002:182

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                        002:182

فَمَنۡۢ بَدَّلَهٗ بَعۡدَ مَا سَمِعَهٗ فَاِنَّمَآ اِثۡمُهٗ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يُبَدِّلُوۡنَهٗؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ سَمِيۡعٌ عَلِيۡمٌؕ‏           

Fa  maun  baud-da-la  hoo  bau-da  maa  sa-may-aa  hoo
Fa  in-na  maa  ith-mo  hoo
Aa-la  ul-la-ze-na  yo-baud-day-loo-na  hoo
In-na  ul-laa-ha  sa-mee-oon  aa-lee-m

So whoever changed him after what they heard from him
Then most certainly his sin for changing the Divine Order
Is on those who change him as to what he had said.
Allah surely is All-Hearing, All-Knowing 

• فَ — Fa — So (= After all this; as a result; at the end; consequently; hence; in conclusion; resultantly; so; then; thereafter; therefore; thus; yet)
• مَنۡ — Maun — Whoever (= Anyone; who; whom; whomever; whoso)
• بَدَّ لَ — Baud-da-la — Changed (= v., past, m., 3^rd person. Altered; exchanged; substituted; took one thing in lieu of another; varied the terms)
• هٗ — Hoo — Him   *   (= pro., s., m., 3^rd person. Refers to ‘the decedent who spoke out the terms of his will. See the Note below)
• بَعۡدَ — Bau-da — After  (= Behind; later; subsequently)
• مَا — Maa — What (= All that; whatever; whatsoever)
• سَمِعَ — Sa-may-aa — Heard (= v., past., m., 3^rd person. Attended. Heeded. Listened. Paid attention. Outside sound came into ears. We can’t understand why some authors in translating this word added the words physically and spiritually)
• هٗ — Hoo — Him   *  (= pro., s., m., 3^rd person. Refers to the ‘decedent’)
• فَ — Fa — Then (= Consequently; as a result; so; thus; See  فَ  above)
• اِنَّمَا — In-na-maa — Most certainly (= Combination of two words. The first word اِنَّ (inna) means absolutely, definitely, doubtlessly, earnestly, indeed, positively, really, seriously, surely, truly or verily. The second word  مَاۤ  (maa) means all that, what; whatever. whatsoever. Thus  اِنَّمَا  (inna-maa) lays great emphasis on the statement that follows it as absolutely, positively and most certainly accurate’)
• اِثۡمُ — Ith-mo — Sin (= n., Crime; guilt; infraction; illegality; iniquity; injustice; offence; sin; transgression; unjust conduct; wrong. Intentional / premeditated commission of a Prohibition. Blame, accountability or responsibility for an unlawful or unjustifiable conduct for any of the above acts)
• هٗ — Hoo — That   *   (= pro., s., m., 3^rd person. Refers to the ‘decedent’)
• عَلَى — Aa-la … (ul) — On (= Above; against; before; for; on top of; over; upon)
• ٱلَّذِينَ — Aul-la-ze-na — Those who (= Reference is to ‘all those men’ in masculine gender’)
• يُبَدِّ لُوۡنَ — Yo-baud-day-loo-na — Change (= Alter; exchange; substitute. See بَدَّ لَ above)
• هٗ — Hoo — That    *   (= pro., s., m., 3^rd person. Refers to the ‘decedent’)
• اِنَّ — In-na … (ul) — Absolutely (= Certainly; definitely; doubtlessly. See  اِنَّمَا  above)
• اللّٰهَ — Laa-ha — Allah  (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
• سَمِيۡعٌ — Sa-mee-oon — All-Hearing (= n., superlative form indicates the greatest, the highest, the most and highlights that none hears more than Him All-Hearing. Most Hearing. The Hearer. The One Who never misses hearing anything. Who hears all, entirely, surely, totally, truly and wholly. Who hears all people all the time and very well. See 001:001)
• عَلِيۡمٌ– Alee-m — All-Knowing (= superlative form indicates the greatest, the highest, the most, and highlights that none more than Him Knows. See Note 002:033. Also: Informed to the maximum. The One with total knowledge and nothing out of sight. Knows all. Most Knowledgeable. Well-Acquainted with and Well-Aware of. See Note 001:001)

* Note 002:182.  This verse has used the pronoun  هٗ  (Hoo) four times. Many including Muhammad Ali, NJ Dawood, Malik Ghulam Farid, AR Omar and M Pickthall have applied this pronoun to the will in their translations. But the following point to a different conclusion.

1. The verse forbids any alteration by witnesses who heard him, the testator, who uttered his will when he neared and expected death. Only a human can hear and change what he heard. The will does not change itself.
2. The verse relates to the word  اۨلۡوَصِيَّةُ  (aul-wa-se-ya-ta), the testator, and that is why the pronoun for a single masculine gender in 3^rd person  هٗ  (hoo) is used. If it was  meant to refer to  اۨلۡوَصِيَّةُ  (aul-wa-se-ya-ta) which ends with  ة  (taa-e-taa-neeth), then the pronoun for single feminine gender in 3^rd person, i.e., هَا (haa) would have been used.
3.  The fact of hearing the testator and rules of Arabic grammar show that the pronoun هٗ  (hoo) refer to someone in the masculine gender and not to  اۨلۡوَصِيَّةُ  (aul-wa-se-ya-ta) with feminine gender. The pronoun  هٗ (hoo) in all four places in this verse refers to the testator who uttered his will and is thus best translated as ‘him’ and not otherwise.