Hafiz soon
Al-Baqarah · 2:42

And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].

Sahih International

Grammar, phrase by phrase

وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ

(And do not mix the truth with falsehood)

Root لبسto wear, to put on a garment; to dress, cover, envelop, to obscure, to confound · 23 times in the Quran

Root حققto be true, truth, reality · 287 times in the Quran

Root بطلto be vain, falsehood, nullify, render futile · 36 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

وَلَاword 1

Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one statement to another. The prefix وَ joins this warning to what came before. L4 · R4

Prohibition Particle · لا الناهيةThe prohibition لَا means 'do not!' — it commands someone not to act, and trims the verb after it down to the jussive, the cut-short verb mood. Here it forbids: 'do NOT mix the truth with falsehood'. L17 · R6

تَلْبِسُوا۟word 2

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. تَلْبِسُ names an action — covering over, confounding — from the root لبس: to dress, cover, envelop, to obscure, to confound. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. تَلْبِسُوا۟ opens with the prefix تَ, the 'you' letter, always standing before the root letters. L8 · R3

Jussive Mood · الفعل المجزومThe jussive is the trimmed-down mood a present tense verb takes after words like the prohibition لَا 'do not'; for the 'you all' shape the marker is the dropping of the final نَ. تَلْبِسُوا۟ has lost exactly that نَ — the full shape would be تَلْبِسُونَ — showing that the لَا before it is a command not to act. L10 · R5

The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present tense shapes ending in نَ, where that نَ itself shows the mood: it stays in the normal mood and drops after trimming words. تَلْبِسُوا۟ is the 'you all do' shape with its نَ dropped — the sign of the prohibition standing over it. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on تَلْبِسُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all'. L3 · R7

Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on تَلْبِسُوا۟ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4

ٱلْحَقَّword 3

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ ('the') fixed to the front of a naming word to mark one specific, known thing. Here it marks حَقَّ as 'THE truth' — note the sukūn ـْ, the small circle above the ل, showing the ل is written and heard before the ح. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱلْ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names the truth, from the root حقق, to be true; truth, reality. L1 · R1

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. ٱلْحَقَّ ends in that fathah ـَ, sitting on its doubled قَّ. L2 · R11

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, shown here by the fathah ـَ on the doubled قَّ. The truth is what the forbidden mixing would land on. L9 · R3

بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِword 4

Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The prefix بِ 'with' names what the truth would be mixed with: 'with falsehood'. L4 · R2

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ ('the') fixed to the front of a naming word to mark one specific, known thing. Here it marks بَٰطِلِ as 'the falsehood' — the ل carrying the sukūn ـْ, the small circle showing it is written and heard before the ب. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱلْ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names falsehood, from the root بطل, to be vain; falsehood, to nullify. L1 · R1

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. بَٰطِلِ carries that kasrah ـِ because بِ stands before it. L2 · R12

Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root on the pattern فَاعِل to name the doer or holder of the action. بَٰطِل is built on that pattern from the root بطل (to be vain): that which is void — falsehood itself. L11 · R1

Significance — from the tafsir

Ibn 'Abbas said: "Do not mix the truth with falsehood and the facts with lies." Qatadah said it means, "Do not mix Judaism and Christianity with Islam."

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:42

وَتَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ

(…or conceal the truth)

Root كتمto conceal, hide · 21 times in the Quran

Root حققto be true, truth, reality · 287 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

وَتَكْتُمُوا۟word 5

Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one item to another, and the joined item takes the same standing as the word before it. The prefix وَ joins the concealing to the forbidden mixing, placing both under the same 'do not'. L4 · R4

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. تَكْتُمُ names an action — concealing — from the root كتم, to conceal, hide. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. تَكْتُمُوا۟ opens with the prefix تَ, the 'you' letter, always standing before the root letters. L8 · R3

Jussive Mood · الفعل المجزومThe jussive is the trimmed-down mood of a present tense verb; for the 'you all' shape the marker is the dropping of the final نَ. تَكْتُمُوا۟ has lost exactly that نَ, wearing the same trimmed ending as the forbidden verb it is joined to: the 'do not' reaches it too. L10 · R5

The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present tense shapes ending in نَ, where that نَ itself shows the mood: it stays in the normal mood and drops after trimming words. تَكْتُمُوا۟ is the 'you all do' shape with its نَ dropped — trimmed like the verb before it. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on تَكْتُمُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all'. L3 · R7

Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on تَكْتُمُوا۟ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4

ٱلْحَقَّword 6

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ ('the') fixed to the front of a naming word to mark one specific, known thing. Here it marks حَقَّ as 'THE truth' — the ل carrying the sukūn ـْ, the small circle showing it is written and heard before the ح. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱلْ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names the truth, from the root حقق, to be true; truth, reality. L1 · R1

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. ٱلْحَقَّ ends in that fathah ـَ, sitting on its doubled قَّ. L2 · R11

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, shown here by the fathah ـَ on the doubled قَّ. The truth is what the forbidden concealing would land on. L9 · R3

Significance — from the tafsir

Ibn 'Abbas said this means, "Do not hide the knowledge that you have of My Messenger and what he was sent with — his description, which you know about, can be found written in the Books that you have."

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:42

وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(…while you know [it].)

Root علمto know, knowledge · 854 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

وَأَنتُمْword 7

Circumstantial Particle · واو الحالThe circumstantial وَ means 'while', introducing a mini-sentence that describes the state things were in during the main action. Its marker is that a complete topic-plus-comment sentence follows — أَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ 'you know' — rather than a joined item: they conceal WHILE knowing. L14 · R3

Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'I/you/he'. أَنتُمْ is the standalone word for 'you all' — one of the twelve detached forms. L3 · R2

Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a statement opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, the topic form usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. A pronoun can serve as this topic, and أَنتُمْ 'you all' opens the 'while' sentence — a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one; 'know' is what is said about you. L6 · R2

Circumstantial (Hāl) · الحالThe ḥāl describes the state someone is in while the action happens, and one of its forms is a whole mini-sentence opened by the 'while' وَ. The sentence beginning with أَنتُمْ — 'while you know' — describes the state the concealers are in: fully aware. L21 · R6

تَعْلَمُونَword 8

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or state tied to a time. تَعْلَمُ names knowing, from the root علم, to know, knowledge. L1 · R7

Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that tells you something about the topic, and it can be a complete verbal sentence. The topic was أَنتُمْ 'you all'; the verb-sentence تَعْلَمُونَ 'you know' is what is said about you — the inner sentence itself carries the information, with no separate 'is' needed. L6 · R4

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. تَعْلَمُونَ opens with the prefix تَ, the 'you' letter, always standing before the root letters: the knowing is present and ongoing. L8 · R3

The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present tense shapes ending in نَ, where that نَ itself shows the mood: kept in the normal mood, dropped after trimming words. تَعْلَمُونَ is the 'you all do' shape with its نَ kept — a plain statement of fact: you DO know. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending ونَ on تَعْلَمُونَ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all'. L3 · R7

Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The و in the ending ونَ of تَعْلَمُونَ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4

Significance — from the tafsir

Qatadah said: 'while you know' — that the religion of Allah is Islam. It may also mean: while you know the tremendous harm this evil will cause people, misguiding them and leading them to the Fire.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:42

So far: And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].