His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And among the people are some whose saying in the worldly life impresses you, and he calls Allah to witness what is in his heart, and he is the most severe of adversaries." "And when he goes away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and lineage. And Allah does not like corruption." "And when it is said to him, 'Fear Allah,' pride in sin seizes him. So Hell is sufficient for him, and wretched is the resting place." "And among the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the pleasure of Allah. And Allah is Merciful to the servants." "O you who have believed, enter into submission completely and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a manifest enemy."

Al-Suddi said: This was revealed concerning Al-Akhnas ibn Shariq, whose name is Ubayy. Al-Akhnas was nicknamed, and that is because he came to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and showed his Islam, saying: 'Allah knows that I am truthful.' Then he fled after that, and he passed by a group of Muslims, and he burned their crops and killed their livestock. So these verses were revealed concerning him.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It has never been established that Al-Akhnas embraced Islam.

Ibn Abbas said: These verses were revealed concerning a group of hypocrites who spoke about those who were killed in the Battle of Raji': Asim ibn Thabit, Khubaib, and Ibn al-Duthayna, and others. They said: 'Woe to these people, they neither stayed in their homes nor fulfilled the message of their companion.' So these verses were revealed concerning the characteristics of the hypocrites. Then he mentioned the martyrs in the Battle of Raji' in his saying: "And among the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the pleasure of Allah."

Qatadah, Mujahid, and a group of scholars said: These verses were revealed concerning every one who conceals disbelief, hypocrisy, or lies, or causes harm while showing with his tongue the opposite of that. So it is general, and it resembles what has been reported in Al-Tirmidhi: 'Indeed, in some of the Books of Allah, the Exalted, it is stated: 'Among the servants of Allah are people whose tongues are sweeter than honey, and their hearts are more bitter than patience. They wear the skins of sheep for the people, and they consume the world with religion. Allah, the Exalted, says: 'Are they deceiving Me? And are they daring against Me? I swear that I will certainly unleash upon them a trial that leaves the patient among them bewildered.'

And the meaning of: "And he calls Allah to witness" is that he says: 'Allah knows that I am speaking the truth.'

Abu Haywah and Ibn Muhaysin read: "And Allah witnesses what is in his heart," attributing the action to Allah. The meaning is: His saying impresses you, and Allah knows from him the opposite of what he said. And the reading of the majority is more eloquent in condemning him because he strengthened himself in adhering to good words, then what is within him appeared to be the opposite. And what is in his heart differs according to the two readings. So according to the reading of the majority, it is the good that appears, meaning it is in his heart by his claim. And according to the reading of Ibn Muhaysin, it is the hidden evil.

Ibn Abbas read: "And Allah witnesses what is in his heart." And Abu and Ibn Mas'ud read: "And he calls Allah to witness what is in his heart."

And the 'alad: the one who is severe in enmity, difficult in argument, who twists the evidence in every direction. His deviation resembles walking in the depths of the valley. From it: ladiid of the mouth, and al-ladud. It is said: from it, ladidtu 'with the broken 'ayn', al-laddu. This is a reproach, and from it is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: 'The most hated of men to Allah is the aladdu al-khasm.' It is said: ladidtu 'with the opened 'ayn', al-luddu 'with the closed 'ayn' when I overpowered him in the dispute. From the wording is the saying of the poet:

Indeed, beneath the stones is determination and resolve, and a fierce adversary with a hook.

And 'the dispute' - in the verse - is the source of khasama. It is said: the plural of khasm is like kalb and kilab, so the speech is: he is the most severe of adversaries, their father.

And 'tawalla' and 'sa'a' both have two meanings; one of them: that it could be an action of the heart, so 'tawalla' comes with the meaning of straying, becoming angry, and feeling disdain within himself. So he sought with his tricks and his will to turn the circles against Islam. From this seeking is the saying of Allah, glorified and exalted is He: 'And that man has nothing except what he strives for' [An-Najm: 39]. And from it: 'And he sought for it with his striving' [Al-Isra: 19]. And from the saying of the poet:

I strive for the clan of Banu Malik; every person is striving in his affair.

