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

Root حقق — to be true, truth, reality · 287 times in the Quran

Root بطل — to be vain, falsehood, nullify, render futile · 36 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

وَلَاword 1

Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَلَا is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and' — linking what follows to what came before; the word it joins in must stand in the same grammatical case as its partner before the joint — the same role in the sentence, even when the two words write that case with different endings. 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 or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَلْبِسُ is an action unfolding now: 'mix', from the root لبس: to wear, to put on a garment; to dress, cover, envelop, to obscure, to confound. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb is the verb shape that opens with one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت; small helper words before it can bend its time and mood. تَلْبِسُ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'mix', from the root لبس: to wear, to put on a garment; to dress, cover, envelop, to obscure, to confound. 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 whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. تَلْبِسُوا۟ is one of them, but here its closing ن has dropped away — and for these five shapes that dropped ن is itself the grammar-sign: it marks the jussive mood, the bent form a governing word before it forces on the verb. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. وا۟ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — تَلْبِسُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6

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 at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): ٱلْحَقَّ. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. حَقَّ names such a thing: 'the Truth', from the root حقق: to be true, truth, reality. L1 · R6

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. ٱلْحَقَّ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes 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 جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the naming word after it into the genitive, the ending marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. بَٰطِلِ names such a thing: 'with [the] falsehood', from the root بطل: to be vain, falsehood, nullify, render futile. L1 · R6

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. بَٰطِلِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ. 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 كتم — to conceal, hide · 21 times in the Quran

Root حقق — to be true, truth, reality · 287 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

وَتَكْتُمُوا۟word 5

Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَتَكْتُمُوا۟ is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and' — linking what follows to what came before; the word it joins in must stand in the same grammatical case as its partner before the joint — the same role in the sentence, even when the two words write that case with different endings. L4 · R4

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَكْتُمُ is an action unfolding now: 'and conceal', from the root كتم: to conceal, hide. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb is the verb shape that opens with one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت; small helper words before it can bend its time and mood. تَكْتُمُ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'and conceal', from the root كتم: to conceal, hide. 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 whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. وَتَكْتُمُوا۟ is one of them, but here its closing ن has dropped away — and for these five shapes that dropped ن is itself the grammar-sign: it marks the jussive mood, the bent form a governing word before it forces on the verb. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. وا۟ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — وَتَكْتُمُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6

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 at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): ٱلْحَقَّ. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. حَقَّ names such a thing: 'the Truth', from the root حقق: to be true, truth, reality. L1 · R6

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. ٱلْحَقَّ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes 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 علم — to 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 happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَعْلَمُ is an action unfolding now: '[you] know', 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 describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. تَعْلَمُ opens with exactly such a letter: '[you] know', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. L8 · R3

The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. تَعْلَمُونَ is one of them: its ending ونَ keeps that closing ن, and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. ونَ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — تَعْلَمُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6

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].”