وَإِذَا لَقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم بِمَا فَتَحَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَآجُّوكُم بِهِۦ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
“And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe. But when they go apart one with another they say: Prate ye to them of that which Allah hath disclosed to you that they may contend with you before your Lord concerning it? Have ye then no sense?” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
Taberî reports various interpretations regarding the expression 'what Allah has opened for you' in the verse; however, according to him, the most correct view is that this refers to the information about Muhammad's prophethood that the Jews found and knew about in their books, and after they explained these matters hypocritically to the Muslims, they rebuked one another among themselves. This relates to their rebuking one another because Allah gave them judgment and proof against the Muslims.
فالذي هو أولى عندي بتأويل الآية قول من قال: معنى ذلك: من بعث محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى خلقه؛ لأن الله جل ثناؤه إنما قص في أول هذه الآية الخبر عن قولهم لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولأصحابه: آمنا بما جاء به محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, several different interpretations are transmitted for the expression 'that they may argue with you by means of it before your Lord': according to some, this means the Jews using the expression from their own books as proof/evidence before Allah; according to Hasan, it is a dispute not against their Lord, but about their Lord's religion; according to Esamm, this will be a dispute that will lead to their faces turning red and their disgrace on the Day of Judgment; according to Judge Abu Bakr, some people conveyed this information to others with the purpose of friendly advice, so it would be evidence.
وثانيها : قال الحسن : أي ليحاجوكم في ربكم لأن المحاجة فيما ألزم الله تعالى من اتباع الرسل تصح أن توصف بأنها محاجة فيه لأنها محاجة في دينه . وثالثها : قال الأصم : المراد يحاجوكم يوم القيامة وعند التساؤل فيكون ذلك زائدا في توبيخكم وظهور فضيحتكم على رؤوس الخلائق في الموقف
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, the verse concerns the Jews; when some of them became Muslim and then acted hypocritically, telling Arab Muslims about the punishments that befell their forefathers, the other Jews prevented them from doing so, and they were afraid of using the knowledge Allah had given them as evidence against Muslims, saying 'We are superior to you before Allah.' In this context, the expression 'that they may argue with you' means that the Jews would use this knowledge as proof or taunt against Muslims on the Day of Judgment.
الآية في اليهود وذلك أن ناسا منهم أسلموا ثم نافقوا فكانوا يحدثون المؤمنين من العرب بما عذب به آباؤهم فقالت لهم اليهود : أي حكم الله عليكم من العذاب ليقولوا نحن أكرم على الله منكم عن بن عباس والسدي
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
Ibn Kathîr reports different views regarding the expression 'what Allah has opened for you' in the verse. According to some exegetes, this is information about the characteristics of Prophet Muhammad that the Jews found and knew about in their own books; according to others, it is Allah's judgments regarding them, such as the punishments and penalties that befell the Jews. According to Hasan al-Basrî, the hypocrite Jews, when they encountered believers, would say they had faith, but among themselves they would warn one another that they must not explain the truths that Allah had revealed in their books to the believers, otherwise this would be used as evidence against them.
وقال الحسن البصري هؤلاء اليهود كانوا إذا لقوا الذين آمنوا قالوا آمنا وإذا خلا بعضهم إلى بعض قال بعضهم لا تحدثوا أصحاب محمد بما فتح الله عليكم مما في كتابكم ليحاجوكم به عند ربكم فيخصموكم
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Bayḍâwî, this verse concerns the hypocrites among the Jews; it describes how they claim to have faith when meeting believers, while among themselves they rebuke one another regarding explaining the description of Muhammad in the Torah. The expression 'follow the ways of your forefathers' may refer to hypocrites who warn one another about being rigid in the matter of Judaism and not revealing the knowledge they found in their books, thus acting hypocritically toward both sides. The final expression 'Do they not know that Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal' encompasses both their concealing disbelief and revealing faith, as well as their concealing the knowledge Allah opened for them while showing something else and distorting words.
فينافقون الفريقين
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes agree that the verse points to hypocritical behavior within the Jewish community; they concur that the expression 'what Allah has opened' refers to the information about Muhammad's prophethood in the Torah or Allah's judgments regarding them, and that this knowledge being explained hypocritically to believers led to reproach within their own community, and they feared that this would be used as evidence or proof against them on the Day of Judgment or in this world.
Differences
While Taberî compares reports and gives weight to a single view through contextual and linguistic preference, Râzî addresses the subject more on the ground of theological and rhetorical discussion and presents the interpretations of different scholars such as Hasan, Esamm, and Judge Abu Bakr side by side, and distinguishes whether the dispute was directed toward their Lord or toward their religion. Kurtubî combines narration with linguistic analysis and adds a socio-psychological cause (fear of claims of superiority); Ibn Kathîr, relying on an extensive chain of reports from the Companions and Successors, emphasizes Hasan al-Basrî's focus on hypocrisy; Beydâwî addresses two-sided hypocrisy (toward both believers and their own community) with rhetorical subtlety. The differences stem from the exegetes' emphasis on narration versus reasoning, school differences (Râzî's theological approach, Beydâwî's summary-rhetorical style), and which side bears the concern of 'evidence.'
Historical context
The basic narration material (Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Suddî, Qatâda) remained consistent from Taberî to Bayḍâwî, but as time progressed, the style of interpretation expanded from narration to reasoning, from simple reporting to multi-faceted theological and rhetorical analysis; later exegetes such as Râzî and Bayḍâwî reorganized the same narration material and addressed the psychological and social layers of hypocrisy in greater detail.
Modern connection
This comparison reminds us that concealing knowledge or belief one possesses out of self-interest or fear can damage trust and solidarity within society. Sincerely speaking, conveying what one knows without calculation of benefit, consistency and honesty in social relations carry a thought-provoking lesson for today as well.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar