Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Baqarah 2:75

Word by word

۞ أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَـٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُۥ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

Do you covet [the hope, O believers], that they would believe for you while a party of them used to hear the words of Allāh and then distort it [i.e., the Torah] after they had understood it while they were knowing?

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

There was little Hope that the Jews Who lived during the Time of the Prophet could have believed

Allah said,أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ(Do you covet) O believers,أَن يُؤْمِنُواْ لَكُمْ(That they will believe in your religion) meaning, that these people would obey you They are the deviant sect of Jews whose fathers witnessed the clear signs but their hearts became hard afterwards. Allah said next,وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَـمَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ(Inspite of the fact that a party of them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allah (the Tawrah), then they used to change it) meaning, distort its meaning,مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ(after they understood it). They understood well, yet they used to defy the truth,وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ(knowingly), being fully aware of their erroneous interpretations and corruption. This statement is similar to Allah's statement,فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَـقَهُمْ لَعنَّـهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَضِعِهِ(So, because of their violation of their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts grow hard. They change the words from their (right) places) (5:13).

Qatadah commented that Allah's statement;ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ(Then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it) "They are the Jews who used to hear Allah's Words and then alter them after they understood and comprehended them." Also, Mujahid said, "Those who used to alter it and conceal its truths; they were their scholars." Also, Ibn Wahb said that Ibn Zayd commented,يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَـمَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ(used to hear the Word of Allah (the Tawrah), then they used to change it) "They altered the Tawrah that Allah revealed to them, making it say that the lawful is unlawful and the prohibited is allowed, and that what is right is false and that what is false is right. So when a person seeking the truth comes to them with a bribe, they judge his case by the Book of Allah, but when a person comes to them seeking to do evil with a bribe, they take out the other (distorted) book, in which it is stated that he is in the right.

When someone comes to them who is not seeking what is right, nor offering them bribe, then they enjoin righteousness on him. This is why Allah said to them,أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَـبَ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ(Enjoin you Al-Birr (piety and righteousness and every act of obedience to Allah) on the people and you forget (to practise it) yourselves, while you recite the Scripture (the Tawrah)! Have you then no sense) (2:44)"The Jews knew the Truth of the Prophet , but disbelieved in Him

Allah said next,وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلاَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ(And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe", but when they meet one another in private..).

Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn `Abbas commented,وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قَالُوا ءَامَنَّا(And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe") "They believe that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah, `But he was only sent for you (Arabs)"' However, when they meet each other they say, "Do not convey the news about this Prophet to the Arabs, because you used to ask Allah to grant you victory over them when he came, but he was sent to them (not to you)." Allah then revealed,وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلاَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ قَالُواْ أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَآجُّوكُم بِهِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ(And when they (Jews) meet those who believe (Muslims), they say, "We believe," but when they meet one another in private, they say, "Shall you (Jews) tell them (Muslims) what Allah has revealed to you, that they (Muslims) may argue with you (Jews) about it before your Lord") meaning, "If you admit to them that he is a Prophet, knowing that Allah took the covenant from you to follow him, they will know that Muhammad ﷺ is the Prophet that we were waiting for and whose coming we find foretold of in our Book.

Therefore, do not believe in him and deny him." Allah said,أَوَلاَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ(Know they (Jews) not that Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal).

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "When the Jews met the believers they used to say, `We believe.' When they met each other, some of them would say, `Do not talk to the companions of Muhammad ﷺ about what Allah has foretold in your Book, so that the news (that Muhammad ﷺ is the Final Messenger) does not become a proof for them against you with your Lord, and, thus, you will win the dispute."' Further, Abu Al-`Aliyah said about Allah's statement,أَوَلاَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ(Know they (Jews) not that Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal), "Meaning their secret denial and rejection of Muhammad ﷺ, although they find his coming recorded in their Book." This is also the Tafsir of Qatadah. Al-Hasan commented on,أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ(That Allah knows what they conceal), "What they concealed refers to when they were alone with each other away from the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ .

Then they would forbid each other from conveying the news that Allah revealed to them in their Book to the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ, fearing that the Companions would use this news (about the truth of Muhammad ) against them before their Lord."وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ(And what they reveal) meaning, when they said to the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ,ءَامَنَّا(We believe), as Abu Al-`Aliyah, Ar-Rabi` and Qatadah stated.وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ الْكِتَـبَ إِلاَّ أَمَانِىَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلاَّ يَظُنُّونَ

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

The Muslims used to take great pains in trying to make the Jews accept Islam. Having recounted so many stories of the perversity of the Jews, the Holy Qur'an points out to the Muslims that they cannot expect such a people to be sensible, and asks them not to worry much about them. For, some of the Jews have been committing an even more heinous sin - they used to change and distort the Word of Allah in spite of knowing the ignominy of such a deed. So, the Holy Qur'an wants the Muslims to realize that men who are so enslaved to their desires and so shameless in their pursuit of evil, cannot be expected to listen to anyone.

The "Word of Allah" mentioned in the verse refers to the Torah which the Jews had "heard" from the prophets, and the distortion pertains to the changes made in the words themselves or in the sense or in both; or it refers to the words of Allah which the seventy men had heard directly on the Mount Tur طور (Sinai) where they had gone to seek divine confirmation of what Sayyidna Musa (Moses (علیہ السلام) ) had been telling and the distortion pertains to their declaration before their people that Allah had promised to forgive them if they could not act upon certain commandments.

