Quran Universe
7:163

وَسۡـَٔلۡهُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡقَرۡيَةِ ٱلَّتِي كَانَتۡ حَاضِرَةَ ٱلۡبَحۡرِ إِذۡ يَعۡدُونَ فِي ٱلسَّبۡتِ إِذۡ تَأۡتِيهِمۡ حِيتَانُهُمۡ يَوۡمَ سَبۡتِهِمۡ شُرَّعٗا وَيَوۡمَ لَا يَسۡبِتُونَ لَا تَأۡتِيهِمۡۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبۡلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفۡسُقُونَ

Waisalhum AAani alqaryati allatee kanat hadirata albahri ith yaAAdoona fee alssabti ith tateehim heetanuhum yawma sabtihim shurraAAan wayawma la yasbitoona la tateehim kathalika nabloohum bima kanoo yafsuqoona

And ask them about the town that was by the sea - when they transgressed in [the matter of] the sabbath - when their fish came to them openly on their sabbath day, and the day they had no sabbath they did not come to them. Thus did We give them trial because they were defiantly disobedient.

Word by word
  1. وَسۡـَٔلۡهُمۡAnd ask them
  2. عَنِabout
  3. ٱلۡقَرۡيَةِthe town
  4. ٱلَّتِيwhich
  5. كَانَتۡwas
  6. حَاضِرَةَsituated
  7. ٱلۡبَحۡرِ(by) the sea
  8. إِذۡwhen
  9. يَعۡدُونَthey transgressed
  10. فِيin
  11. ٱلسَّبۡتِthe (matter of) Sabbath
  12. إِذۡwhen
  13. تَأۡتِيهِمۡcame to them
  14. حِيتَانُهُمۡtheir fish
  15. يَوۡمَ(on the) day
  16. سَبۡتِهِمۡ(of) their Sabbath
  17. شُرَّعٗاvisibly
  18. وَيَوۡمَand (on the) day
  19. لَاnot
  20. يَسۡبِتُونَthey had Sabbath
  21. لَا(they did) not
  22. تَأۡتِيهِمۡۚcome to them
  23. كَذَٰلِكَThus
  24. نَبۡلُوهُمWe test them
  25. بِمَاbecause
  26. كَانُواْthey were
  27. يَفۡسُقُونَdefiantly disobeying
Al-A'raf · 7:163Makkah

The fish came on the one day they were told to stop.

A test, and a clever trick to get around it

The test by the sea
the Sabbathno fishing that day
fish appear
openlyright at the surface
other days
nothingthe fish stay away
What they did
a loopholelegal on the surface
the real intentbreak the command

The town was Aylah, by the sea, according to Ibn 'Abbas. On the day they were forbidden to fish, the fish came openly; on other days, they did not. Ibn Kathir says they used a trick, an action that seemed legal on the surface, to break Allah's command. The verse calls it a test.

You would never steal. But you can claim the expense that is technically allowed. You would never lie. But you can word the email so they draw the wrong conclusion. A loophole is still a choice. Allah sees the intent.

If it is technically allowed, it is fine.

Tricks around Allah's limits fail, because He sees what I meant.

Try this

Think of one loophole you use. Ask: if I explained my reason to Allah, would I be comfortable?

Related2:65
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And ask them about the town that was by the sea; when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day, and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial for them, for they used to rebel against Allah's command (163)

The Jews transgress the Sanctity of the Sabbath

This Ayah explains Allah's statement,

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ

(And indeed you knew those among you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath..)[2:65] Allah says to His Prophet ﷺ here,

وَاسْأَلْهُمْ

(And ask them) ask the Jews who are with you, about the story of their fellow Jews who defied Allah's command, so that His punishment overtook them all of a sudden for their evil actions, transgression and defiance by way of deceit. Also, warn the Jews (O Muhammad) against hiding your description that they find in their books, so that they do not suffer what their forefathers suffered. The village mentioned here is Aylah, on the shore of the Qulzum (Red) Sea. Muhammad bin Ishaq recorded from Dawud bin Al-Husayn from 'Ikrimah that Ibn 'Abbas commented on Allah's statement,

وَاسْأَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ

(And ask them about the town that was by the sea...) "A village called Aylah between Madyan and At-Tur (which is in Sinai). 'Ikrimah, Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi said similarly. Allah's statement,

إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِي السَّبْتِ

(when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath;) means, they transgressed in the Sabbath and defied Allah's command to them to keep it sanctified,

إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا

(when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day,) visible on top of the water, according to Ad-Dahhak who reported it from Ibn 'Abbas. Ibn Jarir said, "Allah's statement,

وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم

(and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial of them,) means, this is how We tested them by making the fish swim close to the surface of the water, on the day which they were prohibited to fish. The fish would be hidden from them on the day when they were allowed to fish,

كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم

(Thus We made a trial for them,) so that We test them,

بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ

(for they used to rebel against Allah's command) by defying His obedience and rebelling against it."

Therefore, these were a people who used a trick to violate Allah's prohibitions, taking an action that seemed legal on the surface. However, in reality, this action was meant to transgress the prohibition. Imam and scholar Abu 'Abdullah Ibn Battah reported that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

لَا تَرْتَكِبوُا مَا ارْتَكَبَتِ الْيَهُودُ فَتَسْتَحِلُّوا مَحَارِمَ اللهِ بِأَدْنَى الْحِيَلِ

(Do not repeat what the Jews committed, and violate Allah's prohibitions using deceitful tricks.) This Hadith has a reasonable chain.