Al Imran: (71) O People of the Book...

Know that the scholars among the Jews and Christians had two professions:

1. They disbelieved in the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), even though they knew in their hearts that he was a true messenger from God. God Almighty forbade them from this practice in the first verse.
2. They exerted effort in casting doubts and concealing clear proofs and evidence. God Almighty forbade them from this practice in this second verse.

Thus, the first station is one of misguidance and error, and the second station is one of misleading and causing others to err. This section contains several issues:

Issue 1: Recitations of تَلْبِسُونَ (Tūlbisūna)

It has been recited with a shaddah (doubling) on the bā’ (تُلَبِّسُونَ), meaning "you mix/confuse." Yahya ibn Waththāb recited it with a fatḥah on the bā’ (تَلْبِسُونَ), meaning "you wear/clothe," similar to the saying of the Prophet (PBUH): "Like one wearing two garments of falsehood" (كَلَابِسِ ثَوْبَيْ زُورٍ), and the poetry:

Issue 2: The Means of Concealing the Truth

Know that the one striving to conceal the truth has no way to do so except through one of two means: either by casting a doubt that suggests falsehood, or by concealing the proof that indicates the truth.

Therefore, the phrase {You mix the truth with falsehood} (تَلْبِسُونَ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ) refers to the first means, and the phrase {and you conceal the truth} (وَتَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ) refers to the second means.

As for mixing the truth with falsehood, it admits several interpretations here:

1. Alteration of the Torah: They mixed what was revealed with what was altered (according to Al-Hasan and Ibn Zayd).
2. Deception of the People: They agreed to show Islam at the beginning of the day and then revert from it at the end of the day to cause doubt among the people (according to Ibn Abbas and Qatadah).
3. Using Ambiguity in Scripture: The Torah contains passages indicating the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) through glad tidings, descriptions, and attributes, but it also contains passages that suggest the opposite. Thus, it becomes like the clear (muḥkam) and the ambiguous (mutashābih). They would confuse the weak by mixing one with the other, as many proponents of anthropomorphism (mushabbihah) do today. This is the view of the Qadi.
4. Argumentation based on Legal Precepts: They would say, "Muhammad acknowledges that Moses (peace be upon him) is true, yet the Torah indicates that the law of Moses (peace be upon him) is not abrogated." All of this is casting doubts.

As for the Almighty’s saying {and you conceal the truth} (وَتَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ), it means that the verses present in the Torah that indicated the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) required contemplation and reflection to derive the proof. These people exerted effort to hide those specific phrases whose totality led to this deduction, just as the people of innovation in our time strive to prevent the proofs of the verified scholars from reaching their common folk.

As for the Almighty’s saying {while you know} (وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ), it has several interpretations:

1. You know that you only do this out of obstinacy and envy.
2. {While you know} means you are masters of knowledge and understanding, not masters of ignorance and superstition.
3. {While you know} that the punishment for those who commit such acts is severe.

Issue 3: Divine Decree and Human Action

The Qadi said that the Almighty’s statement, {Why do you disbelieve?} (لِمَ تَكْفُرُونَ) and {Why do you mix the truth with falsehood?} (لِمَ تَلْبِسُونَ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ) indicates that these are their actions, because it is not permissible for God to create these actions within them and then ask, "Why did you do this?"

The response is that an action depends on the impetus (dāʿiyah). If that impetus occurs without a creator, it necessitates the denial of the Maker. If the servant is the creator of it, it requires another intention (irādah). If God Almighty is the creator of it, then you are subject to the same principle you impose upon us. And God knows best.