The Jews who were the contemporaries of the Holy Prophet ﷺ may not have themselves been involved in some of these transgressions, but since they did not abhor the misdeeds of their forefathers, they are to be considered as their counterparts.

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

أيها المسلمون أنسيتم أفعال بني إسرائيل، فطمعت نفوسكم أن يصدِّق اليهودُ بدينكم؟ وقد كان علماؤهم يسمعون كلام الله من التوراة، ثم يحرفونه بِصَرْفِه إلى غير معناه الصحيح بعد ما عقلوا حقيقته، أو بتحريف ألفاظه، وهم يعلمون أنهم يحرفون كلام رب العالمين عمدًا وكذبًا.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

يقول تعالى : ( أفتطمعون ) أيها المؤمنون ( أن يؤمنوا لكم ) أي : ينقاد لكم بالطاعة ، هؤلاء الفرقة الضالة من اليهود ، الذين شاهد آباؤهم من الآيات البينات ما شاهدوه ثم قست قلوبهم من بعد ذلك ( وقد كان فريق منهم يسمعون كلام الله ثم يحرفونه ) أي : يتأولونه على غير تأويله ( من بعد ما عقلوه ) أي : فهموه على الجلية ومع هذا يخالفونه على بصيرة ( وهم يعلمون ) أنهم مخطئون فيما ذهبوا إليه من تحريفه وتأويله ؟ وهذا المقام شبيه بقوله تعالى : ( فبما نقضهم ميثاقهم لعناهم وجعلنا قلوبهم قاسية يحرفون الكلم عن مواضعه ) [ المائدة : 13 ] .قال محمد بن إسحاق : حدثني محمد بن أبي محمد ، عن عكرمة أو سعيد بن جبير ، عن ابن عباس أنه قال : ثم قال الله تعالى لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم ، ولمن معه من المؤمنين يؤيسهم منهم : ( أفتطمعون أن يؤمنوا لكم وقد كان فريق منهم يسمعون كلام الله ) وليس قوله : ( يسمعون كلام الله ) يسمعون التوراة . كلهم قد سمعها . ولكن الذين سألوا موسى رؤية ربهم فأخذتهم الصاعقة فيها .قال محمد بن إسحاق : فيما حدثني بعض أهل العلم أنهم قالوا لموسى : يا موسى ، قد حيل بيننا وبين رؤية الله تعالى ، فأسمعنا كلامه حين يكلمك .

فطلب ذلك موسى إلى ربه تعالى فقال : نعم ، مرهم فليتطهروا ، وليطهروا ثيابهم ويصوموا ففعلوا ، ثم خرج بهم حتى أتوا الطور ، فلما غشيهم الغمام أمرهم موسى أن يسجدوا ، فوقعوا سجودا ، وكلمه ربه تعالى ، فسمعوا كلامه يأمرهم وينهاهم ، حتى عقلوا عنه ما سمعوا . ثم انصرف بهم إلى بني إسرائيل ، فلما جاءوهم حرف فريق منهم ما أمرهم به ، وقالوا حين قال موسى لبني إسرائيل : إن الله قد أمركم بكذا وكذا . قال ذلك الفريق الذين ذكرهم الله : إنما قال كذا وكذا خلافا لما قال الله عز وجل لهم ، فهم الذين عنى الله لرسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم .وقال السدي : ( وقد كان فريق منهم يسمعون كلام الله ثم يحرفونه ) قال : هي التوراة ، حرفوها .وهذا الذي ذكره السدي أعم مما ذكره ابن عباس وابن إسحاق ، وإن كان قد اختاره ابن جرير لظاهر السياق .

فإنه ليس يلزم من سماع كلام الله أن يكون منه كما سمعه الكليم موسى بن عمران ، عليه الصلاة والسلام ، وقد قال الله تعالى : ( وإن أحد من المشركين استجارك فأجره حتى يسمع كلام الله ) [ التوبة : 6 ] ، أي : مبلغا إليه ; ولهذا قال قتادة في قوله : ( ثم يحرفونه من بعد ما عقلوه وهم يعلمون ) قال : هم اليهود كانوا يسمعون كلام الله ثم يحرفونه من بعد ما عقلوه ووعوه .وقال مجاهد : الذين يحرفونه والذين يكتمونه هم العلماء منهم .وقال أبو العالية : عمدوا إلى ما أنزل الله في كتابهم ، من نعت محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فحرفوه عن مواضعه .وقال السدي : ( وهم يعلمون ) أي أنهم أذنبوا . وقال ابن وهب : قال ابن زيد في قوله : ( يسمعون كلام الله ثم يحرفونه ) قال : التوراة التي أنزلها الله عليهم يحرفونها يجعلون الحلال فيها حراما ، والحرام فيها حلالا والحق فيها باطلا والباطل فيها حقا ; إذا جاءهم المحق برشوة أخرجوا له كتاب الله ، وإذا جاءهم المبطل برشوة أخرجوا له ذلك الكتاب ، فهو فيه محق ، وإن جاءهم أحد يسألهم شيئا ليس فيه حق ، ولا رشوة ، ولا شيء ، أمروه بالحق ، فقال الله لهم : ( أتأمرون الناس بالبر وتنسون أنفسكم وأنتم تتلون الكتاب أفلا تعقلون ) [ البقرة : 44 ] .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.