The benefits of the verse: “And when We said, ‘Enter this town and eat from it wherever you wish with ease, and enter the gate prostrating, and say, ‘Hittah (remission),’ We will forgive you your sins, and We will increase the doers of good.’”

Then Allah the Exalted said:
In it is the affirmation of speech for Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And this speech is on the tongue of whom? Moses. So in it is the affirmation of speech and that Allah speaks. Is it a true, real speech, or figurative? It is real, with a voice and letters, but His voice, Glorified and Exalted is He, is not like any of the voices of the created beings, and it is not possible for a human to imagine this voice because it is great.
In it is also evidence that Allah the Exalted permitted the Children of Israel to enter the Holy Land, by His saying: .
In it is also Allah’s promise to them of entering it. Where is the promise taken from? From the command to enter, meaning it is as if He is saying, “We have opened the doors for you, so enter.”
In it is also evidence of the permissibility for them, the Children of Israel, to eat from this town that they entered, but with compensation or without compensation? With compensation. Yes, the spoils of war are not permitted to them as they are permitted to us. But its meaning is that you are allowed to eat from it wherever you wish, with ease and comfort; it has not been restricted for you. It is not in the way of spoils of war. It is possible to say that they may eat but not own it, and not take possession of it, so that this is not from the category of spoils of war. Just as if I pass by a garden in the Islamic Shari'ah, I have the right to eat, but I do not own it. The specific privilege that this nation was distinguished with is the ownership of spoils of war. As for benefiting from the fruits of the lands they entered, it is permissible for them, even in our Shari'ah.
In it is also evidence that it is obligatory for the one whom Allah has supported and for whom He has opened the lands to enter them in a state of humility and submission, by His saying: . And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he conquered Makkah, entered it with his head lowered. And when Sa'd ibn Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: , and that reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: . Then he took the flag from him and gave it to his son, Qays ibn Ubadah, as a disciplinary measure for him for saying this word, even though he said it with good intention but without understanding. He said it with good intention but without understanding. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that this day is not a day of taking the Ka'bah as lawful, but it is a day of honoring the Ka'bah, because it is its purification from idols and the transformation of the lands into Islamic lands after they were lands of disbelief. So is there taking the Ka'bah as lawful in this? Never. Rather, there is honoring the Ka'bah, but there is taking as lawful the tyrants who transgress against the Ka'bah, or not? Yes, this is correct.
In this is evidence of the baseness of the Children of Israel and their opposition to Allah and His messengers, because they did not enter the gate prostrating, but they entered crawling on their buttocks, retreating backward, crawling and retreating backward—seeking refuge in Allah—in arrogance and mockery. And they said instead of “Hittah” (remission), what? “Hunat” (wheat), a grain or a small grain. We just want something to fill our stomachs, yes? We do not want the forgiveness of our sins—seeking refuge in Allah.
In it is evidence of the ugliness of ta'wil (figurative interpretation) and tahrif (distortion of a text's meaning), because these people distorted. And Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) compared the lam in “istawa” (rose above) with the nun of the Jews in “hunat” (wheat). Yes? The Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah, and the Asha'irah also, said: “Istawa” means “istawala” (dominated). So the lam in “istawa” that was added, in their view, is like the nun that was added in “hittah” to make “hunat.” They said “hunat,” and this is correct. So they actually distorted. The Children of Israel distorted the wording and the meaning, and those people distorted the meaning, because they could not distort the wording, for if they had distorted the wording of the Qur'an, the community would have risen against them and their misguidance would have been known. So there is a clarification of the ugliness of tahrif (distortion of a text's meaning), distorting words from their places, whether it is verbal or conceptual.
In it is also that jihad with submission to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and seeking forgiveness is a cause for forgiveness, by His saying: . And for increasing in favor, by His saying, “O Ghanim?” .
In it is also evidence that ihsan (excellence in worship) is a cause for increase, whether it is ihsan (excellence in worship) in the worship of Allah or ihsan (excellence in worship) to the servants of Allah. For ihsan (excellence in worship) is a cause for increase. And it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . And in it is also: that tahrif (distortion of a text's meaning). The discussion on the verse we are talking about has ended.