Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:46

An-Nisa (4): Verse 46

(46) Some of those who are Jews...

Allah, the Exalted, having recounted that they "purchase misguidance," now explains the nature of that misguidance, which involves several matters.

The First Matter: Their Distortion of the Word

This refers to their twisting of the divine text. There are several related issues:

Issue 1: The Attachment of the Phrase {Some of those who are Jews}

There are several possibilities for its grammatical connection:

1. It clarifies "those who were given a portion of the Book." The meaning is: Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Book, some of whom are Jews [who do this]?
2. It relates to the phrase {a helper} (in the preceding verse). The meaning is: And Allah is sufficient as a helper for some of those who are Jews (who believe in you). This is like His saying: "And We aided him against the people who denied Our signs" (Al-Anbiya: 77).
3. It is the predicate of an omitted subject. The meaning is: Some of those who are Jews are people who distort the word, where the subject (people) is omitted and the predicate (who distort) stands in its place.
4. Since Allah said, "Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Book, [who] purchase misguidance?" (An-Nisa: 44), and this statement remained general in two ways, it is as if the question was: And among those given a portion of the Book, who is it? The answer was: Some of those who are Jews. Then it was asked: How do they purchase misguidance? The answer was: They distort the word...

Issue 2: The Grammar of "Mawāḍi‘" (Places)

Someone might ask: Since al-kalim (the word) is treated as a plural, the feminine plural form mawāḍi‘ihā (their places) should have been used instead of the masculine plural mawāḍi‘ihi (their places).

Answer: Al-Wāḥidī stated that when the plural form has fewer letters than its singular form, it is permissible to treat it as masculine. Furthermore, the femininity of a plural is often a linguistic convention, not a true reality, so both masculine and feminine treatment is permissible. It has also been recited as yuḥarrifūna al-kalima ‘an mawāḍi‘ihā (with the feminine pronoun).

Issue 3: The Manner of Distortion (Taḥrīf)

There are several interpretations of how they distorted the word:

1. Changing the text: They substituted one word for another, such as replacing the word for "stoning" (ar-rajm) in the Torah with "the prescribed punishment" (al-ḥadd), or replacing the description of Adam's height with something else. This is similar to what Allah says: "Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, 'This is from Allah'" (Al-Baqarah: 79).
   • Objection: How could this happen in a Book whose letters and words reached the level of widespread, established transmission across East and West?
   • Reply: Perhaps the people involved in the distortion were few, and the scholars of the Book were extremely scarce, enabling them to carry out this alteration.
2. Misinterpretation (Ta’wīl): The intended meaning of distortion is casting false doubts and corrupt interpretations, diverting the word from its true meaning to a false one through linguistic trickery. This is what innovators do today with verses contrary to their doctrines. This interpretation is the soundest.
3. Altering the Prophet's Speech: They would come to the Prophet (PBUH), ask him about a matter, he would inform them so they could act upon it, and then they would leave and alter his words.

Issue 4: The Difference between "‘an Mawāḍi‘ihi" and "Min Ba‘di Mawāḍi‘ihi"

Allah mentions here {from their places} (‘an mawāḍi‘ihi), but in Al-Mā’idah, He says {from after their places} (min ba‘di mawāḍi‘ihi).

The difference lies in the interpretation of distortion:

• If distortion means corrupt interpretation (as in this verse), then {‘an mawāḍi‘ihi} means they present false interpretations for those texts, without necessarily removing the literal wording from the Book.
• The verse in Al-Mā’idah indicates they combined both actions: they presented false interpretations, and they removed the literal wording from the Book. Thus, {yuḥarrifūna al-kalima} refers to the false interpretation, and {min ba‘di mawāḍi‘ihi} refers to its removal from the text.

The Second Matter: Their Response to Commands

This is what Allah mentions: {And they say, "We hear, but we disobey"}. There are two interpretations:

1. When the Prophet (PBUH) commanded them something, they would outwardly say, "We hear," but inwardly they intended, "We disobey."
2. They openly uttered, "We hear, but we disobey," as an expression of defiance and contempt for the command.

The Third Matter: Their Mockery

This is Allah's statement: {And [they say], "Listen, may you not hear anything good"} (Wā-smi‘ ghayra musma‘).

This phrase can imply praise/honor or insult/reproach.

