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
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَٰجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ۖ فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - they, [the wives, shall] wait four months and ten [days]. And when they have fulfilled their term, then there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in an acceptable manner. And Allāh is [fully] Aware of what you do.
فَجَعَلْنَـٰهَا نَكَـٰلًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
And We made it a deterrent punishment for those who were present and those who succeeded [them] and a lesson for those who fear Allāh.
وَلَئِنْ أَتَيْتَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِكُلِّ ءَايَةٍ مَّا تَبِعُوا۟ قِبْلَتَكَ ۚ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَتَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا بَعْضُهُم بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَةَ بَعْضٍ ۚ وَلَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَآءَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ ۙ إِنَّكَ إِذًا لَّمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And if you brought to those who were given the Scripture every sign, they would not follow your qiblah. Nor will you be a follower of their qiblah. Nor would they be followers of one another's qiblah. So if you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, indeed, you would then be among the wrongdoers.
وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِى نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا تَنفَعُهَا شَفَـٰعَةٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided.