How Did the Israelites Break the Sabbath by Fishing?

Many people do not know Allah. This series (1-76)And question them, O Muhammad, in rebuke,
is an attempt to help them to know their Creator.about the city that was by the sea, bordering the
Verses 7:162-163 of the Noble Quran talk about:Red Sea about what befell its inhabitants (from
1) Have the Israelites wronged Allah or wrongedamong the Israelites), how they would transgress,
Themselves? 2) Allah Commanded the Israelitesviolate, the Sabbath, by fishing, which they had
to say : Forgive our sins but they said…, 3)been commanded not to do on that day; how
When the Israelites substituted the Word Hittahtheir fish would come to them on the day of their
by Hintah? 4) Allah Commanded the Israelites toSabbath floating at the surface, visible at the
prostrate  they dragged themselves on theirsurface of the water; but on the day they did
rears, 5) Why Allah sent down upon the Israelitesnot observe the Sabbath, when they would not
the plague? 6) the story of the city dwelled byconsecrate the Sabbath over the other days,
the Israelites that was by the Red Sea, 7) Howthey would not come to them, as a trial from
did the Israelites break the Sabbath by fishing?Allah. Thus, Allah was trying them for their
And 8) How did Allah try and test the Israelites?wickedness. And when they went to fish, the city
In the previous article (75)split into three: one third joined the fishing party,
And of Moses' folk there is a community, a groupanother prohibited them, while a third abstained
who lead with, enjoin, truth and establish justicefrom both fishing and prohibiting.
therewith; they act upon the Truth.In other words, the verse says:
And Allah divided the Children of Israel, intoAsk the Jews, O Muhammad about the story of
twelve tribes.the township that was by the sea, how they did
And Allah revealed to Moses: ‘Strike the rockbreak the Sabbath; they used to transgress on
with your staff’, and he struck it, and therethe Sabbath by taking the fish, how their big fish
gushed forth, burst forth, from it twelvecame unto them visibly, scores and scores of
fountains, equal to the number of tribes, eachthem, from deep inside up to the shore upon their
people,Sabbath day and on a day when they did not
And Allah made the cloud overshadow them, inkeep Sabbath came they not unto them. Thus did
the wilderness, from the heat of the sun,Allah try them, test them for that they were
Allah sent down to them manna and quails andevil-doers.
said to them: ‘Eat of the good things We============
have provided for you.’Verses 7:162-163 in different English translations
And, when it was said unto them: Dwell in thisof the meanings of Arabic Quran:
township, and eat therefrom whence you will, andVerse 7:162
whenever you will, and say “Repentance”;QARIB: the wicked amongst them changed what
and say: there is no deity except Allah; it is alsowas said for other words. therefore we sent
said that this means: say O Our Lord! Forgive ourdown upon them from heaven a punishment for
sins, and enter the gate of the townshiptheir evil doing.
prostrate; Allah shall forgive you your sins; He shallSHAKIR: but those who were unjust among them
increase (reward) for the right doers in their goodchanged it for a saying other than that which had
works.been spoken to them; so we sent upon them a
Have they (the Israelites) said what they werepestilence from heaven because they were
supposed to say?unjust
No., Allah says: And they did not wrong Us, butPICKTHAL: but those of them who did wrong
they wronged themselves.i.e. They wronged Uschanged the word which had been told them for
not, they did not hurt or harm Us because ofanother saying, and we sent down upon them
what they committed, but they were wont towrath from heaven for their wrongdoing.
wrong themselves, to harm and hurt themselves.YUSUFALI: but the transgressors among them
The meaning of verse 7:162changed the word from that which had been
But the evildoers among them substituted agiven them so we sent on them a plague from
saying other than that which had been said toheaven. for that they repeatedly transgressed.
them, they said instead: ‘A grain inside aVerse 7:163
hair’ and entered the gate of the townshipQARIB: ask them about the village that
dragging themselves on their rears.  In theoverlooked the sea and what befell (its people)
previous article (75), Allah Commanded them towhen they broke the sabbath. each sabbath, their
enter the gate of the township prostrate; Then,fish came swimming towards the shore, but on
Allah shall forgive them their sins, i.e. they wereother days they did not come to them. as such
supposed to enter the  gate of the townshipwe tempted them (the people) because they had
prostrating; but they entered the gate of thedone wrong.
township dragging themselves on their rears.SHAKIR: and ask them about the town which
So Allah sent down upon them terror, astood by the sea; when they exceeded the limits
chastisement, from the heaven for their evildoing.of the sabbath, when their fish came to them on
In other words, the verse says:the day of their sabbath, appearing on the
But those of them who did wrong, the sinningsurface of the water, and on the day on which
people changed the word which had been toldthey did not keep the sabbath they did not come
them for another saying; they were commandedto them; thus did we try them because they
to say " hittah [that means there is no deitytransgressed
except Allah; or as in the other meaning: forgivePICKTHAL: ask them (o muhammad) of the
our sins] but instead they said " hintah that meanstownship that was by the sea, how they did
wheat, a grain inside a hair ; they did not fearbreak the sabbath, how their big fish came unto
their Creator.them visibly upon their sabbath day and on a day
So, Allah sent down upon them wrath fromwhen they did not keep sabbath came they not
heaven; He sent upon them the plague fromunto them. thus did we try them for that they
heaven for their wrong-doing) for changing whatwere evil-livers.
they were commanded to say.YUSUFALI: ask them concerning the town
In the previous article (75), Allah says: And theystanding close by the sea. behold! they
(the Israelites) did not wrong Us, but theytransgressed in the matter of the sabbath. for on
wronged themselves. i.e. they did not hurt orthe day of their sabbath their fish did come to
harm Allah because of what they committed, butthem, openly holding up their heads, but on the
they were wont to wrong themselves, to harmday they had no sabbath, they came not: thus did
and hurt themselves.we make a trial of them, for they were given to
The meaning of verse 7:163transgression.