Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 79

Mufti Taqi Usmani

So, woe to those who write the Book with their hands and then say, “This is from Allah”, so that they may gain thereby a trifling price. Then, woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

So woe[[ i.e., warning of a curse or punishment.]] to those who distort the Scripture with their own hands then say, “This is from Allah”—seeking a fleeting gain! So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they have earned.

Ruwwad Translation Center

So woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands, and then say, “This is from Allah,” in order to trade it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn.

A. J. Arberry

So woe to those who write the Book with their hands, then say, 'This is from God,' that they may sell it for a little price; so woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for their earnings.

Abdul Haleem

So woe to those who write something down with their own hands and then claim, ‘This is from God,’ in order to make some small gain. Woe to them for what their hands have written! Woe to them for all that they have earned!

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Woe then unto those who write out the Book with their hands and say thereafter: this is from God, that they may barter it for a small price. Woe then unto them for that which thei hands had written; and woe unto them for that which they earn therwith.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say;"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.

Abul Ala Maududi

So woe to their learned people, who write the law with their own hands and then say to the people, "This is from Allah," so that they might gain some paltry worldly end. (They do not see that) this writing of their hands will bring woe to them and what they gain thereby will lead to their ruin.

Ahmed Ali

But woe to them who fake the Scriptures and say: "This is from God," so that they might earn some profit thereby; and woe to them for what they fake, and woe to them for what they earn from it!

Ahmed Raza Khan

Therefore woe is to those who write the Book with their hands; and they then claim, “This is from Allah” in order to gain an abject (worldly) price for it; therefore woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn with it.

Ali Quli Qarai

So woe to them who write the Book with their hands and then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ that they may sell it for a paltry gain. So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn!

Ali Ünal

Woe, then, to those who write the Book with their hands (interpolating into it their readings of the Scriptures and their explanatory notes thereto, stories from their national history, superstitious ideas and fancies, philosophical doctrines and legal rules) and then in order to sell it for a trifling price (such as worldly benefit, status, and renown), they declare: "This is from God." So woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they have earned (of the worldly income and the sin thereby).

Amatul Rahman Omar

Woe, therefore, to those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say, `This is from Allâh.´ They do so that they may thereby acquire some paltry gains. Woe to them for what their hands have written (to give them out as Word of God). Again (We say), woe to them for what they do (of evil deed).

English Literal

So grief/distress/woe (expression) to those who write The Book with their hands then they say: "That (it is) from at God." To buy/volunteer with it a small price, so grief/distress/woe (expression) to them from what their hands wrote , and grief/distress/woe (expression) to them from what they gather/acquire .

Faridul Haque

Therefore woe is to those who write the Book with their hands; and they then claim, "This is from Allah" in order to gain an abject (worldly) price for it; therefore woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn with it.

Hamid S. Aziz

But woe to those who write out the Book with their own hands and say "This is from Allah"; to buy therewith a little price! And woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they gain!

Hilali & Khan

Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Woe! then to those who write the Book with their hands then say, This is from Allah; so that they may take for it a small price. So woe! to them for what their hands write and woe! to them for what they earn.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Woe, then, to those who write the book with their hands and then say: This is from Allah, so that they may take for it a small price; therefore woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Therefore woe be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands and then say, "This is from Allah," that they may purchase a small gain therewith. Woe unto them for that their hands have written, and woe unto them for that they earn thereby.

Muhammad Sarwar

Woe to those who write the Book themselves and say, "This is from God," so that they may sell it for a small price! Woe unto them for what they have done and for what they have gained!

Qaribullah & Darwish

Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say: 'This is from Allah' in order to gain a small price for it. So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for their earnings.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Then woe to those who write the book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.

Wahiduddin Khan

Woe to those who write the scripture with their own hands, and then declare, "This is from God," in order to sell it for a paltry price. Woe to them because of what their own hands have written, and woe to them for what they have earned.

Talal Itani

So woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands, and then say, “This is from God,” that they may exchange it for a little price. Woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn.

Tafsir jalalayn

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).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ لِيَشْتَرُواْ بِهِ ثَمَناً قَلِيلً


Then Waylun (woe) to those who write the book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price!.

This is another category of people among the Jews who called to misguidance with falsehood and lies about Allah, thriving on unjustly amassing people's property.

`Waylun (woe)' carries meanings of destruction and perishing, and it is a well-known word in the Arabic language.

Az-Zuhri said that Ubadydullah bin Abdullah narrated that Ibn Abbas said,

"O Muslims! How could you ask the People of the Book about anything, while the Book of Allah (Qur'an) that He revealed to His Prophet is the most recent Book from Him and you still read it fresh and young Allah told you that the People of the Book altered the Book of Allah, changed it and wrote another book with their own hands.

They then said, `This book is from Allah,' so that they acquired a small profit by it. Hasn't the knowledge that came to you prohibited you from asking them By Allah! We have not seen any of them asking you about what was revealed to you."

This Hadith was also collected by Al-Bukhari.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said,

"The little amount here means this life and all that it contains."

Allah's statement,

فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُمْ مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ



Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.

means, "Woe to them because of what they have written with their own hands, the lies, falsehood and alterations. Woe to them because of the property that they unjustly acquired."

Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn Abbas commented,
فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم
(Woe to them),

"Means the torment will be theirs because of the lies that they wrote with their own hands,
وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُمْ مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
(And woe to them for that they earn thereby), which they unjustly acquired from people, be they commoners or otherwise.