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Ayah
Word by Word
فَوَيۡلٞ
So woe
لِّلَّذِينَ
to those who
يَكۡتُبُونَ
write
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
the book
بِأَيۡدِيهِمۡ
with their (own) hands
ثُمَّ
then
يَقُولُونَ
they say
هَٰذَا
This
مِنۡ
(is)
عِندِ
from
ٱللَّهِ
Allah
لِيَشۡتَرُواْ
to barter
بِهِۦ
with it
ثَمَنٗا
(for) a price
قَلِيلٗاۖ
little
فَوَيۡلٞ
So woe
لَّهُم
to them
مِّمَّا
for what
كَتَبَتۡ
have written
أَيۡدِيهِمۡ
their hands
وَوَيۡلٞ
and woe
لَّهُم
to them
مِّمَّا
for what
يَكۡسِبُونَ
they earn
فَوَيۡلٞ
So woe
لِّلَّذِينَ
to those who
يَكۡتُبُونَ
write
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
the book
بِأَيۡدِيهِمۡ
with their (own) hands
ثُمَّ
then
يَقُولُونَ
they say
هَٰذَا
This
مِنۡ
(is)
عِندِ
from
ٱللَّهِ
Allah
لِيَشۡتَرُواْ
to barter
بِهِۦ
with it
ثَمَنٗا
(for) a price
قَلِيلٗاۖ
little
فَوَيۡلٞ
So woe
لَّهُم
to them
مِّمَّا
for what
كَتَبَتۡ
have written
أَيۡدِيهِمۡ
their hands
وَوَيۡلٞ
and woe
لَّهُم
to them
مِّمَّا
for what
يَكۡسِبُونَ
they earn
Translation
So woe1 to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allāh," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
Footnotes
1 - i.e., death and destruction.
Tafsir
So woe, a severe chastisement, to those who write the Scripture with their hands, that is, fabricating it themselves, then say, 'This is from God' that they may sell it for a small price, of this world: these are the Jews, the ones that altered the description of the Prophet in the Torah, as well as the 'stoning' verse, and other details, and rewrote them in a way different from that in which they were revealed. So woe to them for what their hands have written, of fabrications, and woe to them for their earnings, by way of bribery (rishan, plural of rishwa).
"The Jews hope They will only remain in the Fire for a Few Days
Allah says;
وَقَالُواْ لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلاَّ أَيَّاماً مَّعْدُودَةً قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ اللّهِ عَهْدًا فَلَن يُخْلِفَ اللّهُ عَهْدَهُ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And they (Jews) say, ""The Fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days.""
Say (O Muhammad to them):""Have you taken a covenant from Allah, so that Allah will not break His covenant! Or is it that you say of Allah what you know not!""
Allah mentioned the claim of the Jews, that the Fire will only touch them for a few days, and then they will be saved from it. Allah refuted this claim by saying,
قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ اللّهِ عَهْدًا
(Say (O Muhammad to them):""Have you taken a covenant from Allah').
Hence, the Ayah proclaims, `if you had a promise from Allah for that, then Allah will never break His promise. However, such promise never existed. Rather, what you say, about Allah, you have no knowledge of and you thus utter a lie about Him.'
Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas said about the Ayah,
وَقَالُواْ لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلاَّ أَيَّاماً مَّعْدُودَةً
(And they (Jews) say, ""The Fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days"").
""The Jews said, `The Fire will only touch us for forty days.""'
Others added that this was the period during which the Jews worshipped the calf.
Also, Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr bin Marduwyah reported Abu Hurayrah saying,
When Khyber was conquered, a roasted poisoned sheep was presented to the Prophet as a gift (by the Jews). The Messenger of Allah ordered, `Assemble before me all the Jews who were here.'
The Jews were summoned and the Prophet said (to them),
مَنْ أَبُوكُم
`Who is your father?'
They replied, `So-and-so.'
كَذَبْتُمْ بَلْ أَبُوكُمْ فُلَن
He said, `You have lied; your father is so-and-so.'
They said, `You have uttered the truth.'
هَلْ أَنْتُمْ صَادِقِيَّ عَنْ شَيءٍ إِنْ سَأَلْتُكُمْ عَنْه
He said, `Will you now tell me the truth, if I ask you about something?'
They replied, `Yes, O Abul-Qasim; and if we should tell a lie, you will know our lie as you have about our fathers.'
On that he asked,
مَنْ أَهْلُ النَّارِ
`Who are the people of the (Hell) Fire?'
