[His saying: "Then they distort it"]

[The first interpretation]

773 - Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Sabbah narrated to us, Shababah narrated to us, Warqa' narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid: "While a party of them used to hear the word of Allah, then they distort it after they have understood it, while they know." Those who distort it and those who know it are the scholars among them and the unlettered ones. He says: All of these are Jews.

774 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, 'Amr ibn Hammad narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi: "While a party of them used to hear the word of Allah, then they distort it." He said: It is the Torah; they distorted it.

The second interpretation:

775 - 'Isam ibn Rawwad narrated to us, Adam narrated to us, from Abu Ja'far, from al-Rabi', from Abu al-'Aliyah, who said: They went directly to what Allah had sent down in their book regarding the description of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and they distorted it from its proper meanings.

His saying: "After they have understood it, while they know"

776 - Muhammad ibn 'Ubayd Allah ibn al-Munadi informed us, in what he wrote to me, Yunus ibn Muhammad al-Mu'addib narrated to us, Shayban al-Nahwi narrated to us, from Qatadah: "Then they distort it after they have understood it, while they know." He said: They are the Jews; they used to hear the word of Allah, then they distorted it after they had heard and comprehended it.

His saying: "While they know"

777 - Ahmad ibn 'Uthman ibn Hakim al-Awdi narrated to us, Ahmad ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, regarding "while they know," he said: They know that they have sinned.

His saying: "And when they meet those who believe, they say, 'We have believed'"

778 - My father narrated to us, Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di narrated to us, 'Abd Allah ibn Abi Ja'far narrated to us, from his father, from al-Rabi' ibn Anas: "And when they meet those who believe, they say, 'We have believed'." He said: They are the Jews.

779 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, 'Amr ibn Hammad narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi: "And when they meet those who believe," he said: These are people from the Jews who believed, then turned to hypocrisy. Abu Muhammad said: Something similar to the statement of al-Rabi' was narrated from Qatadah.