And when he finished exposing their veils regarding what they did in the days of Musa, peace be upon him, and what followed, he followed it with another disgrace more severe than the previous one. This was after a period that no one knows except from their side or from Allah. If the first is negated, the second is established. So he said: ﴿Ask them﴾ meaning: the Children of Israel, reproaching them and confirming ﴿about the town﴾ meaning: the city that was by the sea ﴿which was present at the sea﴾ meaning: on its shore, and it is Aylah. Perhaps he expressed this by asking, and did not say: And when the town transgresses which - to the end of it, and similar to that; because their aversion to uncovering this disgrace is greater than what has passed, and it is evidence of the diversion and the truth. And when the question was about the news of the people of the town, he said (p-138) substituting a replacement of inclusion from the town ﴿When﴾ meaning: at the time ﴿they transgress﴾ meaning: they cross the limit which Allah commanded them regarding ﴿on the Sabbath when﴾ meaning: the transgression at the time ﴿it comes to them﴾. And he increased in reproach by referring to the hastening in disbelief by adding in his saying: ﴿their fish﴾ hinting that it is created for them. So if they had been patient, they would have attained it while they were obedient, as in the hadith of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who raised it: "Between the servant and his provision is a veil. If he is patient, it will come to him, otherwise the veil will be torn and he will only attain what has been decreed for him." ﴿On the day of their Sabbath﴾ meaning: the one they glorify by refraining from engaging in anything other than worship ﴿in abundance﴾ meaning: close and prominent for them, visible on the surface of the water in abundance, the plural of shar'iah and shar' is near ﴿and on a day when they do not rest﴾ meaning: there is no Sabbath. And perhaps he expressed this as a hint that if they had glorified the one that it is a Sabbath that came to them in it, and it is from: the Jews rested - if they glorified their Sabbath ﴿it will not come to them﴾ meaning: a trial from Allah for them. And if they had been patient, Allah would have removed this habit so they would eat from above them and from beneath their feet.

And when this was a great trial, he answered the question of one who seemed to have said due to the severity of what astonished him from this matter: Has something like this occurred? Indicating that it has occurred, and he did not suffice with it, but rather similar things occurred for them to manifest what is in the unseen from them to the world of testimony: ﴿Thus﴾ meaning: like this great trial ﴿We will test them﴾ meaning: We renew their testing every little while ﴿by what﴾ meaning: by the cause of what ﴿they were﴾ meaning: by nature and disposition ﴿disobedient﴾ meaning: they renew in our knowledge of disobedience, which is the departure from what is (p-139) deserving of settlement among acts of obedience.