The Holy Quran 7:166 — Surah Al-A'raf

Arabic text

فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا۟ عَن مَّا نُهُوا۟ عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا۟ قِرَدَةً خَـٰسِـِٔينَ

Translation

When they transgressed (overstepped the limits of) that which they were prohibited from (doing), We told them, "Become humiliated monkeys!" (They were then transformed into monkeys and lived like monkeys for three days before dying.)

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

The disobedient turned into monkeys: perhaps some other punishment came first, and when they went completely beyond the limits, they were then made into despised monkeys. Or else the words فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا (“So when they insolently exceeded…”)

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