يَٰٓأَهۡلَ

ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ

لِمَ

تَلۡبِسُونَ

ٱلۡحَقَّ

بِٱلۡبَٰطِلِ

وَتَكۡتُمُونَ

ٱلۡحَقَّ

وَأَنتُمۡ

تَعۡلَمُونَ

٧١

O  People of the Book! Why do you mix the truth with falsehood and hide the truth knowingly?

A group among the People of the Book said ˹to one another˺, “Believe in what has been revealed to the believers in the morning and reject it in the evening, so they may abandon their faith.

And only believe those who follow your religion.” Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Surely, ˹the only˺ true guidance is Allah’s guidance.” ˹They also said,˺ “Do not believe that someone will receive ˹revealed˺ knowledge similar to yours or argue against you before your Lord.” Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Indeed, all bounty is in the Hands of Allah—He grants it to whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.”

He chooses whoever He wills to receive His mercy. And Allah is the Lord of infinite bounty.

There are some among the People of the Book who, if entrusted with a stack of gold, will readily return it. Yet there are others who, if entrusted with a single coin, will not repay it unless you constantly demand it. This is because they say, “We are not accountable for ˹exploiting˺ the Gentiles.”¹ And ˹so˺ they attribute lies to Allah knowingly.

Absolutely! Those who honour their trusts and shun evil—surely Allah loves those who are mindful ˹of Him˺.

Indeed, those who trade Allah’s covenant and their oaths for a fleeting gain will have no share in the Hereafter. Allah will neither speak to them, nor look at them, nor purify them on the Day of Judgment. And they will suffer a painful punishment.

There are some among them who distort the Book with their tongues to make you think this ˹distortion˺ is from the Book—but it is not what the Book says. They say, “It is from Allah”—but it is not from Allah. And ˹so˺ they attribute lies to Allah knowingly.

It is not appropriate for someone who Allah has blessed with the Scripture, wisdom, and prophethood to say to people, “Worship me instead of Allah.” Rather, he would say, “Be devoted to the worship of your Lord ˹alone˺—by virtue of what you read in the Scripture and what you teach.”

And he would never ask you to take angels and prophets as lords. Would he ask you to disbelieve after you have submitted?