وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَٱدَّٰرَْٰٔتُمْ فِيهَا ۖ وَٱللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ 72
Translations
And [recall] when you slew a man and disputed over it, but Allāh was to bring out that which you were concealing.
Transliteration
Wa-idh qatalatum nafsan faddāratum fīhā wa-Allāhu mukhrijun mā kuntum taktumūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the incident of Bani Israel when they killed a person and disputed among themselves about the killer, attempting to conceal the truth. Allah revealed that He would expose what they were hiding through the miraculous resurrection of the slain person (in some accounts) or through compelling evidence. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as a profound demonstration of Allah's knowledge of all hidden matters and His power to reveal secrets, serving as both a punishment for their deception and a sign of divine justice.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative in Surah Al-Baqarah (verses 67-73) recounting the story of Bani Israel's yellow cow (al-baqarah), which was commanded to be sacrificed as expiation for a murder case. The broader context illustrates how the Children of Israel tested Allah's signs and attempted to evade divine law through sophistry and concealment, demonstrating their spiritual hardness.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly references this specific incident, it relates thematically to the principle in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that 'on the Day of Judgment, every soul will know what it has sent forward and kept back' (2:134), emphasizing that hidden deeds cannot remain concealed from Allah's knowledge.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no secret, sin, or deception can be hidden from Allah's all-encompassing knowledge, and that attempting to conceal wrongdoing only prolongs punishment and compounds guilt. Modern readers should internalize that honesty and transparency, especially in matters of justice, align with divine will and that reliance on Allah's justice is more beneficial than concealment or falsehood.