وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ إِلَّآ أَمَانِىَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَظُنُّونَ 78
Translations
And among them are unlettered ones who do not know the Scripture except [indulgement in] wishful thinking, but they are only assuming.
Transliteration
Wa minhum ummiyyūn lā ya'lamūn al-kitāb illā amanī wa in hum illā yazunnūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes a group among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) who are illiterate and do not truly know the Scripture except through mere desires and wishful thinking, relying on conjecture rather than knowledge. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain this refers to those who claim religious knowledge without proper study, following their desires instead of divine guidance, exemplifying how ignorance combined with stubbornness leads to spiritual misguidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Baqarah's discussion of the People of the Book and their distortion of religious knowledge. It addresses the broader Medinan context where the Prophet (peace be upon him) encountered Jewish and Christian communities whose scholarship was sometimes corrupted by personal interests and desires rather than genuine pursuit of truth from their scriptures.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it' (Sahih Bukhari 5027), emphasizing the importance of true knowledge over mere claims. Additionally, the hadith warning against following one's desires in understanding religion relates thematically to this ayah's critique of those who rely on wishes rather than substance.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns believers against superficial religious knowledge based on desires and assumptions rather than genuine study and understanding of sacred texts. It encourages Muslims to seek authentic knowledge ('ilm) from reliable sources rather than following baseless opinions and conjectures.
Related Ayahs
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ
Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَـٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْقِصَاصُ فِى ٱلْقَتْلَى ۖ ٱلْحُرُّ بِٱلْحُرِّ وَٱلْعَبْدُ بِٱلْعَبْدِ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ۚ فَمَنْ عُفِىَ لَهُۥ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَىْءٌ فَٱتِّبَاعٌۢ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَأَدَآءٌ إِلَيْهِ بِإِحْسَـٰنٍ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ تَخْفِيفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۗ فَمَنِ ٱعْتَدَىٰ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَهُۥ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
O you who have believed, prescribed for you is legal retribution for those murdered - the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But whoever overlooks from his brother [i.e., the killer] anything, then there should be a suitable follow-up and payment to him [i.e., the deceased's heir or legal representative] with good conduct. This is an alleviation from your Lord and a mercy. But whoever transgresses after that will have a painful punishment.
يُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
They [think to] deceive Allāh and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not.