭṭān who are not authoritative. A group of the people of knowledge object to relating fornication to those who are not legally responsible and for ḥadd punishments to be carried out on animals. If it were sound, it would apply to men and jinn because both acts of worship are for both of them alone. As for the words of the Prophet, ‘I only think that they were turned into mice’ and ‘Perhaps it is from one of the generations that were transmogrified,’ and the like, this is only suspicion and fear of mice, lizards and other things being transmogrified. This was conjecture on his part before the revelation that Allah did not allow them to reproduce. When this was revealed, he was no longer afraid of that. He knew that lizards and mice were not transmogrified. Then, when someone asked him whether or not apes and pigs were transmogrified, he said, ‘Allah does not destroy a people or punish a people and then give them offspring. Apes and pigs existed before that.’ This is a clear sound text that ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd related and Muslim transmitted in the Book of the Decree. Texts confirm that lizard was eaten in his presence and on his table without him objecting to it. It is related from Mujāhid in the commentary on this that only their hearts were transformed and their mouths were like those of apes. As far as I know, no one else has said this. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi: Juz’ 1: Al-Fātiḥah & Sūrat al-Baqarah 1-141, translated by Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley [Diwan Press, 2019], Volume 1, pp. 296-300)

Note carefully what al-Qurtubi states in respect to the view held by Mujahid that the Jews’ transformation is metaphorical. Mujahid was the only one that he knew which held such a view!

Q. 5:60

Say ‘Shall I tell you shall I inform you of what is worse than the followers of that about which you are spiteful by way of reward requital from God? They are those whom God has cursed whom He has removed from His mercy and with whom He is wroth and some of whom He has turned into apes and swine by transformation and those who worship the false deity Satan by obeying him the particle minhum ‘some of whom’ takes into account the potentially plural import of the particle min ‘those whom’ and in what precedes minhum ‘some of whom’ the singular form of min is taken into account; a variant reading has ‘abuda al-tāghūt as the genitive of an annexation ‘abud being a variant plural of ‘abd; the accusative ending of ‘abuda is because the clause is a supplement to al-qirada ‘apes’ and these were the Jews. They are worse situated makānan is for specification for their abode shall be the Fire and further astray from the even way’ from the path of truth al-sawā’ originally means al-wasat ‘middle’; the use of sharrun ‘worse’ and adallu ‘further astray’ is intended to counter their saying ‘We know of no religion worse sharrun than yours’. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=5&tAyahNo=60&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

Cursed were the disbelievers of the Children of Israel by the tongue of David when he invoked God against them and they were transformed into apes — these were the people of Eilat — and by Jesus son of Mary when he invoked God against them and they were transformed into pigs — they were the ones who ate at the Table cf. Q. 5115 below — that cursing was because of their disobedience and their transgression. (Ibid., Q. 5:78 https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=5&tAyahNo=78&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

Allah then revealed about their saying: “we do not know any religious community that is more disfavoured than Muhammad and his Companions”, saying: (Shall I tell thee of a worse (case) than theirs) that which is worse than what you told Muhammad and his Companions (for retribution with Allah) for him who is going to be punished by Allah? (Worse (is the case of him) whom Allah hath cursed) imposing on him the capitation tax, (him on whom His wrath hath fallen! Worse is he of whose sort Allah hath turned some to apes) in the time of the Prophet David (and swine) in the time of Jesus, after eating from the table that Allah sent from heaven, (and who serveth idols) soothsayers and devils; or he whom Allah has made the worshipper of the devil, idols and soothsayers. (Such are in worse plight) worse in works in this world and worse in status in the Hereafter (and further astray from the plain road) the road of guidance. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=5&tAyahNo=60&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

(Those of the children of Israel who went astray were cursed by the tongue of David) through David’s supplication against them they became apes, (and of Jesus, son of Mary) and through Jesus’ supplication against them they became swine. (That) curse (was because they rebelled) on the Sabbath and upon eating from the table which was sent from heaven (and used to transgress) by killing the prophets and declaring to be lawful their indulgence in sin. (Ibid., Q. 5:78 https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=5&tAyahNo=78&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

(those of whom He transformed into monkeys and swine,) as we mentioned in Surat Al-Baqarah (2) and as we will mention in Surat Al-A’raf (7). Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated that Ibn Mas’ud said, “Allah’s Messenger was asked if the current monkeys and swine were those whom Allah transformed. He said,

إنَّ اللهَ لَمْ يُهْلِكْ قَوْمًا، أَوْ لَمْ يَمْسَخْ قَوْمًا فَيَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ نَسْلًا وَلَا عَقِبًا، وَإِنَّ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ كَانَتْ قَبْلَ ذلِكَ

