3:78 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

يخبر تعالى أن من أهل الكتاب فريقا يلوون ألسنتهم بالكتاب، أي: يميلونه ويحرفونه عن المقصود به، وهذا يشمل اللي والتحريف لألفاظه ومعانيه، وذلك أن المقصود من الكتاب حفظ ألفاظه وعدم تغييرها، وفهم المراد منها وإفهامه، وهؤلاء عكسوا القضية وأفهموا غير المراد من الكتاب، إما تعريضا وإما تصريحا، فالتعريض في قوله { لتحسبوه من الكتاب } أي: يلوون ألسنتهم ويوهمونكم أنه هو المراد من كتاب الله، وليس هو المراد، والتصريح في قولهم: { ويقولون هو من عند الله وما هو من عند الله ويقولون على الله الكذب وهم يعلمون } وهذا أعظم جرما ممن يقول على الله بلا علم، هؤلاء يقولون على الله الكذب فيجمعون بين نفي المعنى الحق، وإثبات المعنى الباطل، وتنزيل اللفظ الدال على الحق على المعنى الفاسد، مع علمهم بذلك.

يخبر تعالى عن اليهود عليهم لعائن الله أن منهم فريقا يحرفون الكلم عن مواضعه ويبدلون كلام الله ويزيلونه عن المراد به ليوهموا الجهلة أنه في كتاب الله كذلك وينسبونه إلى الله وهو كذب على الله وهم يعلمون من أنفسهم أنهم قد كذبوا وافتروا في ذلك كله ولهذا قال الله تعالى "ويقولون على الله الكذب وهم يعلمون" وقال مجاهد والشعبي والحسن وقتادة والربيع بن أنس: "يلوون ألسنتهم بالكتاب" يحرفونه وهكذا روى البخاري عن ابن عباس أنهم يحرفون ويزيلون وليس أحد من خلق الله يزيل لفظ كتاب من كتب الله لكنهم يحرفونه ويتأولونه على غير تأويله. وقال وهب بن منبه: إن التوراة والإنجيل كما أنزلهما الله تعالى لم يغير منهما حرف ولكنهم يضلون بالتحريف والتأويل وكتب كانوا يكتبونها من عند أنفسهم "ويقولون هو من عند الله وما هو من عند الله" فأما كتب الله فإنها محفوظة ولا تحول رواه ابن أبي حاتم فإن عنى وهب ما بأيديهم من ذلك فلا شك أنه قد دخلها التبديل والتحريف والزيادة والنقص. وأما تعريب ذلك المشاهد بالعربية ففيه خطأ كبير وزيادات كثيرة ونقصان ووهم فاحش وهو من باب تفسير المعرب المعبر وفهم كثير منهم بل أكثرهم بل جميعهم فاسد وأما إن عنى كتب الله التي هي كتبه من عنده فتلك كما قال محفوظة لم يدخلها شيء.

The Jews Alter Allah's Words

Allah states that some Jews, may Allah's curses descend on them, distort Allah's Words with their tongues, change them from their appropriate places, and alter their intended meanings. They do this to deceive the ignorant people by making it appear that their words are in the Book of Allah. They attribute their own lies to Allah, even though they know that they have lied and invented falsehood. Therefore, Allah said,

وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

(and they speak a lie against Allah while they know it.)

Mujahid, Ash-Sha`bi, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said that,

يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَـبِ

(who distort the Book with their tongues,) means, "They alter them (Allah's Words)."

Al-Bukhari reported that Ibn `Abbas said that the Ayah means they alter and add although none among Allah's creation can remove the Words of Allah from His Books, they alter and distort their apparent meanings. Wahb bin Munabbih said, "The Tawrah and the Injil remain as Allah revealed them, and no letter in them was removed. However, the people misguide others by addition and false interpretation, relying on books that they wrote themselves. Then,

وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ

(they say: "This is from Allah," but it is not from Allah;)

As for Allah's Books, they are still preserved and cannot be changed." Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this statement. However, if Wahb meant the books that are currently in the hands of the People of the Book, then we should state that there is no doubt that they altered, distorted, added to and deleted from them. For instance, the Arabic versions of these books contain tremendous error, many additions and deletions and enormous misinterpretation. Those who rendered these translations have incorrect comprehension in most, rather, all of these translations. If Wahb meant the Books of Allah that He has with Him, then indeed, these Books are preserved and were never changed.

And there is a group a party of them the People of the Scripture like Ka‘b b. al-Ashraf who twist their tongues with the Book altering it by reciting it not according to the way in which it was revealed but according to the way in which they have distorted it as in the case of the descriptions of the Prophet s and other similar matters; so that you may suppose it such distortion as part of the Book that God revealed; yet it is not part of the Book; and they say ‘It is from God’ yet it is not from God and they speak falsehood against God while they know that they are liars.

Commentary

It was during the presence of the deputation from Najran that some Jews and Christians had said: '0 Muhammad, do you want us to worship you the way Christians worship Jesus, son of Mary?' He said: 'I seek refuge with Allah that we worship someone other than Allah or call on others to do so. Allah Almighty has not sent us to do that.' Thereupon, this verse was revealed.