ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture, [saying], "You must make it clear to the people and not conceal it." But they threw it away behind their backs and exchanged it for a small price. And wretched is that which they purchased.
Tafsir
Verse range: 3:187
"And when Allah took..."
"And when Allah took" Remember the time when Allah took the covenant from the People of the Scripture.
"That you must make it clear" The pronoun refers to the Scripture. He emphasized upon them the obligation to clarify the Scripture and avoid concealing it, just as one emphasizes to a man when he is urged to do something and is told, "By Allah, you must surely do it."
"But they cast it behind their backs" They cast the covenant and the emphasis placed upon them aside; meaning, they did not observe it and paid no attention to it. "Casting behind the back" is a metaphor for discarding something and refusing to consider it. Its opposite is "placing it before one's eyes" or "casting it between one's eyes."
This is sufficient evidence that it is binding upon scholars to clarify the truth to the people and to disclose what they have learned, and not to conceal any part of it for a corrupt purpose—such as facilitating matters for oppressors, appeasing them, seeking their favor, or for the sake of worldly gain and debris. It also forbids concealing knowledge out of fear without evidence or justification, or out of stinginess with knowledge, or out of jealousy that others might be attributed with it.
From the Prophet (ﷺ): "Whoever conceals knowledge from those who seek it shall be bridled with a bridle of fire."
From Tawus: He said to Wahb: "I see that Allah will punish you for these books." He added, "By Allah, if you were a prophet and concealed knowledge as you conceal it, I would believe that Allah would punish you."
From Muhammad ibn Ka'b: "It is not permissible for any scholar to remain silent about his knowledge, nor is it permissible for an ignorant person to remain silent about his ignorance until he asks."
From Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "Allah did not take a covenant from the ignorant to learn until He first took a covenant from the scholars to teach."
Note on the recitation: It is read as li-yubayyinunnahu (that they must make it clear) and la-yaktumunnahu (that they must not conceal it) with the ya (third person) because they are absent, and with the ta (second person) as a narration of what was addressed to them, similar to His saying: "And We conveyed to the Children of Israel in the Scripture: 'You will surely cause corruption...'" (Al-Isra: 4).
