(58–59) “And remember when We said, ‘Enter this town and eat freely from it wherever you wish. Enter the gate bowing down and say, “Pardon us.” We will forgive your sins and give even more to those who do good. * But the wrongdoers substituted words other than those they had been told, so We sent down upon the wrongdoers a punishment from heaven because of their defiance.’”

This, too, was one of Allah’s blessings upon them after they had disobeyed Him. He commanded them to enter a town that would bring them honor and serve as a homeland and dwelling place, where they would enjoy abundant provision. They were to enter in a manner that demonstrated their submission to Allah both in deed—by entering the gate “bowing down,” that is, submissively and humbly—and in word, by saying, “Pardon us,” asking Him to remove their sins by seeking His forgiveness.

“We will forgive your sins” because you seek forgiveness, “and give even more to those who do good” for their deeds—that is, both immediate and deferred reward.

“But the wrongdoers among them substituted.” He did not say that they all made the substitution, because not all of them did so. They substituted “words other than those they had been told,” saying, instead of “Pardon us,” “A grain in wheat,” belittling Allah’s command and mocking it. Given that they altered the words, though uttering them was easy, they were all the more likely to alter the deed. Thus, they entered crawling on their backsides. Since this transgression was the foremost cause of Allah’s punishment befalling them, He said, “So We sent down upon the wrongdoers among them a punishment from heaven” because of their defiance and transgression.