Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:163

(And ask them): This is a conjunction referring to [the imperative] "Remember" which was indicated previously. The address is to the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—and the pronoun of the third person refers to those of the Jewish lineage present in his time. That is: Ask the Jews contemporary to you—a question of reproach and establishment [of proof]—regarding their forefathers’ transgression of the limits set by Allah the Exalted. The intent is to inform them of this, for they used to conceal it. That he—upon whom be peace—knew this, despite not having studied their scriptures nor learned it from their scholars, constitutes a miracle bearing witness against them.

(About the town): Meaning, ask about its news, its condition, and the calamity that befell its inhabitants—the greatest of disasters. The intent behind asking about this encompasses asking about the self and the family, or it is a statement based on the estimation of an omitted noun; the intent is to ask about the condition of the people of the town. It is permitted to treat it metaphorically. According to Ibn Abbas and Ibn Jubayr, it is a town between Madyan and Tur. According to Ibn Shihab, it is Tiberias. It is said it is Ayla, which is a narration from the "Hibr" (Ibn Abbas). According to Ibn Zayd, it is a town between Madyan and 'Aynuna.

(Which was by the sea): Meaning, close to it, overlooking its shore.

(When they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath): Meaning, when they did wrong and exceeded the limits of Allah the Exalted by fishing on the Sabbath, or by [disrespecting] its sanctity. "When" (Idh) is a substitute for the object of the question (the town), a substitution of inclusion, or it is an adverbial time for the aforementioned verbal noun. It is said: The possibility of it being an adverb for "was" or "by the sea" is of no value, for there is no benefit in restricting the dwelling or the presence to the time of transgression. The pronoun in "they transgressed" refers to the [implied] "inhabitants" [of the town], or those known from the context. It is also said: It refers to the town by way of "usage" (istikhdam). It has been recited as (ya'tadun), meaning they transgressed, where the ta is assimilated into the dal and its vowel is transferred to the ayn. [It is also said] it means "to prepare" (i'dad), as they would prepare fishing implements on the Sabbath while they were forbidden from engaging in anything but worship on that day.

(When their fish came to them): This is an adverbial phrase for "transgressed," or a substitute for a substitute. The majority of grammarians favor the former, as asking about their transgression is more eloquent in reproach. "Whales/fish" (hitan) is the plural of hut; the waw was changed to ya because it is quiescent and preceded by a kasrah, like nun and ninat in wording and meaning. Attributing the fish to them [by the possessive pronoun "their"] is based on the fact that the intent is the fish existing in that region where they were. It is said it is to signal their exclusive availability to them, as the fish possessed extraordinary, supernatural qualities not found in other members of its species, though this [interpretation] is clearly far-fetched.

(On the day of their Sabbath): An adverb for "came to them," meaning they came to them on the day they sanctified the order of the Sabbath. This is a verbal noun from sabtata al-yahud, meaning the Jews sanctified the Sabbath day by abandoning work and dedicating themselves to worship. It is said it is a proper name for the day, and the attribution [to them] is due to their being singled out with its rulings. The former is supported by the recitation of 'Amr ibn Abd al-Aziz: "On the day of their isbat (Sabbath-keeping)."

(Visible/Shara'an): Meaning, apparent on the surface of the water, as Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both—said: close to the shore. It is the plural of shari', from shara'a 'alayhi if one draws near and overlooks [something]. In the [legal] law (shar’), it carries the meaning of revealing and clarifying. It is said the meaning is "raising their heads," as if this was made a manifestation and clarification. It is said the meaning is "following one another," attributed to al-Dahhak. The apparent meaning is that they were "visible." It is an accusative state (hal) from "the fish."

(And on the day they did not keep the Sabbath): Meaning, when they did not observe the command of the Sabbath. It is along the lines of the saying: Upon a track, whose beacon is not guided by. For the intent is the negation of the Sabbath and the observance [of it]. Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—recited: la yusbitun, with the damma on the prefix letter, from asbata, meaning he entered into the Sabbath, just as asbaha means he entered into the morning. From al-Hasan, it is reported that he read la yusbatun in the passive voice, meaning they were not entered into the Sabbath, nor were they commanded therein with what they were commanded on the Sabbath day. It has also been read as la yusbitun with a damma on the ba. The adverbial phrase relates to His saying:

(They did not come to them): Meaning, they did not come to them on the day they did not keep the Sabbath as they used to come to them on the Sabbath day, for fear of being caught, due to [the fish] having become accustomed to their conditions. This was purely by the predestination of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. The change in the structure—where the adverb was placed before the verb and not the inverse—is because coming on the day of their Sabbath was the point of suspicion; as if it were said: "What then of their condition on the day they did not keep the Sabbath?" So it was said: "On the day they did not keep the Sabbath, they would not come to them."

(Thus did We test them): Meaning, We treated them with the treatment of those being tested, so that what was within them might be manifested, that We might take them to task for it. The use of the imperfect tense is for the narration of a past state, in order to present its image and express wonder at it. The reference [in "Thus"] is either to the previous trial or to the trial mentioned afterward, as has passed more than once. It is said the reference is to the coming on the Sabbath, and it is connected to what precedes: i.e., "they would not come to them [in] such a coming on the Sabbath." The kaf is in the place of an accusative state according to al-Tabarsi. It is also permitted that it relates to an omitted element acting as an adjective for an omitted verbal noun, i.e., "a coming that was as such." The sentence "We test them" is an initiation based on a question regarding the wisdom of the change in the condition of the fish in coming at one time and not at another.

(Because they were disobedient): Meaning, because of their persistent disobedience in everything they did or abandoned. It relates to "We test them," and the relation of "when they transgressed" to "We test them" and "because they were disobedient" [means]: We tested them at the time of their transgression with [the trial of] disobedience. This is not how the Book of Allah the Exalted, the Majestic, should be interpreted.