Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 42 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:42

وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

“And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].”

Saheeh International

Essence

Two ways to bury the truth: blend it with falsehood until it cannot be told apart, or keep it hidden while you know it.

A reflection

Muddy the water, or hide the well

A forged twenty-pound note passes through three shops before anyone notices. It was printed on genuine banknote paper, with a real watermark taken from a bleached five. Most of what the cashiers touched was real. That is exactly why they were fooled.

The ayah forbids two things: lā talbisū al-ḥaqqa bi-l-bāṭil, do not clothe or mix the truth with falsehood. And do not conceal the truth while you know it. A classical theologian explains why these two belong together. There are only two ways to lead another person astray, he writes. If they have already heard the evidence, you confuse it for them. If they have not heard it, you keep it from reaching them. Mixing is the first method. Concealing is the second.

The word labs means mixing and confusing. One classical commentator notes that it can also be read from libās, clothing. On that reading, the falsehood is a garment thrown over the truth so that its shape cannot be seen.

The same theologian explains how the mixing worked. The relevant passages in earlier scripture needed careful reading. So objections and doubts were raised around them, until the meaning seemed unclear to those trying to understand.

The two methods have never been more powerful than now. A feed can flood a question with half-truths, plausible clips and confident voices until most people give up on knowing. Or the same feed can simply never show you what you needed to see. Both bury the truth. One buries it under noise, the other in silence.

The theologian adds that although the ayah addresses the scholars of that time, it warns all people. Anyone who shares, posts or teaches is a potential mixer or concealer. Before passing something on, ask: is this whole, or is it a real watermark on a forged note? And is there anything I know that the other person needs, which I am keeping back?

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.