Surah Taa-Haa (20) — Ayah 81

(Ayah 81) ➊ { وَ لَا تَطْغَوْا فِيْهِ :} The meaning of "tughiyani" is to exceed the limits. To exceed the limits in sustenance means to usurp the rights of others, to become ungrateful or wasteful, to become arrogant over blessings, to not fulfill the obligatory rights in sustenance, to spend it in disobedience to Allah, or to persist in accumulating it where or when it has been forbidden to do so. In short, the command is not to make the blessings given by Allah a means of exceeding His limits and disobedience.
➋ {فَقَدْ هَوٰى: ’’هَوٰي يَهْوِيْ‘‘} (ض) To fall from a high place. Since such a fall after which one does not rise again only happens in the case of destruction, therefore here the meaning of {’’ هَوٰى ‘‘} is taken as "he was destroyed."

81. 1. That is, do not transgress towards forbidden and unlawful things by leaving what is lawful and permissible, or do not transgress by denying Allah's blessings, committing ingratitude for those blessings, or by disobedience. The word "طغیان" applies to all these meanings. And some have said that the meaning of "طغیان" is to catch more birds than needed, that is, catch birds according to your need and do not exceed that.

(And it was said,) "Eat from the good things We have provided for you, and do not transgress [57] therein, lest My wrath should descend upon you. And whoever My wrath descends upon, he is surely ruined."

[57]
Allah’s Blessings Upon Bani Israel in the Wilderness of Tih:

Here again, many details have been omitted, which are present in other places. For example, during this journey, Bani Israel saw some people worshipping idols in a temple and said, “Moses! Make for us also a god like this, that is, a tangible, physical deity.” At this, Moses ؑ rebuked them. Then, when Moses ؑ again explained to them the purpose of migration—that they had to liberate their ancestral homeland from the occupation of others and settle there themselves—they said, “Moses! There are very powerful and warlike people living there. We cannot fight them. However, if they leave, then we can enter, or you and your Lord go and fight them; we do not have that much courage.” In response to this cowardly act, Allah Almighty, as a punishment, commanded them to wander in this very wilderness for forty years. The purpose of this was to cure their cowardice and instill courage in them. Firstly, life in the wilderness itself makes one brave. Secondly, all the old and cowardly people would die during this period, and the new generation that would be born would be raised in an atmosphere of freedom instead of slavery, and they would become courageous. In this wilderness, there were neither houses to live in nor anything to eat or grow, nor were there any springs or water sources anywhere. Moreover, Bani Israel themselves numbered over a hundred thousand souls. Allah solved these problems of Bani Israel in such a miraculous manner that reason is left astounded. During the heat of the day, clouds would cover them like a canopy but would not rain, and at night they would disappear. In this very wilderness, Allah Almighty sent down manna and quails for their food and caused twelve springs to gush forth for water. The details of these events have already passed in Surah Baqarah. After granting all these blessings, Allah commanded them not to commit excess and not to rebel. Excess meant not to hoard and thereby deprive others of their rights, and not to rebel meant to continue giving thanks for Allah’s blessings, to remain His worshipful and obedient servants. And if even now you choose the path of rebellion, remember that then Allah’s punishment will descend upon you, which will destroy and ruin you.