7-163 And ask them about the town which stood by the sea. When they violated the Sabbath, when their fish came to them on their Sabbath day on the surface, and when it was not their Sabbath they came not to them. Thus did We try them because they transgressed.a
وَاسأَلهُم عَنِ القَريَةِ الَّتي كانَت حاضِرَةَ البَحرِ إِذ يَعدونَ فِي السَّبتِ إِذ تَأتيهِم حيتانُهُم يَومَ سَبتِهِم شُرَّعًا وَيَومَ لا يَسبِتونَ ۙ لا تَأتيهِم ۚ كَذٰلِكَ نَبلوهُم بِما كانوا يَفسُقونَ (۱۶۳)
7-163a: القَريَةِ – Some have called this town Ela which is between Madian and Tur on the shores of the Red Sea. Some consider it to be Madian itself.
حيتان – It is the plural of حوت meaning fish.
شُرَّعًا – It is the plural of شارع which is derived from شَرۡع . Its meaning has a sense of visibility and manifestation. Hence the meaning of شُرَّعًا is ظاھرۃ علی وجه الماء (visible from the surface of the water).
The fishes coming to the surface of the water on the day of Sabbath but not on other days became a source of temptation for the Jews because they were prohibited from fishing on Sabbath. The fish were able to sense that they were not hunted on that day and felt secure coming to the surface. Animals have a sense whereby they can recognize the times when they will be safe.
This section gives more examples of the disobedience of the Jews. These examples were revealed to the Holy Prophet even before he had close contacts with the Jews so that he may not be saddened when he dealt with them by their obstinacy and insolence and that he should know that this was their national trait. Some people are gravely mistaken who hold that initially the Holy Prophet used to speak well of the Jews but when the Jews opposed him in Madinah then he started speaking ill about them. This surah is definitely of Makkan origin and the character of the Jews that this surah presents is the same as is presented in Surah Baqarah which is of Madinah origin.
7-164 And when a party of them said: Why preach you to a people whom Allah would destroy or whom He would chastise with a severe chastisement? They said: To be free from blame before your Lord, and that haply they may guard against evil.
وَإِذ قالَت أُمَّةٌ مِنهُم لِمَ تَعِظونَ قَومًا ۙ اللَّهُ مُهلِكُهُم أَو مُعَذِّبُهُم عَذابًا شَديدًا ۖ قالوا مَعذِرَةً إِلىٰ رَبِّكُم وَلَعَلَّهُم يَتَّقونَ (۱۶۴)
7-165 So when they neglected that whereof they had been reminded, We delivered those who forbade evil and We overtook those who were iniquitous with an evil chastisement because they transgressed.
فَلَمّا نَسوا ما ذُكِّروا بِهِ أَنجَينَا الَّذينَ يَنهَونَ عَنِ السّوءِ وَأَخَذنَا الَّذينَ ظَلَموا بِعَذابٍ بَئيسٍ بِما كانوا يَفسُقونَ (۱۶۵)
7-166 So when they revoltingly persisted in that which they had been forbidden, We said to them: Be (as) apes, despised and hated.a
فَلَمّا عَتَوا عَن ما نُهوا عَنهُ قُلنا لَهُم كونوا قِرَدَةً خاسِئينَ (۱۶۶)
7-166a: The explanation of the Jews being as apes has been given previously in 2-65a. The additional thing worthy of attention here is that along with the mention of making them as apes, it is mentioned in the next verse that Allah will continue raising rulers over them who will torment them severely. Rulers are appointed over humans and not apes and those tormented by rulers are also humans. This goes to show that their faces were not metamorphosed but remained human.
7-167 And when thy Lord declared that He would send against them to the day of Resurrection those who would subject them to severe torment. Surely thy Lord is Quick in requiting; and surely He is Forgiving, Merciful.a
وَإِذ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَيَبعَثَنَّ عَلَيهِم إِلىٰ يَومِ القِيامَةِ مَن يَسومُهُم سوءَ العَذابِ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَريعُ العِقابِ ۖ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفورٌ رَحيمٌ (۱۶۷)
7-167a: تَأَذَّنَ – For the meaning of اَذۡن see 2-97a. The meaning of تَأَذَّنَ is اَعۡلَم that is, gave this knowledge or gave this news.
Prophecy about the Jews: The Jews had been divested of governance even before the advent of Islam, and in whichever country they resided, they lived in a state of subjugation and humiliation. Prior to the advent of Islam, the Jewish nation was dispersed in countries near to Arabia. After the advent of Islam, the Jewish population spread to many countries but wherever they lived, they had to suffer many indignities at the hands of the rulers. The Jews were burdened with considerable hardships wherever they lived at the time of the advent of Islam and the Quran predicts that in future too, they will be subjected to similar hardships. However, in إِنَّهُ لَغَفورٌ رَحيمٌ (Surely, He is Forgiving, and Merciful ) there is glad tidings that if the Jewish nation reverts to Allah then He will forgive their faults, that is He will remove their punishment.
