وَسْـَٔلْهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ ٱلْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ ۙ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ 163
Translations
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.
Transliteration
Was'alhum 'anil-qaryatil-latee kānat hādiratl-baḥri idh ya'dudūn fis-sabti idh ta'teehim ḥītānuhum yawma sabtihim shurra'ā wa yawma lā yasbittūn lā ta'teehim kadhālika nablūhum bimā kānū yafsuqūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes a test (balā') imposed upon a community of Bani Israel living by the sea who violated the Sabbath. The fish would appear abundantly on the Sabbath day when it was forbidden to catch them, but would disappear on other days when fishing was permissible. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this divine trial was meant to test their obedience to Allah's commands, as their transgression of the Sabbath law demonstrated their rebellion (fisq) against Allah's ordinances.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of a narrative within Surah Al-A'raf that instructs the Prophet Muhammad to inform the people about this historical incident involving the people of Eila (a coastal town). The story illustrates how divine tests reveal the true character of people and serves as a warning to the Muslim community about the consequences of disobeying Allah's clear prohibitions.
Related Hadiths
The incident is referenced in various scholarly works on Bani Israel's history. Tirmidhi and other scholars transmitted reports about the people of Eila who violated the Sabbath restrictions despite clear warnings. The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned this as an example of how communities are tested through their adherence to divine law.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah tests communities through their obedience to His commands, and that clever circumvention of divine law (like fishing on the forbidden day through indirect means) does not escape Allah's knowledge or judgment. It reminds believers that true piety requires sincere obedience, not mere technical compliance or deception.
Related Ayahs
وَٱتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا لَّهُۥ خُوَارٌ ۚ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّهُۥ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلًا ۘ ٱتَّخَذُوهُ وَكَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And the people of Moses made, after [his departure], from their ornaments a calf - an image having a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to a way? They took it [for worship], and they were wrongdoers.
وَٱلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا وَءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
But those who committed misdeeds and then repented after them and believed - indeed your Lord, thereafter, is Forgiving and Merciful.
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا۟ مَا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهِۦٓ أَنجَيْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلسُّوٓءِ وَأَخَذْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍۭ بَـِٔيسٍۭ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ
And when they [i.e., those advised] forgot that by which they had been reminded, We saved those who had forbidden evil and seized those who wronged, with a wretched punishment, because they were defiantly disobeying.
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَـٰثِمِينَ
So the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone.