فَبَدَّلَ ٱلَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا۟ قَوۡلًا غَیۡرَ ٱلَّذِی قِیلَ لَهُمۡ فَأَنزَلۡنَا عَلَى ٱلَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا۟ رِجۡزࣰا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَاۤءِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ یَفۡسُقُونَ
قَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلا غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ﴾ يُحْتَجُّ بِها فِيما ورَدَ مِنَ التَّوْقِيفِ في الأذْكارِ والأقْوالِ بِأنَّهُ غَيْرُ جائِزٍ تَغْيِيرُها ولا تَبْدِيلُها إلى غَيْرِها ورُبَّما احْتَجَّ بِهِ عَلَيْنا المُخالِفُ في تَجْوِيزِنا تَحْرِيمَةَ الصَّلاةَ بِلَفْظِ التَّعْظِيمِ والتَّسْبِيحِ، وفي تَجْوِيزِ القِراءَةِ بِالفارِسِيَّةِ عَلى مَذْهَبِ أبِي حَنِيفَةَ، وفي تَجْوِيزِ النِّكاحِ بِلَفْظِ الهِبَةِ، والبَيْعِ بِلَفْظِ التَّمْلِيكِ، وما جَرى مَجْرى ذَلِكَ وهَذا لا يَلْزَمُنا فِيما ذَكَرْنا؛ لِأنَّ قَوْلَهُ تَعالى: ﴿فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا﴾ إنَّما هو في القَوْمِ الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهم: ﴿وادْخُلُوا البابَ سُجَّدًا وقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ﴾ [البقرة: ٥٨] يَعْنِي حُطَّ عَنّا ذُنُوبَنا قالَ الحَسَنُ وقَتادَةُ: قالَ ابْنُ عَبّاسٍ: " أُمِرُوا أنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا " .
His, the Exalted’s, statement: {But those who did wrong changed a word other than that which had been said to them} is used as evidence regarding what has been transmitted concerning the restriction (tawqīf) in remembrances and sayings, that it is not permissible to alter them nor to change them to something else. And perhaps the opponent argues with it against us in our permitting the taḥrīmah (opening declaration) of the prayer with an expression of magnification and glorification, and in permitting recitation in Persian according to the school of Abū Ḥanīfah, and in permitting marriage with the wording of a gift (hibah), and a sale with the wording of transferring ownership (tamlīk), and what follows that course. And this is not binding upon us in what we have mentioned, because His, the Exalted’s, statement: {But those who did wrong changed} is only about the people to whom it was said: {And enter the gate prostrating and say, ‘Ḥiṭṭah’} [Al-Baqarah: 58], meaning, “relieve us of our sins.” Al-Ḥasan and Qatādah said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: “They were commanded to seek forgiveness.”
ورُوِيَ عَنْهُ أيْضًا أنَّهم أُمِرُوا أنْ يَقُولُوا: هَذا الأمْرُ حَقٌّ، كَما قِيلَ لَكم وقالَ عِكْرِمَةُ: " أُمِرُوا أنْ يَقُولُوا لا إلَهِ إلّا اللَّهُ فَقالُوا بَدَلَ هَذا حِنْطَةٌ حَمْراءُ تَجاهُلًا واسْتِهْزاءً " ورُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ وغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الصَّحابَةِ وعَنِ الحَسَنِ: " إنَّما اسْتَحَقُّوا الذَّمَّ لَتَبْدِيلِهِمُ القَوْلَ إلى لَفْظٍ في ضِدِّ المَعْنى الَّذِي أُمِرُوا بِهِ “؛ إذْ كانُوا مَأْمُورِينَ بِالِاسْتِغْفارِ والتَّوْبَةِ فَصارُوا إلى الإصْرارِ والِاسْتِهْزاءِ.
And it was also narrated from him that they were commanded to say: This matter is true, as has been said to you. And ʿIkrimah said: “They were commanded to say, ‘Lā ilāha illā Allāh’ (There is no god but Allah), but they said instead of this, ‘red wheat,’ out of feigned ignorance and mockery.” And it was narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās and others among the Companions, and from al-Ḥasan: “They only deserved the blame for their changing the saying to a wording with the opposite of the meaning they were commanded;” since they were commanded to seek forgiveness and repentance, but they turned to persistence [in sin] and mockery.
فَأمّا مَن غَيَّرَ اللَّفْظَ مَعَ اتِّفاقِ المَعْنى فَلَمْ تَتَناوَلْهُ الآيَةُ؛ إذْ كانَتِ الآيَةُ إنَّما تَضَمَّنَتِ الحِكايَةَ عَنْ فِعْلِ قَوْمٍ غَيَّرُوا اللَّفْظَ والمَعْنى جَمِيعًا فَألْحَقَ بِهِمُ الذَّمَّ بِهَذا القَوْلِ وإنَّما يُشارِكُهم في الذَّمِّ مَن يُشارِكُهم في الفِعْلِ مِثْلًا بِمِثْلٍ، فَأمّا مَن غَيَّرَ اللَّفْظَ وأتى بِالمَعْنى فَلَمْ تَتَضَمَّنَهُ الآيَةُ، وإنَّما نَظِيرُ فِعْلِ القَوْمِ إجازَةُ مَن يُجِيزُ المُتْعَةَ مَعَ قَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿إلا عَلى أزْواجِهِمْ أوْ ما مَلَكَتْ أيْمانُهُمْ﴾ [المؤمنون: ٦] فَقَصَرَ اسْتِباحَةَ البُضْعِ عَلى هَذَيْنِ الوَجْهَيْنِ، فَمَنِ اسْتَباحَهُ بِلَفْظِ المُتْعَةِ مَعَ مُخالَفَةِ النِّكاحِ ومِلْكِ اليَمِينِ مِن جِهَةِ اللَّفْظِ والمَعْنى فَهَذا الَّذِي يَجُوزُ أنْ يَلْحَقَهُ الذَّمُّ بِحُكْمِ الآيَةِ.
As for one who changes the wording while the meaning is in agreement, the verse does not apply to him, since the verse only contained the account of a people who changed the wording and the meaning together, so blame was attached to them for this saying. And one only shares with them in the blame who shares with them in the action, like for like. As for one who changes the wording but brings the meaning, the verse does not include him. And the parallel to the action of the people is the permission of one who permits mutʿah (temporary marriage) despite His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Except from their spouses or what their right hands possess} [Al-Muʾminūn: 6]. So He restricted the permissibility of sexual relations to these two ways. So whoever deems it permissible with the wording of mutʿah, while it opposes marriage and right-hand possession from the perspective of both wording and meaning, then this is the one to whom the blame may correctly be attached by the ruling of the verse.