They said, `We shall remain in the (Hell) Fire for a short period, and after that you will replace us in it.'
اخْسَيُوا وَاللهِ لَا نَخْلُفُكُمْ فِيهَا أَبَدًا
The Prophet said, `May you be cursed and humiliated in it! By Allah, we shall never replace you in it.'
Then he asked,
هَلْ أَنْتُمْ صَادِقِيَّ عَنْ شَيءٍ إِنْ سَأَلْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ
`Will you tell me the truth if I ask you a question?'
They said, `Yes, O Abul-Qasim.'
He asked,
هَلْ جَعَلْتُمْ فِي هذِهِ الشَّاةِ سُمًّا
`Have you poisoned this sheep?'
They said, `Yes.'
He asked,
فَمَا حَمَلَكُم عَلى ذلِك
`What made you do so?'
They said, `We wanted to know if you were a liar, in which case we would get rid of you, and if you were a Prophet then the poison would not harm you.'
Imam Ahmad, Al-Bukhari and An-Nasa'i recorded similarly.
Allah says,
بَلَى مَن كَسَبَ سَيِّيَةً وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيـيَتُهُ فَأُوْلَـيِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Yes! Whosoever earns evil and his sin has surrounded him, they are dwellers of the Fire (i.e. Hell); they will dwell therein forever.
Allah says, the matter is not as you have wished and hoped it to be. Rather, whoever does an evil deed and abides purposefully in his error, coming on the Day of Resurrection with no good deeds, only evil deeds, then he will be among the people of the Fire.
Also, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Wa'il, Ata, and Al-Hasan said that,
وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيـيَتُهُ
(And his sin has surrounded him) means,
""His Shirk (polytheism) has surrounded him.""
Also, Al-Amash reported from Abu Razin that Ar-Rabi bin Khuthaym said,
وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيـيَتُهُ
(And his sin has surrounded him),
""Whoever dies before repenting from his wrongs.""
As-Suddi and Abu Razin said similarly.
Abu Al-Aliyah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi bin Anas said that,
it refers to major sins.
All of these statements carry similar meanings, and Allah knows best.
When Small Sins gather, They bring about Destruction
Here we should mention the Hadith that Imam Ahmad recorded, in which Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said,
إِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحَقَّرَاتِ الذُّنُوبِ فَإِنَّهُنَّ يَجْتَمِعْنَ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ حَتّى يُهْلِكْنَه
Beware of the belittled sins, because they gather on a person until they destroy him.
He then said that the Messenger of Allah gave them an example,
كَمَثَلٍ قَوْمٍ نَزَلُوا بِأَرْضِ فَلَةٍ فَحَضَرَ صَنِيعُ الْقَوْمِ فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَنْطَلِقُ فَيَجِيءُ بِالْعُودِ وَالرَّجُلُ يَجِيءُ بِالْعُودِ حَتّى جَمَعُوا سَوَادًا وَأَجَّجُوا نَارًا فَأَنْضَجُوا مَا قَذَفُوا فِيهَا
This is the example of people who set up camp on a flat land, and then their servants came. One of them collected some wood and another man collected some wood until they collected a great deal. They then started a fire and cooked what they put on it.
Allah says,
وَالَّذِينَ امَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ
And those who believe and do righteous good deeds,
meaning, ""They believe in Allah and His Messenger and perform the good deeds that conform with the Islamic Law. They shall be among the people of Paradise.""
Allah said in a similar statement,
لَّيْسَ بِأَمَـنِيِّكُمْ وَلا أَمَانِىِّ أَهْلِ الْكِتَـبِ مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ وَلَا يَجِدْ لَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيّاً وَلَا نَصِيراً
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّـلِحَـتَ مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُوْمِنٌ فَأُوْلَـيِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ نَقِيراً
It will not be in accordance with your desires (Muslims), nor those of the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof, and he will not find any protector or helper besides Allah. And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a (true) believer (in the Oneness of Allah (Muslim)), such will enter Paradise and not the least injustice, even the size of a Naqira (speck on the back of a date stone), will be done to them). (4:123-124).
Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn Abbas said that,
وَالَّذِينَ امَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَـيِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
And those who believe and do righteous good deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise, they will dwell therein forever.
""Whoever believes in what you (Jews) did not believe in and implements what you refrained from implementing of Muhammad's religion, shall acquire Paradise for eternity.
Allah stated that the recompense for good or evil works shall remain with its people for eternity."
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