• Praise: If it means, "Listen, but hear nothing unpleasant."
• Insult/Reproach (which is what they intended):
  1. They would say to the Prophet (PBUH), "Listen!" but in their hearts, they meant, "May you not hear!" (Lā sami‘ta). Thus, ghayra musma‘ means "not hearing" (since the one who hears is musmi‘, and the one who makes others hear is musmi‘).
  2. It means, "What you hear from us will not be accepted, nor will your call be answered." It is as if you heard nothing that agrees with you.
  3. It means, "Listen to words that you will not approve of." If the words are displeasing, a person naturally does not listen to them.

Therefore, the phrase is inherently ambiguous, and they used it with the intent to insult.

The Fourth Matter: Their Deceitful Speech

This is their saying: {Rā‘inā} (Look after us/Consider us), {with a twist of their tongues and as a slander against the religion.

The interpretation of {Rā‘inā} was previously mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah, but here are the views:

1. It was a word used among them for jest and mockery, which is why Muslims were forbidden from using it in the presence of the Prophet (PBUH).
2. It means, "Direct your hearing to us" (Ar‘inā sam‘aka), meaning pay attention and comprehend our speech. This manner of address is inappropriate for Prophets; they should be addressed with reverence.
3. They would say Rā‘inā while pretending to mean "direct your hearing," but intending to insult him with the word Ru‘ūnah (foolishness/stupidity) in their language.
4. They would twist their tongues so that Rā‘inā sounded like Rā‘īnā (meaning: you used to herd our sheep for us).

Regarding {with a twist of their tongues} (liyan bi-alsinatihim): Al-Wāḥidī said the root is lawyan (twisting), but the wāw was assimilated into the yā’ because it preceded it while being silent.

Interpretations of the "twist":

1. Al-Farrā’ said they would say Rā‘inā intending insult, and this is the twist (layy). Similarly, saying ghayra musma‘ intending "may you not hear" (lā sami‘ta) is also this twist.
2. They would connect what they concealed (insult) with what they showed (reverence) as a form of hypocrisy.
3. They might have contorted their cheeks and tongues while saying this as a form of mockery, similar to how people mock others through physical gestures.

Allah then clarifies that they do these things {as a slander against the religion}. They would tell their companions, "We are only insulting him, and he doesn't know it. If he were a Prophet, he would know this." By revealing their actions, Allah demonstrated the corruption of their inner selves. What they intended as an insult to his character turned into conclusive proof of his prophethood, because informing about the unseen is a miracle.

• Objection: How could they use a phrase with two possible meanings (praise/insult) after they had already distorted the text and said, "We hear but we disobey"?
• Answer:
  1. Some commentators state they did not openly say "and we disobey," but only intended it inwardly.
  2. Even if they said it openly, all disbelievers confronted him with disbelief and disobedience, but they did not necessarily confront him with direct insults and mockery.

The Alternative Good Path

Then Allah says: {But if they had said, "We hear and obey," and "Listen and regard us," it would have been better for them and more upright.

This means if they had said instead of "We hear but we disobey," the phrase "We hear and obey," acknowledging his truthfulness and the repeated clear proofs he presented; and instead of "Listen, may you not hear anything good," they said "Listen and regard us" (Unẓurnā), meaning: Listen to what we say, and regard us so we may understand you—this would have been better for them with Allah and more upright (aqwam), meaning more just and correct. (A straight spear is called qawīm).

The Consequence

Then Allah says: {But Allah has cursed them because of their disbelief}. This means Allah cursed them specifically due to their disbelief.

Then: {so they do not believe except a few}. There are two views on qalīlan (a few):

1. Qalīlan is an adjective describing the people: "So only a few people among them believe." Some said this few were 'Abdullah ibn Salām and his companions, or those whom Allah knew would eventually believe.
2. Qalīlan is an adjective describing the belief: "So they do not believe except with little faith." They believed in Allah, the Torah, and Moses, but they disbelieved in the rest of the Prophets. Abū ‘Alī al-Fārisī preferred this view, arguing that qalīlan is singular, whereas if it referred to people, it should be plural, like in "Indeed, these are a small band" (Ash-Shu‘arā’: 54).
   • Rebuttal: The singular form can refer to the plural, as seen in "And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, then those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor..." (An-Nisā’: 69), and "No close friend will ask about [the fate of] another close friend, though they will be shown each other." (Al-Ma‘ārij: 10-11). The return of the pronoun in the plural form to the two groups indicates that the singular terms were intended to mean a multitude.

An-Nisa (4): Verse 47

(47) O you who were given the Scripture, believe in what We have sent down confirming what is with you—before We efface faces and turn them backward, or curse them as We cursed the companions of the Sabbath. And the command of Allah is always done.