Woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands (2:79)

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

فَوَیۡلٌ لِّلَّذِیۡنَ یَکۡتُبُوۡنَ الۡکِتٰبَ بِاَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ ٭ ثُمَّ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ہٰذَا مِنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰہِ لِیَشۡتَرُوۡا بِہٖ ثَمَنًا قَلِیۡلًا

Woe, therefore, to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say: This is from Allah; to gain therewith a paltry sum

(Surah 2, Ayah 79)

Many Muslims cite this Ayah as evidence that the Bible in its present form as printed and distributed by the various Christian Churches is a corrupted text, manufactured by the hands of lying scribes. However, I dissent from such an extreme position. I believe that, insofar as the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible is concerned, it is for the most part an accurate record of the original Revelation that was received by the Israelite Prophets, and explains why much of its content is in perfect accord with the Quran, the Sunnah and the Hadith. When it comes to the so-called New Testament, the four Gospels likewise appear to be, for the most part, an accurate representation of the original Gospel of Jesus, and also an accurate account of his life and teachings. But we Muslims consider Paul of Tarsus a false teacher and one of the antichrists that Jesus himself warned would appear within his community, therefore, I would certainly agree that Surah 2:79 applies to the Epistles of Paul and that of his followers who wrote in his name which the Christians claim is divinely inspired Scripture from God. Concerning the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, I tend to the view that it is, for the most part, an accurate account of a true Vision that one of the followers of Jesus, John of Patmos, beheld. Its contents do, for the most part, accord with the Quran and Hadith.

However, in my humble view, Surah 2:79 is more relevant to some of the much later texts that were written by shameless scribes to attributed their writings to Prophets of the past and claimed these writings were therefore inspired and from God. Here I am referring to the many Gnostic texts, especially the false “Gospels” and “Apocalypses” of the heretical Gnostic and Docetist sects. It is more generally a reference to the pseudepigraphic works composed by the Jews, for example, Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer. It is ironic, therefore, that Surah 2:79 is actually primarily referring to pseudepigraphic works of the Jews and Christians that were composed subsequent to the advent of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم

Indeed, it would make more sense for the Quran to condemn such false scriptures and the scribes who manufactured them if it is a phenomenon that is to occur subsequent to the revelation of the Quran, the final divine Scripture. Consequently, Surah 2:79 would also apply to the false scripture known as the Book of Mormon, fabricated by the false prophet Joseph Smith.