An-Nahl (The Bee)

124. “The Sabbath was appointed only for those who differed about it, and verily your Lord definitely will judge between them on the Day of Judgment in what they used to differ about.”

The Jews were repeatedly punished for their obstinacy and hostility by Allah, one of which was proclaimed in verse 118 of this Surah, stating:

“And for those who were Jews, We prohibited what We have already related to you…”

The designation of the Sabbath as a holiday, which is explained in this verse, is also another punishment, in which case, certainly, some groups have expressed their appreciation and others have been ungrateful, resorting to dirty tricks, for which they got entangled to harsh cases of punishment.

The verse says:

“The Sabbath was appointed only for those who differed about it…”

Considering the previous verse, the meaning of this verse might be: O’ Prophet! Follow the path of the nation of ‘Ibrahim; holidays on the Sabbath were designated as exclusive to the Jews, which was a type of punishment for them. Nonetheless, the Jews even differed on this day which was selected by themselves.

Therefore, at the end of the verse, the Qur’an says:

“…and verily your Lord definitely will judge between them on the Day of Judgment in what they used to differ about.”

However, there are some Islamic traditions which denote Friday is a great day for Muslims, and it is also a festival and holiday for them.