(Allah never destroyed a people by transforming them and making offspring or descendants for them. The monkeys and swine existed before that.)” This was also recorded by Muslim… (Tafsir Ibn Kathir https://www.alim.org/tafsir/ibn-kathir/?surah=5&ayah=59)

“Allah’s curse is on the Jews. The Jews are the brothers of monkeys.” (Tafsir al-Qurtubi: Sūrat al-Mā’idah, translated by Aisha Bewley [Diwan Press, 2021], Volume 6, p. 198)

“This contains the permission to curse unbelievers even if they are the sons of the Prophets. Noble lineage does not prevent the curse on them. ‘On the tongues of Dawud and that of ‘Isa, son of Maryam’ means in both the Psalms and also the Gospel, which were pronounced by the tongues of those two Prophets. That means that they were cursed in those two Books. Mujahid and ad-Dahhak said that their cursing took the form of their transformation into monkeys and pigs. Abu Malik said, ‘Those who were cursed on the tongue of Dawud were transformed into monkeys and those who were cursed by ‘Isa were transformed into pigs.’ Ibn ‘Abbas said that those cursed by Dawud were those who violated the Sabbath and those cursed by ‘Isa were those rejected the Table after it descended…” (Ibid., Q. 5:78, pp. 212-213)

This is a promise from Allah in response to the request of ‘Isa as ‘Isa responded to the request of the Disciples. This confirms that He sent it down as His promise is true. The people denied it and disbelieved after it was sent down and so they were transformed into monkeys and pigs. Ibn ‘Amr said, ‘the people with the worst punishment on the Day of Rising will be the hypocrites and those who rejected among the people of the Table and the people of Pharaoh as Allah says here.’ (Ibid., Q. 5:115, p. 321)

Ath-Tha‘labi said, ‘It remained set up, with people eating from it, until afternoon and then flew upwards. So the people ate from it and then it returned to heaven with the people looking at its shadow until it covered them. At the end of forty days, Allah Almighty revealed to ‘Isa: “‘Isa! Dedicate this table of Mine to the poor rather than the wealthy.” So the wealthy objected to that and were hostile towards the poor. They objected and made others object. Allah said, “‘Isa! I will seize them by My Sign.” In the morning thirty-three of them had turned into pigs, eating filth and searching out garbage when they were used to eating good food and sleeping on soft beds. When the people saw that, they gathered to ‘Isa, weeping, and the pigs came and knelt at ‘Isa’s feet, weeping, their eyes overflowing with tears. ‘Isa recognised them and said, “Are you not so-and-so?” It would indicate with its head, unable to speak. They remained like that for seven days, and some say four days. Then Allah called ‘Isa to take their souls and no one knew where they went. Did the earth swallow them or what happened to them?”…

At-Tirmidhi mentions in his chapters of tafsir that ‘Ammar ibn Yasir reported that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘The Table descended from heaven with bread and meat and they were commanded not to act treacherously or store up for the next day, but they acted treacherously and stored up and removed some for the next day and so they were transformed into apes and pigs.’ Abu ‘Isa said, ‘This hadith was related from Abu ‘Asim and more than one person from Qatadah from Khillas from ‘Ammar ibn Yasir mawquf. We only know it as marfu’ from al-Hasan ibn Qaza’ah. Humayd ibn Mas’adah related something similar from Sufyan ibn Habib from Sa’id ibn Abi ‘Arubah and did not make it marfu’. This is sounder than the hadith of al-Hasan ibn Qaza‘ah. We do not know of any marfu‘ hadith. (Ibid., p. 324)

Q. 7:166

And when they disdained to desist from that which was prohibited to them We said to them ‘Be apes despised!’ abased and they became so this is an explication of what preceded with regard to the details of their ‘grievous chastisement’. Ibn ‘Abbās said ‘I do not know what befell the group that abstained’. ‘Ikrima said ‘That group was not destroyed because they had been averse to what the others did and had said ‘Why do you preach admonition …’ Al-Hākim reported in a hadīth that he ‘Ikrima referred this opinion to Ibn ‘Abbās who was delighted by it. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=7&tAyahNo=166&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

I could have easily multiplied the number of Sunni expositors who all confirm the literal, physical metamorphosis of a certain group of Jews into pigs and monkeys, but the foregoing should be more than sufficient to affirm to the unbiased reader that Muhammad erroneously thought that his deity physically transformed certain humans into animals.

Hence, instead of evolution Muhammad taught devolution!

FURTHER READING

Legends, Myths and Fables incorporated into the Qur’an

Badawi’s Misinformation and Misquotations [Part 3], [Part 4]

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