2:175 Al-Baqara (The Cow)

هذا وعيد شديد لمن كتم ما أنزل الله على رسله, من العلم الذي أخذ الله الميثاق على أهله, أن يبينوه للناس ولا يكتموه، فمن تعوض عنه بالحطام الدنيوي, ونبذ أمر الله, فأولئك: { مَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ إِلَّا النَّارَ } لأن هذا الثمن الذي اكتسبوه, إنما حصل لهم بأقبح المكاسب, وأعظم المحرمات, فكان جزاؤهم من جنس عملهم، { وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ } بل قد سخط عليهم وأعرض عنهم، فهذا أعظم عليهم من عذاب النار، { وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ } أي: لا يطهرهم من الأخلاق الرذيلة, وليس لهم أعمال تصلح للمدح والرضا والجزاء عليها، وإنما لم يزكهم لأنهم فعلوا أسباب عدم التزكية التي أعظم أسبابها العمل بكتاب الله, والاهتداء به, والدعوة إليه، فهؤلاء نبذوا كتاب الله, وأعرضوا عنه, واختاروا الضلالة على الهدى, والعذاب على المغفرة، فهؤلاء لا يصلح لهم إلا النار, فكيف يصبرون عليها, وأنى لهم الجلد عليها؟\"

قال تعالى مخبرا عنهم "أولئك الذين اشتروا الضلالة بالهدى" أي اعتاضوا عن الهدى وهو نشر ما في كتبهم من صفة الرسول وذكر مبعثه والبشارة به من كتب الأنبياء واتباعه وتصديقه استبدلوا عن ذلك واعتاضوا عنه الضلالة وهو تكذيبه والكفر به وكتمان صفاته في كتبهم "والعذاب بالمغفرة" أي اعتاضوا عن المغفرة بالعذاب وهو ما تعاطوه من أسبابه المذكورة: وقوله تعالى "فما أصبرهم على النار" يخبر تعالى أنهم في عذاب شديد عظيم هائل يتعجب من رآهم فيها من صبرهم على ذلك مع شدة ما هم فيه من العذاب والنكال والأغلال عياذا بالله من ذلك وقيل معنى قوله "فما أصبرهم على النار" أي فما أدومهم لعمل المعاصي التي تفضي بهم إلى النار.

Criticizing the Jews for concealing what Allah revealed

Allah said:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْكِتَـبِ

(Verily, those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book.) Meaning the Jews who concealed their Book's descriptions of Muhammad ﷺ, all of which testify to his truth as a Messenger and a Prophet. They concealed this information so that they would not lose authority and the position that they had with the Arabs, where they would bring them gifts, and honor them. The cursed Jews feared that if they announced what they know about Muhammad ﷺ, then the people would abandon them and follow him. So they hid the truth so that they may retain the little that they were getting, and they sold their souls for this little profit. They preferred the little that they gained over guidance and following the truth, believing in the Messenger and having faith in what Allah was sent him with. Therefore, they have profited failure and loss in this life and the Hereafter.

As for this world, Allah made the truth about His Messenger known anyway, by the clear signs and the unequivocal proofs. Thereafter, those whom the Jews feared would follow the Prophet , believed in him and followed him anyway, and so they became his supporters against them. Thus, the Jews earned anger on top of the wrath that they already had earned before, and Allah criticized them again many times in His Book. For instance, Allah said in this Ayah (2:174 above):

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْكِتَـبِ وَيَشْتَرُونَ بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيًلا

(Verily, those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book, and purchase a small gain therewith (of worldly things).) meaning, the joys and delights of this earthly life. Allah said:

أُولَـئِكَ مَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ إِلاَّ النَّارَ

(...they eat into their bellies nothing but fire,) meaning, whatever they eat in return for hiding the truth, will turn into a raging fire in their stomachs on the Day of Resurrection.

Similarly, Allah said:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَلَ الْيَتَـمَى ظُلْماً إِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِى بُطُونِهِمْ نَاراً وَسَيَصْلَوْنَ سَعِيراً

(Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire!) (4:10)

Also, reported in an authentic Hadith is that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

«الَّذِي يَأْكُلُ أَوْ يَشْرَبُ فِي آنِيةِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ إنَّمَا يُجَرْجِرُ فِي بَطْنِهِ نَارَ جَهَنَّم»

(Those who eat or drink in golden or silver plates are filling their stomachs with the fire of Jahannam (Hell).)