7-168 And We divided them in the earth into parties — some of them are righteous and some of them are otherwise. And We tried them with blessings and misfortunes that they might turn.
وَقَطَّعناهُم فِي الأَرضِ أُمَمًا ۖ مِنهُمُ الصّالِحونَ وَمِنهُم دونَ ذٰلِكَ ۖ وَبَلَوناهُم بِالحَسَناتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ لَعَلَّهُم يَرجِعونَ (۱۶۸)
7-169 Then after them came an evil posterity who inherited the Book, taking the frail goods of this low life and saying: It will be forgiven us. And if the like good came to them, they would take it (too). Was not a promise taken from them in the Book that they would not speak anything about Allah but the truth? And they study what is in it. And the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who keep their duty. Do you not then understand?
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعدِهِم خَلفٌ وَرِثُوا الكِتابَ يَأخُذونَ عَرَضَ هٰذَا الأَدنىٰ وَيَقولونَ سَيُغفَرُ لَنا وَإِن يَأتِهِم عَرَضٌ مِثلُهُ يَأخُذوهُ ۚ أَلَم يُؤخَذ عَلَيهِم ميثاقُ الكِتابِ أَن لا يَقولوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الحَقَّ وَدَرَسوا ما فيهِ ۗ وَالدّارُ الآخِرَةُ خَيرٌ لِلَّذينَ يَتَّقونَ ۗ أَفَلا تَعقِلونَ (۱۶۹)
7-169a: خَلۡف – Its common meaning is back or rear end, but in particular this word is used in a bad context as compared to خَلَف which is used in a good context. Thus, the meaning of خَلۡف is المتأ خِّرۡ لِقُصُورِ مَنۡزِلته (A successor but of a lesser status) (R).
عَرَضٌ – It means the provisions of the world or goods that are not permanent (R).
يَقولونَ – قول – It is used here in the sense of belief, that is they leave religion to gain the world and then believe that they will be forgiven. The purport is that it is just something that they say with their mouths.
ميثاقُ الكِتابِ – It means the covenant that is in the Book, that is the Torah. Thus, the connection between the two nouns is through فی .
The meaning is that in the earlier generations there were some virtuous people but those who came after them were mostly degenerate. They had no regard for religion or morals when it came to obtaining worldly provisions but believed that God, in any case, would forgive them. They persisted with their sinful ways even though one can only hope for forgiveness when one is truly repentant and stops sinning. Although this principle of forgiveness is given in a narration of the Bani Israel but there is a portrayal in this narration of the Muslims as well.
7-170 And as for those who hold fast by the Book and keep up prayer — surely We waste not the reward of the reformers.
وَالَّذينَ يُمَسِّكونَ بِالكِتابِ وَأَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ إِنّا لا نُضيعُ أَجرَ المُصلِحينَ (۱۷۰)
7-171 And when We shook the mountain over them as if it were a covering, and they thought that it was going to fall down upon them: Hold on firmly that which We have given you, and be mindful of that which is in it, so that you may guard against evil.a
وَإِذ نَتَقنَا الجَبَلَ فَوقَهُم كَأَنَّهُ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنّوا أَنَّهُ واقِعٌ بِهِم خُذوا ما آتَيناكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذكُروا ما فيهِ لَعَلَّكُم تَتَّقونَ (۱۷۱)
7-171a: نَتَقنَا – نَتۡق – The dictionary meaning of نَتۡق is الزَعۡزَعَةُ و الۡھَزُّ (to bring something into motion and to shake it) (LA). Accordingly, there is a poetic verse: وَنَتَقُوا احلا منا الۡا ثاقِلا باں . Its meaning also includes to pull a thing and uproot it. However, when the meaning of نَتَقۡتُ الشئ in the dictionary is also given as حَرَّکۡتُه (movement; motion) and mention is made a little earlier of رجفة that is earthquake, then the same meaning must be taken here. Further, uprooting the mountain and holding it above the Israelites to get their oath of obedience is against the rule that Allah has kept in His sharia: فَمَن شاءَ فَليُؤمِن وَمَن شاءَ فَليَكفُر (So let him who please believe, and let him who please disbelieve) (18:29).
ظُلَّةٌ – It is a cloud that gives shade and it is generally used in situations that are not likable, as in عَذابُ يَومِ الظُّلَّةِ (chastisement of the day of Covering). Its plural is ظلل as in في ظُلَلٍ مِنَ الغَمامِ (in the shadows of the clouds) (2:210) and وَإِذا غَشِيَهُم مَوجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ (And when a wave like awnings covers them) (31:32) (R).
It is the state of the Israelites that is mentioned here when they were at the base of the mountain and a severe earthquake occurred which made them think that the mountain was going to fall on them.
Bayan-ul-Quran 