Surah Al-A'raf (7:163)

وَسۡـــَٔلۡهُمۡ عَنِ الۡـقَرۡيَةِ الَّتِىۡ كَانَتۡ حَاضِرَةَ الۡبَحۡرِۘ اِذۡ يَعۡدُوۡنَ فِى السَّبۡتِ اِذۡ تَاۡتِيۡهِمۡ حِيۡتَانُهُمۡ يَوۡمَ سَبۡتِهِمۡ شُرَّعًا وَّيَوۡمَ لَا يَسۡبِتُوۡنَ ۙ لَا تَاۡتِيۡهِمۡ ۛۚ كَذٰلِكَ ۛۚ نَبۡلُوۡهُمۡ بِمَا كَانُوۡا يَفۡسُقُوۡنَ‏ ۝

Was-alhum AAani alqaryati allatee kanathadirata albahri ith yaAAdoona fee assabtiith ta/teehim heetanuhum yawma sabtihimshurraAAan wayawma la yasbitoona la ta/teehim kathalikanabloohum bima kanoo yafsuqoon

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.

Tadabbur (Reflection)

Theme of the Ayat

The Test of the Sabbath: The violation of the sacred day by the people of the sea.

The Insight

They were tested with the Sabbath: fish appeared abundantly on Saturday and disappeared on other days. They violated the command by using deception to circumvent the law. **Uphold the spirit of the law.** Do not use legalistic trickery or deception to circumvent the clear moral intent of God's commands.