Surah Al-Baqarah 2:75
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 75 of 286
۞ أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُۥ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
Translation
So can you [believers] hope that such people will believe you, when some of them used to hear the words of God and then deliberately twist them, even when they understood them?
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
When we approach Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 75, through the lens of its specific wording, we uncover profound insights into human nature and divine guidance. Allah addresses the early Muslims with a powerful rhetorical question:
What to Expect?
The verse opens with `أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ` (A-fa-tatma'oon an yu'minoo lakum), which can be translated as, "Do you (Muslims) then covet that they (the Jews) should believe for you?" The opening `أَفَ` (A-fa) isn't just a simple question; it carries a tone of strong disapproval or even astonishment. As Ibn Ashur explains, it's like saying, "How can you hope for such a thing?" or "Don't you find it strange to hold onto this hope?" The word `تَطْمَعُونَ` (tatma'oon) itself implies a yearning or coveting for something desired. It highlights the sincere hope the early believers had for the Children of Israel to accept the new message.
Notice the phrase `لَكُمْ` (lakum), "for you." Ibn Ashur notes this isn't just about believing *in* the message, but rather about acknowledging the truth *for your sake* or *because of your call*. It subtly points to a deeper issue: the Jews already knew the truth about the Prophet Muhammad's message, yet they stubbornly denied it, as hinted at in other Quranic verses.
A Profound History of Distortion
Allah then provides the reason for this rhetorical question: `وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ` (while a group among them used to hear the speech of Allah, then they distorted it). The words `كَلامَ اللَّهِ` (Kalam Allah), "the speech of Allah," are crucial. They emphasize that what this group heard was not mere human utterance but divine revelation, the very words of their Lord, likely referring to the Torah.
The verb `يُحَرِّفُونَهُ` (yuharrifoonahu), meaning "they distorted it" or "changed it," comes from the root `حَرْف` (harf), which means "edge" or "side." Ibn Ashur explains that `تحريف` (tahreef) literally means to incline something from its straight path. This implies a deliberate deviation from the original meaning or even the words themselves. It’s not an accidental misinterpretation, but a conscious act of twisting the truth. Al-Razi discusses how this distortion could be in the words or their interpretation.
Knowing and Willing Deception
The severity of their act is further emphasized by the phrases that follow: `مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ` (after they had understood it, while they knew). These two clauses are not redundant, as al-Razi clarifies. `عَقَلُوهُ` (`aqaloohu`) means they comprehended it fully, intellectually grasping its true meaning. `يَعْلَمُونَ` (ya'lamoon) then adds another layer: it means they were fully aware that what they were doing was wrong, a deliberate falsehood and distortion. They weren't ignorant; they acted with conscious defiance of the truth they knew. This makes their offense far more grave.
This profound statement serves as a comfort and a reminder to the believers: their hopes for the Jews to embrace Islam should be tempered by the historical reality of their ancestors' deliberate corruption of divine messages, even after fully understanding them.
Source: Ibn Ashur, al-Zamakhshari, al-Razi, al-Jalalayn, al-Muyassar, al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran
Sources: Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), al-Jalalayn
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:75 is discussed in 7 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Baqarah 2:75 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.