يَـٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لِمَ تَلْبِسُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ 71
Translations
O People of the Scripture, why do you mix [i.e., confuse] the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]?
Transliteration
Ya ahlal-kitabi lima talbisuna al-haqqa bil-batili wa taktumuna al-haqqa wa antum ta'lamun
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah addresses the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), reproaching them for mixing truth with falsehood and deliberately concealing the truth while possessing knowledge of it. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this refers to their distortion of scriptures and suppression of clear signs about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that were mentioned in their own revealed texts. The ayah emphasizes the gravity of willful concealment of divine truth, as the sin is compounded by their awareness and understanding.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ali 'Imran's broader discourse with the People of the Book during the Medinan period. The context involves Allah's dialogue with those who possessed previous scriptures but either altered them or refused to acknowledge the truth of Islam despite recognizing signs within their own texts. This reflects the historical interactions between the Muslim community and Jewish and Christian scholars in Medina.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever conceals knowledge that Allah has made obligatory to teach will be bridled on the Day of Resurrection with a bridle of fire' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet warned against distorting divine messages and hiding knowledge.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that possessing knowledge of truth carries a sacred responsibility—concealing it knowingly is a grave sin with severe consequences. For modern believers, it emphasizes the importance of integrity in sharing knowledge, opposing corruption of truth, and the spiritual danger of suppressing conscience for worldly gains.