إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ أُولَئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ ﴿۱۵۹﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَبَيَّنُوا فَأُولَئِكَ أَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنَا التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿۱۶۰﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿۱۶۱﴾
﴾159﴿ Innal lazeena yaktumoona maaa anzalnaa minal baiyinaati walhudaa mim ba'di maa baiyannaahu linnaasi fil kitaabi ulaaa'ika yal'anuhumul laahu wa yal'anuhumul laa 'inoon
﴾160﴿ Illal lazeena taaboo wa aslahoo wa baiyanoo fa ulaaa'ika atoobu 'alaihim; wa Anat Tawwaabur Raheem
﴾161﴿ Innal lazeena kafaroo wamaa too wa hum kuffaarun ulaaa'ika 'alaihim la 'natul laahi walmalaa'ikati wannaasi ajma'een
﴾159﴿ Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down — clear rulings and guidance — after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones whom Allah curses, and whom the cursers also curse.
﴾160﴿ Except for those who repent, do righteous deeds, and make clear (what they had concealed) — those are the ones whose repentance I accept. And I am the Ever-Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful.
﴾161﴿ Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers — upon them is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all of mankind.
[159] In this verse, there is a warning of worldly punishment for those who conceal the truth. The verse is general — not limited to the Jews. A believer must invoke curses upon such individuals.
– (Clear signs and guidance): The clear signs refer to the evident proofs of the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace), and guidance refers to the legal rulings of the Shari‘ah.
– Likewise, the clear signs can mean explicit revelation (like the Torah and the Qur’an), and guidance can mean subtle revelation, i.e., the sunnah of Musa (peace be upon him) and our Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
– Concealment (kitmān) means deliberately hiding something with intent.
– (After We have made it clear) — This indicates that they had no excuse, and it also alludes to Allah’s generosity in making the truth clear.
– (The cursers - اللَّاعِنُونَ) refers to the angels and the believers.
[160] In this verse, repentance is accepted even for those who previously concealed the truth, and three conditions are mentioned for it:
1. Tawbah (Repentance) – sincere regret and turning back to Allah.
2. Islah al-‘Amal (Correcting one's actions) – reforming one’s behavior through righteous deeds.
3. Iẓhār al-Mas’alah al-Makfiyyah (Declaring what was hidden) – openly clarifying the truth that was previously concealed.
These are the conditions for true and accepted repentance from the sin of concealing divine guidance.
[161-162] In this verse, the warning is of punishment in the Hereafter for those who conceal the truth.
The word (كَفَرُوا) refers to those who knowingly and stubbornly concealed the truth.
(وَمَاتُوا) — “and died” — indicates that they did not repent from their concealment, proving that a person’s death in a state of disbelief is not always certain to others; therefore, it is not permissible to curse someone specifically unless that is known with certainty.
(وَالنَّاسِ) — the followers and supporters of these individuals are also included; they too curse them, as mentioned in Surah A‘raf (7:38) and Surah Ankabut (29:25).
(فِيهَا) — the pronoun refers either to the curse or to Hell.
(لَا يُخَفَّفُ) — this refers to after the punishment begins, meaning it will not be lightened.
(وَلَا هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ) — this refers to before the punishment comes, meaning they will not be given any delay or respite.