58 Preface وَإِذ قُلنَا ادخُلوا هٰذِهِ القَريَةَ فَكُلوا مِنها حَيثُ شِئتُم رَغَدًا وَادخُلُوا البابَ سُجَّدًا وَقولوا حِطَّةٌ نَغفِر لَكُم خَطاياكُم ۚ وَسَنَزيدُ المُحسِنينَYusuf AliAnd remember We said: “Enter this town1, and eat of the plenty therein as ye wish; but enter the gate with humility, in posture and in words, and We shall forgive you your faults and increase (the portion of) those who do good.” This probably refers to Shittim. It was the “town of acacias,” just east of the Jordan, where the Israelites were guilty of debauchery and the worship of and sacrifices to false gods (Num. 25:1-2, also 8-9): a terrible punishment ensued, including the plague, of which 24,000 died. The word which the transgressors changed may have been a password. In the Arabic text it is “Hittatun” which implies humility and a prayer of forgiveness, a fitting emblem to distinguish diem from their enemies. From this particular incident a more general lesson may be drawn: in the hour of triumph we are to behave humbly as in God’s sight, and our conduct should be exemplary according to God’s word: otherwise our arrogance will draw its own punishment. These verses 58-59, may be compared with 7:161-162. There are two verbal differences. Here (2:58) we have “enter the town” and in 7:161 we have “dwell in this town.” Again in 2:59 here we have “infringed (Our command).” and in 7:162, we have “transgressed.” The verbal differences make no difference to the sense.