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Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 163 (7:163)

ٱلْأَعْرَاف

وَسَْٔلْهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ ٱلْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ إِذْ …

Quran 7:163 is ayah 163 of Surah Al-A'raf (“The Heights”), a Meccan surah of 206 ayahs. It is in Juz 9, on page 171 of the Madani Mushaf.

7:163
وَسَْٔلْهُمْعَنِٱلْقَرْيَةِٱلَّتِىكَانَتْحَاضِرَةَٱلْبَحْرِإِذْيَعْدُونَفِىٱلسَّبْتِإِذْتَأْتِيهِمْحِيتَانُهُمْيَوْمَسَبْتِهِمْشُرَّعًاوَيَوْمَلَايَسْبِتُونَ ۙلَاتَأْتِيهِمْ ۚكَذَٰلِكَنَبْلُوهُمبِمَاكَانُوا۟يَفْسُقُونَ١٦٣
wasalhum ʿani l-qaryati allatī kānat ḥāḍirata l-baḥri idh yaʿdūna fī l-sabti idh tatīhim ḥītānuhum yawma sabtihim shurraʿan wayawma lā yasbitūna lā tatīhim kadhālika nablūhum bimā kānū yafsuqūna

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.(163)

Word by word

  1. وَسَْٔلْهُمْwasalhumAnd ask them
  2. عَنِʿaniabout
  3. ٱلْقَرْيَةِl-qaryatithe town
  4. ٱلَّتِىallatīwhich
  5. كَانَتْkānatwas
  6. حَاضِرَةَḥāḍiratasituated
  7. ٱلْبَحْرِl-baḥri(by) the sea
  8. إِذْidhwhen
  9. يَعْدُونَyaʿdūnathey transgressed
  10. فِىfīin
  11. ٱلسَّبْتِl-sabtithe (matter of) Sabbath
  12. إِذْidhwhen
  13. تَأْتِيهِمْtatīhimcame to them
  14. حِيتَانُهُمْḥītānuhumtheir fish
  15. يَوْمَyawma(on the) day
  16. سَبْتِهِمْsabtihim(of) their Sabbath
  17. شُرَّعًاshurraʿanvisibly
  18. وَيَوْمَwayawmaand (on the) day
  19. لَاlānot
  20. يَسْبِتُونَ ۙyasbitūnathey had Sabbath
  21. لَاlā(they did) not
  22. تَأْتِيهِمْ ۚtatīhimcome to them
  23. كَذَٰلِكَkadhālikaThus
  24. نَبْلُوهُمnablūhumWe test them
  25. بِمَاbimābecause
  26. كَانُوا۟kānūthey were
  27. يَفْسُقُونَyafsuqūnadefiantly disobeying

Tafsir (commentary) of 7:163

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English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Jews transgress the Sanctity of the Sabbath

This Ayah explains Allah's statement,

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَواْ مِنكُمْ فِى السَّبْتِ

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

وَسْئَلْهُمْ

(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,

وَسْئَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِى 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 فِى 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 لاَ يَسْبِتُونَ لاَ تَأْتِيهِمْ كَذَلِكَ 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,

كَذَلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم

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

بِمَا كَانُواْ 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 الْحِيَل»

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

Read the full Surah Al-A'raf