إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَآ أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَٱلْهُدَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّٰهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ ٱللَّٰعِنُونَ
“Lo! Those who hide the proofs and the guidance which We revealed, after We had made it clear to mankind in the Scripture: such are accursed of Allah and accursed of those who have the power to curse.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
Taberî states that the 'concealers' in the verse are Jewish and Christian religious scholars, and that they found in the Torah and Gospel the description, prophethood, and the righteousness of the religion of Prophet Muhammad, yet they concealed this from the people. Although the verse was revealed about a specific group, he expresses that it encompasses everyone who conceals knowledge that Allah has made it obligatory to clarify. Regarding who the cursers are, there is a difference of opinion; but according to Taberî, the most correct view is that the curse comes from the angels and the believers.
هؤلاء الذين يكتمون ما أنزله الله من أمر محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وصفته وأمر دينه أنه الحق من بعدما بينه الله لهم في كتبهم، يلعنهم بكتمانهم ذلك وتركهم تبيينه للناس
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, different views have been transmitted regarding who the 'cursers' (lanet edenler) mentioned in the verse are; according to Katâde and Rabî', these are the angels and the believers, while according to Mücahid and Ikrimah, they are the animals and insects that suffer drought due to the sins of the scholars. Zeccâj preferred the view that the angels and believers curse, and Kurtubî narrated a hadith supporting this. Furthermore, he presented evidence from the practice of Abû Hurayrah that the ruling of the verse concerning the 'concealers' is limited only to guidance and clear proofs explicitly mentioned in the verses, and that the concealment of things outside of this—especially if there is fear—is permissible.
قال قتادة والربيع : المراد ب اللاعنون الملائكة والمؤمنون قال بن عطية : وهذا واضح جار على مقتضى الكلام وقال مجاهد وعكرمة : هم الحشرات والبهائم يصيبهم الجدب بذنوب علماء السوء الكاتمين فيلعنونهم قال الزجاج : والصواب قول من قال : اللاعنون الملائكة والمؤمنون
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
Ibn Kesîr explains the scope of the expression 'cursers' in the verse through various narratives. According to a hadith narrated from Barâ' ibn 'Âzib, every living creature (other than humans and jinn) that hears the sound of the blow a disbeliever receives in his grave curses him; Atâ' says that this includes jinn and humans as well. Mücahid states that during times of famine animals curse the sinners among the children of Adam, while Abû al-'Âliyah, Rabî' ibn Anes, and Katâdah express that this is cursing done by the angels and the believers.
إن الكفار يضرب ضربة بين عينيه يسمعها كل دابة غير الثقلين فتلعنه كل دابة سمعت صوته فذلك قول الله تعالى يعنى دواب الأرض
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, those who conceal in this verse are the Jewish religious scholars (ahbâr), and what they conceal are the clear proofs that indicate the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad and the elements of guidance that are explained in the Torah. Because of this concealment, they deserve the curse of both Allah and the angels and the community of humans and jinn. However, those who repent and rectify what they have done and clarify what Allah has clarified in His book are excluded from this ruling; according to some commentators, this repentance may even be a false repentance aimed at erasing the mark of disbelief.
إن الذين يكتمون كأحبار اليهود. مآ أنزلنا من البينات كالآيات الشاهدة على أمر محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم. والهدى وما يهدي إلى وجوب اتباعه والإيمان به.
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
Râzî narrates two views regarding whom the verse addresses: some make the verse encompass everyone who conceals religious knowledge, while others restrict the verse specifically to the Jewish and Christian People of the Book. He prefers the first view on the grounds that the generality of the wording and the specificity of the cause do not prevent the generality of the wording. He also narrates reports about the fact that what the disbelievers concealed is the attributes of the Prophet and the rulings of the Sharîah.
أن العبرة بعموم اللفظ لا بخصوص السبب
Comparison
Common ground
All the exegetes agree that the verse is about those who deliberately conceal the clear proofs and guidance given to them, and that these people deserve divine curse. The majority associate these concealers with the People of the Book religious scholars who, according to transmitted reports, found and hid the attributes of Prophet Muhammad in the Torah and Gospel. Regarding the identity of those who curse, the view that they are the angels and believers stands out as the predominant shared tendency.
Differences
Taberî and Râzî, by emphasizing the generality of the wording of the verse, do not limit the ruling to the People of the Book but extend it to everyone who conceals knowledge, while Beydâvî focuses more on the Jewish scholars (ahbâr) through a contextual reading. Kurtubî and Ibn Kesîr add a different layer by transmitting reports, alongside the angel-believer view of the cursers, that animals and insects also curse; this difference is largely related to which chain of transmission is preferred. Beydâvî additionally raises a hermeneutical possibility that the exception of repentance may be false, which is not prominent in the others.
Historical context
Since Taberî, the transmitted material has remained almost fixed, and later exegetes (Kurtubî, Ibn Kesîr) diversified it by expanding these reports, while Râzî discussed the generality of the wording more systematically using principles of jurisprudential methodology. In Beydâvî, a more concise linguistic and contextual analysis comes to the fore; the basic framework has not changed over time, only the methods of justification and the number of transmitted views have been enriched.
Modern connection
This verse draws attention to the moral weight of concealing known truth—especially knowledge that carries societal benefit—out of self-interest or fear; it reminds us of the idea that knowledge and honesty must go hand in hand. In contemporary times as well, sharing known information and truth can be understood as a constructive responsibility in terms of education and social solidarity. Nevertheless, it is more appropriate to remember the verse not by reducing it directly to a current situation, but in the context of the principles of sincerity and honesty.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar