وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُۥنَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لِتَحْسَبُوهُ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ 78
Translations
And indeed, there is among them a party who alter 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 Allāh," but it is not from Allāh. And they speak untruth about Allāh while they know.
Transliteration
Wa-inna minhum lafariqqan yalwoon alsinatahum bil-kitabi litahsaboohu mina al-kitabi wa ma huwa mina al-kitabi wa yaqooloon huwa min indi Allah wa ma huwa min indi Allah wa yaqooloon ala Allah al-kadhiba wa hum yaAAlamoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns a group among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) who deliberately distort the words of scripture through misinterpretation and twisting of its meaning, presenting falsehoods as divine revelation while knowing the truth. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, they intentionally obscure the clear meanings to deceive people and attribute their fabrications to Allah, committing both intellectual dishonesty and blasphemy. The repetition of the negation emphasizes the severity of their deception and the deliberate nature of their corruption of divine truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period within Surah Ali 'Imran, which frequently addresses the People of the Book and their distortions of scripture. It relates to the broader context of dialogue with Jewish and Christian scholars in Medina who were accused of concealing or misrepresenting scriptural passages concerning the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned about adding to or altering divine revelation. In Sahih Bukhari, Aishah reported that the Prophet said: 'Whoever fabricates lies against me intentionally, let him take his place in the Fire.' This principle applies to those who falsely attribute statements to Allah's revelation.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must be vigilant against those who distort religious texts through deliberate misinterpretation, and we have a responsibility to seek authentic knowledge from reliable sources. This ayah reminds us that intentional deception in matters of faith is a grave sin that Allah fully sees and that honest adherence to divine truth is a moral and spiritual imperative.