And in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī it is narrated that ʿAlī said, “Relate to the people only what they already know. Do you wish that Allah and His Messenger be denied?” ⦗1⦘

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: the collection in which al-Bukhārī gathered authentic hadiths. Al-Bukhārī is the imam Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī, named after Bukhara, a city in the East. His book is the most reliable work after the Book of Allah.

Overall meaning of the report: The Commander of the Believers ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) teaches that ordinary Muslims should only be addressed with matters they recognize and that benefit them in the essentials of their faith and its rulings—such as monotheism and the clarification of what is lawful and unlawful—while anything that distracts from this should be set aside. This includes topics that are unnecessary or could lead them to reject the truth because the matter is ambiguous to them or beyond their comprehension. He said this when public storytellers and preachers became widespread during his caliphate.

Relevance of the report to the chapter: Its connection will be clarified after the following narration.

Points derived from the report: When there is a real danger that conveying certain information to people may harm them because they cannot grasp it, one should refrain from mentioning it to them—even if it is true.

⦗1⦘ Reported by al-Bukhārī, 127.