What is the interpretation of this verse (Woe to those who write the Scripture with their hands and then say, This is from Allah...)?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He is asking about a noble verse, I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan: [Al-Baqarah 2:79]?
The Shaykh : This verse contains a warning against a group from the People of the Book who distorted the Scripture by adding to it and subtracting from it. Among the things they added was that they would write the Scripture with their hands and then say, This is from Allah, this is the Book of Allah, in order to buy a small price with it, such as fame, authority, and other transient matters of this world.
Allah Mighty and Majestic says:[Al-Baqarah 2:79] regarding this forbidden act, [Al-Baqarah 2:79] regarding this earnings based on what is forbidden. Thus, they became sinful from two aspects: from the aspect of the act itself, and from the aspect of the vile earnings that resulted from it.
In this is a warning for this Ummah not to do what these people did. It is well known that no one will be able to do such a thing to the Book of Allah, because Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Hijr 15:9] But some people do such a thing with the meanings of the words of Allah. They write in the interpretation of a verse what is not its interpretation in order to gain a worldly benefit. Let such a person be informed of this warning with which Allah warned those who came before us: [Al-Baqarah 2:79].
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا فَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا يَكْسِبُونَThe Shaykh : This verse contains a warning against a group from the People of the Book who distorted the Scripture by adding to it and subtracting from it. Among the things they added was that they would write the Scripture with their hands and then say, This is from Allah, this is the Book of Allah, in order to buy a small price with it, such as fame, authority, and other transient matters of this world.
Allah Mighty and Majestic says:
Woe to them for what their hands have written
فَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْand woe to them for what they earn.
وَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا يَكْسِبُونَIn this is a warning for this Ummah not to do what these people did. It is well known that no one will be able to do such a thing to the Book of Allah, because Allah the Exalted said:
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَSo woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا فَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا يَكْسِبُونَThe questioner : May Allah bless you.