Zayd, and al-Harith b. 'Awf said to one another: "Come, let us believe in what has been revealed to Muhammad and his companions in the morning, and disbelieve in it in the evening, so that we may confuse them regarding their religion, perhaps they will do as we do and turn back from their religion." So Allah, the Exalted, revealed concerning them: "O People of the Scripture, why do you confuse the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]" up to His saying: "Say, 'Indeed, all bounty is in the hand of Allah; He grants it to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.'"

[His saying, the Exalted: "And you conceal the truth while you know [it]"]

[The First Aspect]

3676 - Ahmad b. 'Uthman b. Hakim narrated to us, Ahmad b. al-Mufaddal narrated to us, Asbat b. Nasr narrated to us, from al-Suddi, regarding His saying: "And you conceal the truth [about] Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." Abu Muhammad said: It was narrated from al-Hasan, al-Rabi' b. Anas, Qatadah, and Muqatil b. Hayyan something similar to this.

[The Second Aspect]

3677 - 'Ali b. al-Mubarak reported to us in what he wrote to me, Zayd b. al-Mubarak narrated to us, Ibn Thawr narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, regarding His saying: "And you conceal the truth," he said: [It is] Islam, the religion of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

His saying, the Exalted: "While you know [it]"

3678 - I read to Muhammad b. al-Fadl, Muhammad b. 'Ali narrated to us, Muhammad b. Muzahim informed us, Bukayr b. Ma'ruf narrated to us, from Muqatil b. Hayyan, regarding "While you know [it]," he said: You know that the religion with Allah is Islam and that the matter of Muhammad is the truth. Abu Muhammad said: It was narrated from al-Rabi' b. Anas something similar to this.

His saying, the Exalted: "And a faction [of the People of the Scripture] said"

3679 - Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, regarding "And a faction of the People of the Scripture said," he said: It was the rabbis of the Arab villages, twelve rabbis.

His saying, the Exalted: "Of the People of the Scripture"

3680 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashaj narrated to us, 'Ubayd Allah narrated to us, from Isra'il, from al-Suddi, from Abu Malik, regarding "And a faction of the People of the Scripture said," he said: It was the Jews.