Author: Muhammad Asim Ismailzahi
The Appearance of the Jews in the Holy Quran (Part 5)
The Jews’ Distortion of the Holy Books
It can be understood from the entire collection of verses in the Holy Quran about the distortion of the Jews, they used to commit various types of distortion in their Holy Book. Sometimes their distortion was spiritual; that is, they interpreted a phrase that had been revealed in their Holy Book contrary to its real meaning; they preserved the words in their original form and changed their meanings. And sometimes they resorted to verbal distortion and, out of mockery, instead of saying “We hear and obey,” they said “We hear and disobey.” Sometimes they resorted to concealing a part of the Divine verses. They made clear what was in accordance with their wishes and concealed what was against their wishes.
Even though the Holy Book was present, sometimes they would place their hands on a part of it to deceive people so that the person could not read it. [1]
Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an: “يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ لَا يَحْزُنْكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ مِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۛ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا ۛ سَمَّاعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ سَمَّاعُونَ لِقَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ لَمْ يَأْتُوكَ ۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوَاضِعِهِ ۖ يَقُولُونَ إِنْ أُوتِيتُمْ هَٰذَا فَخُذُوهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ تُؤْتَوْهُ فَاحْذَرُوا ۚ وَمَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ فِتْنَتَهُ فَلَنْ تَمْلِكَ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُطَهِّرَ قُلُوبَهُمْ ۚ لَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا خِزْيٌ ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ.” Translation: “O Prophet! Let not those who hasten to disbelief grieve you, whether they say with their tongues, ‘We believe,’ but their hearts do not believe, or those who are Jews, who listen intently to falsehood and listen intently to the command of a people who have not come to you. (Those) who distort the words of Allah after they have been established in their places, (and change their true meaning and say to their unlettered followers and followers): ‘If they are conveyed to you, then accept them, but if they are not conveyed to you, then beware.’ And those whom Allah intends to punish, you will never be able to avert the punishment of Allah at all. “These are they whose hearts Allah does not wish to purify; for them is disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter a great punishment.” [2]
The status of the Jewish common people
In this sin, the Jewish common people also share with their scholars; because they had realized by their nature that scholars who consume forbidden things and take bribes cannot be trustworthy and truthful in their speech. So they should have stayed away from them, but they also encouraged these vain words, rather they incited, encouraged and strengthened them in their work.
As we have said before, the Jews did not acquire this art of distortion for the first time; rather, it was part of their long-standing tradition and they were bold in their attitude towards the prophets. They called Prophet Suleiman (peace be upon him) a sorcerer and… for a small gain (a lavish party) and other reasons, they distorted the verses of the Torah that were about the characteristics of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his family, and his companions, and this is the small price.
“إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا أُولَٰئِكَ لَا خَلَاقَ لَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ” Translation: “Indeed, those who sell the covenant of Allah and their oaths for a small price, they will have no share in the Hereafter; and Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and for them is a painful punishment.” [3]
And in another verse he says: “وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَكْتُمُونَهُ فَنَبَذُوهُ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ وَاشْتَرَوْا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَا يَشْتَرُونَ” Translation: “And (remember) when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Holy Book that you should definitely express it (rules and truths) to the people and not hide it. So they abandoned it (the covenant and the book) and did not pay attention to it, and they took a small price for it; and evil is what they earn”. [4]
And in contrast to these, there are those who are never willing to trade their religion for worldly goods, and the most valuable thing to them is the religion of Allah and the covenant they have made with Allah.
Of course, the fact that we said that the Jews distorted the heavenly books, especially the Torah (in order to deceive the common Jews), in order to achieve worldly benefits or in order not to lose them, does not mean that they distorted the entire Torah and changed all its words and concepts, and this heavenly book does not contain any divine revelation; Rather, the Jews were more sensitive to the kind of divine word in the Torah that contained the characteristics of the last prophet, either in some way related to this issue or perhaps they saw that word as contradictory to their interests, as this point is evident from the divine verses. [5]
Continues…
References:
- Shalabi and Nadwi, Allama Shalabi No’mani and Allama Sayyed Sulaiman Nadwi, Forough Javidan, Vol. 1, p. 237, translated by Abdul Majid Moradzehi, published in 1389 AH, Farooq Azam Publications.
- Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse: 41.
- Surah Al-Imran, verse: 77.
- Surah Al-Imran, verse: 187.
- Usmani, Habib al-Rahman, How Islam Spread, p. 91, translated by Abdul Ghani Sheikh Jami, Torbat Jam, Tasnim Jam Publications, 1391 AH.
