Quran Garden

Session 518

Chapter 3

Verse 187

Read after the endo of this Tafsir session for a special book recommendation.

God made a covenant with those given the Book: "You must make it clear to people and not conceal it." But they tossed it in disdain behind their backs and purchased with it a small price; how wretched a purchase they made!  (Chapter 3: Verse 187)

We know, from previous sessions, that God had taken a covenant from all the Prophets to believe in and support the message of Muhammad.  He says,

God took a pledge from the prophets, saying, "If, after I have bestowed Scripture and wisdom upon you, a messenger comes confirming what you have been given, you must believe in him and support him.  Do you affirm this and accept My pledge as binding on you?" They said, "We do." He stated, "Then bear witness, and I too will bear witness." (3:81)

Today, we come to the covenant God took from The People of the Book who believed and followed their Prophets: "You must make it clear to people and not conceal it." We ask: Is it possible for people who were guided by the scriptures to conceal it?  Did they hide their Book?  Yes, and that happened in one of three ways.  First, they forgot parts of their Book, meaning they were too busy with worldly affairs and neglected God's word.  He says,

But they broke their pledge, so We distanced them and hardened their hearts.  They distort the meaning of words and have forgotten some of what they were reminded of.  (from 5:13)

And in the next verse,

We also took a pledge from those who say, "We are Christians," but they, too, forgot some of what they were reminded of.  (from 5:14)

Second, they concealed other parts of the Scripture from their followers.  God says,

Those who hide the Clear Signs and Guidance We have sent down, after We have made it clear to people in the Book, Allah curses them, and the cursers curse them. (2:159)

This action is more dangerous because, while forgetfulness can be excused, concealing is voluntary and deliberate.  Forgetfulness is not blame-free because you only forget matters you deem unimportant.  Had they practiced God's teachings daily as they should, it would not have been forgotten.  Sadly, those who did not forget intentionally concealed parts of their Book.  Sadly, some went even further. 

The third way the People of the Book broke God's covenant was by falsifying His Book with their hands and tongues.  Some added their own words, claiming they were God's, while others twisted God's words to change the intended meaning.  He says,

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!  (2:79)

And in another chapter,

There are some who twist the Scripture with their tongues to make people think that what they say is part of the Scripture when it is not; they say it is from God when it is not; they attribute lies to God, and they know it.  (3:78)

Why do all this?  The forgetfulness, deceit, concealment, and outright falsification of the Scripture?  God answers that they "purchased with it a small price." In the olden days, people traded by exchanging items that directly benefitted each other, such as food for wood or grain for livestock.  There was no buyer and seller in such a scenario because both have bought and sold simultaneously.  A buy-and-sell transaction is different because it entails exchanging an item of direct benefit, such as food, wood, or livestock, for money that has no direct benefit.  For example, when you buy a loaf of bread from a bakery for five dollars, the bread benefits you directly because you can eat it, while money does not.  In a buy and sell transaction, a person pays a price of money to purchase something of benefit.    

When you read the phrase that the People of the Book "purchased with it a small price," you realize that the transaction is upside down: someone bought a price!  It contradicts the logic of exchange.  They exchanged what is directly beneficial –which are God's teachings– for something of little benefit.  It is similar to a usurious interest transaction where money itself is the good bought and sold.  A lender sells a hundred coins in exchange for a hundred and ten coins from the borrower.  It is a prohibited transaction because it devalues work and makes money the sole object. 

Another reason for falsifying the scriptures was the threat Prophet Muhammad and Islam posed to their power structure and income streams.  Before Islam, the People of the Book -more specifically, the Jews of Medina- held all the keys to the economy, weapons manufacturing, and connection to the heavens.  They used to boast to the pagan Arabs that a heavenly Prophet would soon appear and they would support him against the Arab tribes.  God says,

When a Scripture came to them from God confirming what they already had, and when they had been praying for victory against the disbelievers, even when there came to them something they knew, they disbelieved in it: God rejects those who disbelieve.  (2:89)

In other words, prophecies about the final Messenger and the descriptions of our beloved Muhammad were clear and present with them in the Gospel.  Thus, when God says, "You must make it clear to people and not conceal it," it applies to both: the general teachings of the Gospel and the coming and descriptions of Prophet Muhammad.  The two meaning converge: making the Gospel clear to people and making the prophecies of the coming of Muhammad are one and the same. 

There was no shortage of evidence.  Prophet Muhammad's detailed attributes were in the Torah.  Abdullah bin Salam, a leader of Medina's Jewish community, said after accepting Islam, "I recognized Muhammad the minute I saw him.  I knew him as I know my own son.  In fact, my knowledge of Muhammad was greater."

Huyayy ibn Akhtab was the leader of the Jewish tribe of Banu Nudayr in Medina.  He is the father of Safiyya, the wife of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.  Huyayy and his brother were among those who recognized the authenticity of the Prophet but refused to accept Islam out of stubbornness and arrogance.

Safiyya, may God be pleased with her, narrates: "I loved my father and uncle more than anyone else, and whenever I was with them, they treated me well.  However, when Muhammad first came to Medina and stayed in Qiba, my father and uncle visited him.  They left before dawn riding on mules and did not return home until after sunset.  When they came back, they walked slowly, with gloom on their faces.  I asked them what happened, but they did not respond."

She continued, "I heard my uncle say to my father, 'Is he the one we have been waiting for?'

My father replied, 'Yes, by Allah.'

My uncle asked, 'So you recognize him and are confident it is him?' My father replied, 'Yes.  No doubt'

My uncle said, 'And how do you feel about him?' My father said, 'Nothing but enmity, and I vow never to change.'"

This brings us back to the verse.  God says, "God made a covenant with those given the Book: "You must make it clear to people and not conceal it." But they tossed it in disdain behind their backs and purchased with it a small price." Throwing an item away is a sign of contempt, for when you hate something, you like to reduce its presence as much as possible.  If your friend gives you a box of cookies and you find bugs in it, you immediately throw it away.  But sometimes, you may throw something down in front of you in the hope that you may need it in the future or have the mercy to pick it up again.  When, on the other hand, you throw it behind your back, it is a sign of complete disregard. 

We also note that the phrase "they tossed it in disdain behind their backs" is in the plural form.  It was not one Rabbi, Priest, or scholar but a group of them.  As if each of them threw God's teachings away individually, yet there was a general culture of disdain for the Scriptures.  Why would they reject their own Book?  Because adhering to it threatened the clergy's power and income.  Thus, there was a consensus on misguiding people in exchange for temporal worldly gain. 

God says, "How wretched a purchase that they made." They thought that they could buy anything and everything with money - which is the item they purchased.  But money does not benefit a person much.  It is not primary wealth.  True wealth is food, water, land, and any item that benefits you directly.  If you are lost in the desert with a ton of gold bars, what good is your wealth?  How many Gold bars would you pay for a bottle of water?  Money buys things, but there are many situations when all the money in the world is not worth something as trivial as a meal or a pill of medicine. 

QuranGarden highly recommend the book "Misquoting Jesus" by Bart D. Ehrman to our fellow Muslim listeners.  Ehrman, a renowned Biblical scholar and historian, uses thorough analysis and extensive research to explore how inconsistencies and contradictions crept into the Bible over the centuries.  This book is a must-read for Muslims seeking to broaden their knowledge about the Bible and engage in meaningful interfaith dialogue.  More importantly, you will gain a deep appreciation of the miracle of the Quran and the authenticity of Prophet Muhammad's message.  Amazon and Audible links are provided in the description box below.