“They distort words from their proper places.” Al-Hasan said: They distorted the word of Allah; and it is that which they fabricated from themselves in the Scripture, then claimed that it was from the Book of Allah. “And they say, ‘We hear and we disobey,’ and ‘Hear, may you not be made to hear’.” The interpretation of Al-Hasan is: May you not hear from us what you love.
Muhammad said: It was said regarding His saying: “May you not be made to hear”: They used to say it secretly to themselves. “And ‘Ra'ina,’ twisting with their tongues.” The interpretation of “Ra'ina” has already passed in Surah Al-Baqarah.
Muhammad said: “Layyan” (twisting) originates from “Lawyan,” but the Waw was assimilated into the Ya. Its meaning is distortion, meaning they twist “Ra'ina” toward what is in their hearts of insult and mockery.
﴿يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن موَاضعه﴾ قَالَ الْحسن: حرفوا كَلَام الله؛ وَهُوَ الَّذِي وضعُوا من قِبَلِ أنفسهم من الْكتاب، ثُمَّ ادعوا أَنَّهُ من كتاب الله ﴿وَيَقُولُونَ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَاسْمَعْ غَيْرَ مُسْمَعٍ﴾ تَفْسِير الحَسَن: غير مسمع منا مَا تحب.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: قيل فِي قَوْله: ﴿غير مسمع﴾: كَانُوا يَقُولُونَهُ سرا فِي أنفسهم. ﴿وراعنا ليا بألسنتهم﴾ قد مضى تَفْسِير ﴿رَاعنا﴾ فِي سُورَةِ الْبَقْرَةِ.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: ﴿ليا﴾ أَصله: لَوْيًا؛ وَلَكِن الْوَاو أدغمت فِي الْيَاء؛ وَمَعْنَاهُ: التحريف؛ أَي: يحرفُونَ [رَاعنا إِلَى مَا] فِي قُلُوبهم من السب والطعن