Al-A'raaf • EN-TAFSIR-IBN-ABBAS
﴿ وَسْـَٔلْهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ ٱلْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًۭا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ ۙ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ ﴾
“And ask them about that town which stood by the sea: how its people would profane the Sabbath whenever their fish came to them, breaking the water's surface, on a day on which they ought to have kept Sabbath -because they would not come to them on other than Sabbath-days! Thus did We try them by means of their [own] iniquitous doings.”
(Ask them) the Jews, O Muhammad (of the township) about the story of the township called Aylah (that was by the sea, how they did break the Sabbath) they used to transgress on the Sabbath by taking the fish, (how their big fish came unto them visibly) scores and scores of them, from deep inside up to the shore (upon their Sabbath day and on a day when they did not keep Sabbath came they not unto them. Thus did We try them) test them (for that they were evil-livers) transgressors.