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It is reported by Imam Asma’i that he once recited the verse of the Qur’an in Surah Al Ma’idah 38 which is:

 

وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَۃُ فَاقْطَعُوۡۤا اَیۡدِیَہُمَا جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا کَسَبَا نَکٰلًا مِّنَ اللہِ ؕ وَاللہُ عَزِیۡزٌ حَکِیۡمٌ ﴿۳۸﴾

 

“And cut off the hands of those men or women who are thieves – a recompense of their deeds, a punishment from Allah; and Allah is Almighty, Wise”

 

However, at the end of the verse instead of reading, “and Allah is Almighty, Wise” he read and “Allah is Oft Forgiving, Merciful”.

 

At that moment, there was a Bedouin who was standing nearby and he asked, “Whose words are these?”

 

I replied that these were the words of the Allah Almighty. He then asked me to re-read the words. I again re-read the words and changed the last part of the verse.

After hearing these words again, he remarked that these can never be the words of the Allah Almighty.

 

However, on the third occasion I recited the words, “and Allah is Almighty, Wise.”

 

When I recited these words, only then did he state that these are the words of the Allah Almighty.

 

I then asked him whether he could recite the Qur’an and he replied that he could not read the Qur’an.

 

I was shocked that then asked him how he had figured out that I was not actually reading the correct words of the Qur’an. The reason is that the Allah is “Almighty” and that is why He has a given a specific command that the hand of a person should be cut off. If in this regard, He was “Oft Forgiving and Merciful,” He would not have commanded us to cut off the hand.

(Nawaadir)