Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:78)

Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:78)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

The Scandal of Distortion

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَابِ لِتَحْسَبُوهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ‎﴿٧٨﴾‏

3:78 And indeed, there is among them a party who distorts the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, “This is from Allah (SWT),” but it is not from Allah (SWT). And they tell a lie against Allah (SWT) while they know.

Commentary: The Scripture contained Verses that authentically portrayed the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) [1]. However, after the Prophet’s (PBUH) arrival, some Jewish scholars, in a calculated act of scholarly deceit, distorted these Verses and falsely attributed them to God [2]. Their cunning ploy was to argue that the Prophet’s (PBUH) characteristics, as described in the Scripture, did not align with the Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) characteristics. Hence, he is not the foretold prophet described in the Scripture. This was just one of their many tactics to undermine the Prophet’s (PBUH) prophethood.

Tabarsi, in Majma Al-Bayan, narrates that verse 3:78 was revealed at a time when Jewish scholars like “Ka’b ibn Ashraf” (کعب بن اشرف) and “Hayy ibn Akhtab” (حیىّ بن اخطب) were initiating the despicable act of distorting the verses of Taurat and attributing them to God. This historical context sheds light on the Prophet’s (PBUH) challenges during his mission [3].

The Jewish scholars saw the Prophet’s (PBUH) presence in Medina as a threat to their social status and material interests; hence, they committed many injustices against the Prophet (PBUH). God Almighty would have provided for their spiritual and material needs if they broadened their perspective and acted with pure intentions.

The Verse reads: “And indeed, there is among them (the People of the Book) a party (مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا) who distort the Scripture with their tongues (يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَابِ) so you may think it is from the Scripture (لِتَحْسَبُوهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ), but it is not from the Scripture (وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ).”

The word “Yalwoona” (يَلْوُونَ) means “they distort” or “they twist,” and “Yalwoona Alsinatahum Bialkitabi” (يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَابِ) implies that the scholars, with their audacious and manipulative skills, twisted their tongues when reading verses from the Tauraut that mentioned the Prophet’s (PBUH) attributes. Their manipulation was so adept that they changed the meaning of the text, leading the listeners to believe that the scholars were reading the text of the Scripture.

Verse 3:78 states that the scholars told the audiences what they heard was revealed from God, although it was not from God. The Verse reads: “And they say, “This is from Allah (SWT) (وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ),” but it is not from Allah (SWT) (وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ). And they tell a lie against Allah (SWT) while they know (وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ).”

[1] Al-A’raf, 7:157 (الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ)

[2] Al-Baqarah, 2:79 (يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ)

[3] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.2, P.629