Allah said:

وَلاَ يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَلاَ يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor purify them, and theirs will be a painful torment.)

This is because Allah is furious with them for concealing the truth. They thus deserve Allah's anger, so Allah will not look at them or purify them, meaning that He will not praise them but will cause them to taste a severe torment. Then, Allah said about them:

أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُاْ الضَّلَـلَةَ بِالْهُدَى

(Those are they who have purchased error for guidance.)

Hence, they opposed the guidance, that is, not announcing the Prophet's description they find in their Books, the news about his prophecy and the good news of his coming which the previous Prophets proclaimed, as well as following and believing in him. Instead, they preferred misguidance by denying him, rejecting him and concealing his descriptions that were mentioned in their Books. Allah said:

وَالْعَذَابَ بِالْمَغْفِرَةِ

(...and torment at the price of forgiveness,) meaning, they preferred torment over forgiveness due to the sins they have committed. Allah then said:

فَمَآ أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ

(So how bold they are (for evil deeds which will push them) to the Fire.)

Allah states that they will suffer such severe, painful torment that those who see them will be amazed at how they could bear the tremendous punishment, torture and pain that they will suffer. We seek refuge with Allah from this evil end. RAllah's Statement:

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ نَزَّلَ الْكِتَـبَ بِالْحَقِّ

(That is because Allah has sent down the Book (the Qur'an) in truth. ) means, they deserve this painful torment because Allah has revealed Books to His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, and the Prophets before him, and these revelations bring about truth and expose falsehood. Yet, they took Allah's signs for mockery. Their Books ordered them to announce the truth and to spread the knowledge, but instead, they defied the knowledge and rejected it. This Final Messenger ـ Muhammad ـ called them to Allah, commanded them to work righteousness and forbade them from committing evil. Yet, they rejected, denied and defied him and hid the truth that they knew about him. They, thus, mocked the Ayat that Allah revealed to His Messengers, and this is why they deserved the torment and the punishment. This is why Allah said here (2:176):

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ نَزَّلَ الْكِتَـبَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُواْ فِى الْكِتَـبِ لَفِى شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ

(That is because Allah has sent down the Book (the Qur'an) in truth. And verily, those who disputed about the Book are far away in opposition.)

Those are they that have bought error at the price of guidance taking the former in place of the latter in this world and chastisement at the price of pardon the pardon that would have been prepared for them in the Hereafter had they not concealed this matter; what makes them so patient for the Fire? that is how great is the extent of their patience? This statement is intended to provoke amazement in the believers at the way in which they the disbelievers commit sins that necessitate their punishment in the Fire with complete indifference. In reality they would have no patience whatever to endure the Fire.

Mentioned in the earlier verses were unlawful things which are tangible. Now, the verses that follow take up the intangible deeds that have been made unlawful. These are evil deeds, inner and outer. For instance, religious scholars among the Jews were addicted to giving out false verdicts in favour of people who bribed them. They would go to the limit of distorting the verses of the Torah to suit the desire of their client. In this, there is a veiled warning given to the ` ulama', the religious scholars of the community of the Last of the prophets, that they should keep away from such practices and never fall short in disclosing the true injunctions of Allah for any material reason or vested interest of their own.

Earning money against the Faith

There is no doubt that people who conceal the contents of the Book of Allah and in return for this breach of trust, collect insignificant worldly gains are simply eating fire. When comes the Qiyamah (Doomsday), Allah Almighty will not speak to them affectionately, nor will He purify them by forgiving their sins. Their punishment will be terrible for they are the kind of people who, during their mortal life, chose to abandon guidance and adopt error, and in the Hereafter, they missed forgiveness and became deserving of punishment. They must be very courageous in that they are all set to go into Hell. All these punishments to them are because they elected to stray away from the Book of Allah, something so clear and true. It is evident that they must be victims of serious intransigence and are far out in schism, as a result of which they can expect to deserve a matching punishment.

Verse 175 tells us that a person who changes the injunction of Shari'ah in his greed for worldly gains, he should know that these worldly gains he consumes are like embers of fire he is storing in his stomach because that is the ultimate end of his deeds. Some perceptive ` Ulama' have said that unlawful wealth is, in reality, the very fire of Hell, even though we do not sense it as such during our lifetime in the mortal world, but once one dies, his or her deeds will appear in the form of fire.