Transliteration:( Wa inna minhum lafaree qany yalwoona alsinatahum bil Kitaabi litahsaboohu minal Kitaab, wa maa huwa minal Kitaabi wa yaqooloona huwa min 'indillaahi wa maa huwa min 'indillaahi wa yaqooloona 'alal laahil kaziba wa hum ya'lamoon )
166. By this is meant they recite their own concocted passages like the verses of Tauraat. From this we learn that we should not recite anything which is non-QUR'AANIC like the QUR'AAN. One should not place signs of verses, ruku, etc. on them. Dalailul Khairat, Hizbul-Bahr, etc. are free of this as these have only been arranged in groups or parts. No signs as those in the QUR'AAN are included therein.
167. From this we learn that reciting or writing anything non-QUR'AANIC, to give the impression that it is from the QUR'AAN is forbidden. It is for this reason that in Arabic commentaries, the Arabic passages of commentaries are differentiated between the QUR'AAN and non-QUR'AANIC volumes, so that people are not misled.
168. From this we learn that the intensity of sin of one learned is greater than that of one ignorant because the Holy QUR'AAN has repeatedly said: “And they have knowledge of it."
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78. And verily, among them is a party who distort the Book with their tongues, so that you may think it is from the Book, but it is not from the Book, and they say: This is from Alla0h, but it is not from Allah؛ and they speak a lie against Alla0h while they know it.
Allah states that some Jews, may Allah’s curses descend on them, distort Allah’s Words with their tongues, change them from their appropriate places, and alter their intended meanings. They do this to deceive the ignorant people by making it appear that their words are in the Book of Allah. They attribute their own lies to Allah, even though they know that they have lied and invented falsehood. Therefore, Allah said,
(and they speak a lie against Allah while they know it.)
Mujahid, Ash-Sha`bi, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said that,
(who distort the Book with their tongues,) means, “They alter them (Allah’s Words).”
Al-Bukhari reported that Ibn `Abbas said that the Ayah means they alter and add although none among Allah’s creation can remove the Words of Allah from His Books, they alter and distort their apparent meanings. Wahb bin Munabbih said, “The Tawrah and the Injil remain as Allah revealed them, and no letter in them was removed. However, the people misguide others by addition and false interpretation, relying on books that they wrote themselves. Then,
(they say: “This is from Allah,” but it is not from Allah;)
As for Allah’s Books, they are still preserved and cannot be changed.” Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this statement. However, if Wahb meant the books that are currently in the hands of the People of the Book, then we should state that there is no doubt that they altered, distorted, added to and deleted from them. For instance, the Arabic versions of these books contain tremendous error, many additions and deletions and enormous misinterpretation. Those who rendered these translations have incorrect comprehension in most, rather, all of these translations. If Wahb meant the Books of Allah that He has with Him, then indeed, these Books are preserved and were never changed.
(3:78) And there is a party among them who twist their tongues while reciting the Book to make you think that it is part of the Book when in fact it is not.[66] They say: ‘It is from Allah’, when in fact it is not from Allah. They falsely fix a lie upon Allah, and do so wittingly.
66. This could mean that they either distort the meaning of the Scriptures or twist the words of the text in order to misinterpret it. Its real meaning, however, seems to be that when, during their reading of the Scriptures, they encounter any word or sentence which goes against their interests, and the beliefs and notions which they cherish, they distort the meaning of it by deliberately twisting their tongues. Instances of such tongue-twisting are not altogether wanting among those who, despite their belief in the Qur’an, share some of these people’s characteristics. For instance, some people who stress the superhuman character of the Prophet (peace be on him) misread the following verse: innama ana basharun mithlukum (Surah Al-Kahf, ayat 110) (I am nothing but a human being like you), replacing innama by inna ma ana and translate it: ‘(O Prophet), say to them: “I am not a human being like you.”
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