Tafsir Ibn Abbas: Al-A'raaf, Ayah 164
وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ ٱللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًۭا شَدِيدًۭا ۖ قَالُوا۟ مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise [or warn] a people whom Allah is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" they [the advisors] said, "To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him."
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And when wa-idh is a supplement to the preceding idh ‘how’ a community among them who neither fished nor prohibited it said to those who prohibited it ‘Why do you preach admonition to a folk whom God is about to destroy or chastise with a severe chastisement?’ They said our admonishing them is ‘As an exculpation by which we excuse ourselves before your Lord lest we are reproached for failing to prohibit them in any way; and so that they might be wary of fishing’.
Ibn Abbas Commentary
(And when a community) a group (among them said: Why preach ye to a folk whom Allah is about to destroy) by turning them into animals (and punish with an awful doom) with the Fire, (they said: In order to be free from guilt before your Lord) in order to have an argument before your Lord, (and that haply they may ward off (evil)) ward off taking the fish on the Sabbath. These were three people who used to catch fish on the Sabbath and encouraged others to do so too. There was another group of people who did not catch fish on the Sabbath but did not warn others against doing so. And lastly there was another group of people who did not catch the fish on the Sabbath and warned others against doing so. Allah turned those who caught fish on the Sabbath and enjoined others to do so into animals and spared the others.