The words of Allah, the Most High, concerning the Jews and others also support this hadith:

“And among them are unlettered people who know nothing of the Scripture except wishful notions, and they do nothing but conjecture. So woe to those who write the Scripture with their own hands, then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ in order to gain thereby a paltry price. So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn.” (al-Baqarah 2:78–79)

It is authentically reported from Ibn ʿAbbās—may Allah be pleased with him—that he said: “O Muslims! How can you ask the People of the Scripture about anything when your Book, which Allah sent down to your Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—is the most recent message from Allah, pure and unadulterated? Allah has informed you that the People of the Scripture altered and changed Allah’s scriptures: they wrote with their own hands, then said, ‘This is from Allah,’ in order to gain thereby a paltry price. Does not the knowledge that has come to you forbid you from asking them? By Allah, we have never seen any one of them ask you about what was sent down to you!”

Al-Bukhārī recorded it (2685, 7363, 7522, and 7523), as did ʿAbd al-Razzāq in al-Muṣannaf (11/110/20060). Al-Ḥākim also recorded it through his chain (2/262–263), and al-Bayhaqī narrated it from al-Ḥākim in al-Shuʿab (4/308/5204), as well as through another source therein and in al-Sunan (10/162). Al-Ḥākim said: “Authentic according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs, though they did not record it.” Al-Dhahabī agreed with him. But his criticism of al-Bukhārī for omitting it was mistaken, for al-Bukhārī did record it, as you can see.

2833 — “The Children of Israel appointed a successor to rule over them after Moses—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. One night, he stood praying atop the Sanctuary in Jerusalem by moonlight. He remembered certain things that he had done, so he left and lowered himself by a rope. By morning, the rope was hanging in the sanctuary, but he had gone. He then set out until he came to some people on the shore of the sea and found them molding bricks, or making bricks. He asked them: ‘How much do you charge for making