Q1: What is the broader context of these two verses? Who are they primarily addressing?
These verses return to the theme of the People of the Book, specifically targeting their religious scholars. They condemn a particular sin that stands in sharp contrast to sincere, open worship — the deliberate concealment of divine guidance even after it has been made explicitly clear to them. While the immediate audience was the Jewish scholars (Ahbar), Maududi emphasizes that the principle extends to any person of knowledge in any era.
Q2: What exactly does Verse 159 say, and what sin does it describe?
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ
“Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We have made it clear for the people in the Scripture – those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse.”
The sin described here is kitman — deliberate concealment. This is not a matter of ignorance or misunderstanding. These scholars actively hid clear proofs, including prophecies about Prophet Muhammad ﷺ found in the Torah and Gospel, and distorted other commandments to serve their personal interests and status.
Q3: What makes this sin especially grave in Maududi’s reading?
The aggravating factor is the phrase “after We have made it clear for the people in the Scripture.” The texts being concealed were not ambiguous or open to interpretation — they were explicit and undeniable. Hiding them was therefore an act of willful deception, not honest disagreement. The scholars knew the truth and suppressed it anyway, which transforms the act from error into betrayal.
Q4: What does the “double curse” in Verse 159 mean?
The verse states they are cursed by two sources. Being cursed by Allah means they are expelled from His mercy and grace. Being cursed by those who curse means, as Maududi explains, that they become deserving of condemnation by all right-thinking beings — angels, prophets, and believers alike. They are not merely punished in a hidden, spiritual sense; they become universally condemned across creation.
Q5: Does Verse 160 offer any hope for those who committed this sin? What does it say?
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَبَيَّنُوا فَأُولَٰئِكَ أَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَأَنَا التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
“Except for those who repent, reform, and make clear. I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.”
Yes — remarkably, even this grave sin is forgivable. Verse 160 opens the door to full redemption, but on three specific conditions that must be met together, not selectively.
Q6: What are the three conditions for repentance outlined in Verse 160?
Maududi identifies them precisely from the three Arabic terms used:
The first is tabu — “those who repent.” This is the internal, heart-level act: genuine remorse for the concealment and a sincere turning back to God.
The second is wa aslahu — “and reform.” This is behavioral correction — actually ceasing the act of concealment and aligning one’s future conduct with the truth.
The third is wa bayyanu — “and make clear.” This is the most demanding condition: actively disclosing and proclaiming the very truths that were previously hidden. Stopping the harm is not enough; the damage must be actively undone by spreading what was once suppressed.
Q7: Why does repentance here require public proclamation, not just private remorse?
Because the sin itself was public and damaging to the community. When a scholar conceals truth, entire communities are misled and deprived of guidance. Private repentance, while necessary, cannot undo that communal harm. The truth must be restored to the people from whom it was withheld. This is a principle of proportionate restitution — the repair must match the scale of the damage done.
Q8: Does this principle apply only to the Jewish scholars of that time, or is it broader?
Maududi is clear that while the historical context involves Jewish scholars concealing Quranic prophecies in their scriptures, the principle is universal. Any scholar or learned person — including Muslims — who conceals known truths from the Quran and Sunnah for reasons of worldly gain, social status, or partisan loyalty falls under the same warning. Knowledge of divine guidance carries responsibility, and suppressing it is a betrayal regardless of who commits it.
Q9: What is the overall lesson Maududi draws from these two verses together?
Taken together, the verses deliver a paired message of warning and mercy. The warning is stark: possessing divine truth and hiding it is the ultimate betrayal in matters of faith, and its consequence is being cut off from God’s mercy and condemned across creation. The mercy is equally clear: no sin is beyond forgiveness when followed by sincere, corrective, and public repentance. God’s closing self-description as al-Tawwab (the Accepting of Repentance) and al-Rahim (the Merciful) is not incidental — it is a deliberate reminder that the door of return remains open, even for the gravest of sins.
Messages from Quran 