The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 172
CH. 2 AL-BAQARAH PT. 1 وَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الكِتب Woe, therefore, to those. 80 who write the book with their بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُوْلُوْنَ هَذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ own hands, and then say, This لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا فَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ is from Allah,' that they may take for it "a paltry price. Woe, then, to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn. 86 "2:175; 3:200; 13:27. those not revealed. Another mal- practice of the Jews was that they distorted the meaning of the Divine Word. They themselves wrote a whole book or part thereof and declared it to be based on Biblical knowledge is not based on God's distinguish the revealed Books from Book. They rather twist the Book according to their own vain desires and false notions. It is a case of the wish being father to the thought. As the word also means, reading or recitation, the verse in this sense would mean that the Jews only know the letter of the Law and have lost all contact with its spirit. They read the Book but do not understand it. 86. Important Words: ✓ (woe) means: (1) the coming or befalling of some calamity, misfortune or sorrow; (2) punishment; (3) perdition. The expression ab, or ab, or or, etc. is used as a warning for some coming sorrow or misfortune (Aqrab & Lane). Commentary: There were Jews who composed books or parts thereof and then gave them out as the word of God. This malpractice was common among the Jews and other peoples. Therefore, in addition to the canonical Books of the Bible, there are a number of books which are supposed to be revealed, so that it has now become impossible to 172 evidence; while, as a matter of fact, it was opposed to this evidence. Those responsible for this were responsible not only for their own misdeeds, namely, fabricating and distorting the Word of God, but also for the misdeeds of their followers who were led by their example to commit one or all of the following acts (1) tampering with the Word of God (2:76); (2) preferring worldliness to religion (2:77); and (3) following their own vain desires and false notions (2:79). Hence, while speaking of them, the Quran uses the word J (woe) in order to warn them and remind them of the seriousness of their offence. Some Christian writers have argued that the verse under comment proves that the Jewish and Christian scriptures were intact at the time of the Holy Prophet. This inference is