the light of qur'an,sura al-baqarah,quran,tafsir

174. " surely those who conceal any part of the book which allah has sent
down (to them), and sell it for a small price 
they shall eat naught but fire into their bellies,
and allah will not speak to them on the day of resurrection,
nor will he purify them,
and theirs will be a painful punishment."
175. " those are they who have bought error for guidance and punishment
for forgiveness; how they shall endure the fire! "
176. " this is because allah has sent down the book with the truth;
and surely those who differ in the book are in flagrant schism."

commentary:
before the advent of the holy prophet of islam (p.b.u.h.), the
jewish scholars used to tell their people about that happy advent and
described the signs of that promised prophet for them from the torah.
but as soon as the prophet of islam (p.b.u.h.) was divinely appointed
and announced his call, they did not confess the prophethood of
muhammad (p.b.u.h.) for they thought they would lose their position,
wealth, etc. it was why they neglected every thing and concealed the
truth. such people, by concealing the fact, might remain in their
position receiving some presents and gifts for a length of time but this is
a little price comparing to that great sin of theirs.

" surely those who conceal any part of the book which allah has sent
down (to them), and sell it for a small price- ..."

what they take and eat in this bargain is naught, indeed, but fire.
this meaning is similar to the content of the verse where eating the
wealth of orphans is likened to fire, too, as if they ate fire in their
bellies. 1 so, it says:

"...they shall eat naught but fire into their bellies, ..."

on the day of resurrection, allah will not speak to these
people mercifully, while the believers can speak with him then. this
talk, of course, may be either through some waves created in the space,
or by inspiration and the mute tongue of the heart. on that day all
believing people can become interlocutors of allah.

those persons, who tried to bar the influence of the sound of
truth from reaching the ears of people, have shut, in fact, the way of the
speech of allah on the reckoning day to themselves. they will not
hear a word of kindness, but hear the word of wrath in hell, being
addressed with words such as:

" go away into it and speak not (to me) ...". 2

allah will not purify them from their sins then, because there will
be a painful punishment prepared for them as a result of their evil
actions in this world.

"...and allah will not speak to them on the day of resurrection,
nor will he purify them,
and theirs will be a painful punishment."

explanations:
1. selling faith, in any case and rate, is a loss and the obtained
price is a little: "...and sell it for a small price-".

2. the unlawful food or drinks of this world will incarnate in the
form of fire in the hereafter, "...but fire ...".

3. punishment should be appropriate to the crime. those who bar
the way of reaching the word of allah for people to hearken in this
world, must be deprived from the pleasure of hearing the speech of
allah in the next world.

4. concealing the truth is not only about the holy prophet
(p.b.u.h.). those who conceal the truth about the true successors of
prophet muhammad (p.b.u.h.), receive the same punishment, too. that
is, those who have hidden the announcement of the messenger of
allah in qadir-i-khum and obliterated it from their history and
commentary books and perverted the process of the verses of the
qur'an with their own justifications in order to mislead muslims towards
some particular ones other than the immaculate imams, have concealed
the truth, too.

* * * *

those who conceal the truth are some persons who exchange
misguidance for guidance and punishment for forgiveness.

" those are they who have bought error for guidance and punishment
for forgiveness, ..."

do they not know that they somehow share with the corruption
and aberration of mankind throughout history by their action when they
conceal the truth? do they think that they are able to bear the
punishment of allah ?

"... how they shall endure the fire! "

it is narrated in a tradition that the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.),
speaking with ali-ibn-abi-talib (a.s.), said: " the worst of men is he who
sells his coming world for his present life, and more evil than this is the one
who sells his coming world for the present life of someone else." 3

* * * *

the people who conceal the truth are severely warned and
threatened with divine punishments, because allah has sent down the
book so clearly and reasonably that no doubt or ambiguity remains for
anyone.

" this is because allah has sent down the book with the truth; ..."

yet, there are some people who, to protect their personal
interests, take action in justification and falsification of the concepts of
the revealed book and cause people to differ in it. in this way, they
intend to gain some profits without any due, or unlawfully. then,
allah, introducing them, says:

"...and surely those who differ in the book are in flagrant schism."

1 sura an-nisa', no. 4, verse 10
2 sura al-mu'minun, no. 23, verse 108
3 man la yahduruhul-faghih, vol. 4, p. 253