Waminhum ommiyyoona la yaAAlamoona alkitaba illa amaniyya wain hum illa yathunnoona
English
Ahmed Ali
Among them are heathens who know nothing of the Book but only what they wish to believe, and are only lost in fantasies.
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Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (among them are unlettered folk who know not the scripture) they do not know how to read or write it (except from hearsay) except the unfounded things they hear. (they but guess) their talk is all surmise based on what they heard from their leaders.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : and there are some of them, the jews, that are illiterate, unlettered, not knowing the scripture, the torah, but only desires, lies which were handed down to them by their leaders and which they relied upon; and, in their rejection of the prophethood of the prophet and fabrications of other matters, they have, mere conjectures, and no firm knowledge.
Sahl al-Tustari
تفسير : …who know not the book, but only [see therein their own] desires…he said:this means that they rest their hopes in god based upon falsehood, inclining towards the desire (hawā) of their lower selves without following guidance from god. this is referring to the jews. he was asked about his words:
