The Jews know that the Prophet is True, but they hide the Truth
Allah states that the scholars of the People of the Scripture know the truth of what Allah's Messenger ﷺ was sent with, just as one of them knows his own child, which is a parable that the Arabs use to describe what is very apparent. Similarly, in a Hadith, Allah's Messenger ﷺ said to a man who had a youngster with him:
«ابْنُكَ هَذَا»
؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَشْهَدُ بِهِ
(Is this your son) He said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! I testify to this fact." Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:
Verses 144 and 145 have told us how the People of the Book اھل الکتاب knew in their hearts that a divine commandment itself had instituted the Baytullah بیت اللہ as the Qiblah قبلہ of the Muslims, and yet denied this fact in public. Now, the two present verses show that their conduct towards the Holy Prophet ﷺ was equally dishonest and malicious.
The Torah and the Evangel had already foretold the coming of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and set down the signs and indications which should help the people to recognize him. On the basis of the irrefutable evidence provided by their own Sacred Books, the Jews and the Christians knew him to be the promised Last Prophet ﷺ ، but many of them refused to acknowledge him as such out of sheer obstinacy.
Whenever God reveals some truth to the world, it is supported by clear arguments. No one can then fail to recognize it to be the truth. Those who do not make the truth their own, show that they had never realised God, for, if they had, they would have recognized His word when they heard it. Those who find words to reject the truth think that they have discovered strong arguments to justify their stand. They think that they are standing on firm logical ground. But very soon they realize that those words were nothing but imaginary props, which they themselves had devised to give false satisfaction to their egos.
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.