Ibn Jurayj and others inclined to this meaning in the verse. The second meaning: that it could be an action of a person, so 'tawalla' comes with the meaning of turning away and departing from you, O Muhammad, and 'sa'a' comes with the meaning of using his feet, so he cut the path and corrupted it. Ibn Abbas and others inclined to this meaning. Both actions of seeking are corruption.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'And He destroys the crops and the offspring.' Al-Tabari said: the intended meaning is the one who is sneaky in burning the crops and killing the red ones.

Mujahid said: the intended meaning is that the oppressor corrupts in the land, so Allah withholds the rain, and the crops and offspring perish. It is said: the intended meaning is that the corruptor kills people, so the cultivators of the crops and the descendants cease. Al-Zajjaj said: it is possible that by 'harath' women are meant, and by 'nasl' their offspring.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

The apparent meaning is that the verse is an expression of exaggeration in corruption, as all corruption in worldly matters revolves around these two aspects.

Most of the reciters are on the reading of 'yuhliku' with the 'ya' being closed and the 'lam' being broken and the 'kaf' being opened, in conjunction with 'liufsidah'. In the Mushaf of Ubayy ibn Ka'b: 'waliyuhliku'. Some recited: 'wayahlaku' with the 'kaf' being closed, either in conjunction with 'yu'jibuka' or with 'sa'a' as it means the present tense, or in separation and initiation. Al-Hasan, Ibn Abi Ishaq, Abu Haywah, and Ibn Muhaisin read: 'wayahlaku' with the 'ya' being opened, the 'lam' being broken, the 'kaf' being closed, and 'al-harath wal-nasl' being raised. Likewise, Ibn Salamah narrated it from Ibn Kathir. Abd al-Warith from Abu Amr. Al-Mahdawi reported that what Hammād ibn Salamah narrated from Ibn Kathir is: 'wayuhliku' with the 'ya' being closed and the 'kaf' 'harath' being in the accusative. Some recited 'wayahlaku' with the 'ya' being opened and the 'lam' being raised and 'harath' being raised, and this is a language of halaka yahliku that is considered among the rare forms, like rakana yarkanu.

'The 'harth' - in language - is the splitting of the earth for cultivation. The planting is called 'harth' due to proximity and similarity. All types of trees and plantings fall under this, based on the planting. This is supported by His saying, the Exalted: ﴿When they both ruled concerning the harth﴾ [Al-Anbiya: 78], which is a generosity according to what has been mentioned in the tafsir.

And women are called 'harth' by analogy. And 'nasl' is derived from 'nasala' which means to come out in succession. This includes the feathers of a bird; what continuously falls from it. This is also reflected in His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And they come forth from every height﴾ [Al-Anbiya: 96]. And from the saying of Imru' al-Qais: (p-501)

... * * * So remove my garments from your garments that fall away.

And 'He does not love' means: He does not love him from the people of righteousness, meaning He does not love him as a religion. Otherwise, nothing occurs except what Allah, the Exalted, loves to happen. Corruption does occur, and this is based on what the speakers have said that love means will.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Love in this context has the distinction of preference. If someone were to say that the intended corruption is diminished by the distinction of preference, that would be correct. For the love of Allah, the Exalted, is indeed for what is good from all aspects.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And when it is said to him, 'Fear Allah'﴾ is a description of the disbeliever or the hypocrite who is arrogant. It is disliked for the believer to be put in hardship in this regard. Some scholars have said: It is enough of a sin for a man that his brother says to him, 'Fear Allah,' and he replies, 'You are only responsible for yourself, someone like you advises me?'

And 'izzah here means: protection and strength of spirit, meaning he took pride in himself and became arrogant, which led him to sin when he was taken by it, and it compelled him to his father. The wording of the verse can imply: 'The izzah took him' along with sin, and the meaning of the preposition 'bi' differs according to the two interpretations.

And 'hasbuhu' means: it is enough for him in punishment and recompense, as you say to a man: 'What has befallen you is enough,' while you find it significant and serious. And 'al-mihād' is what a man prepares for himself, as if it is a bed.

(p-502) And from this category is the saying of the poet:

... * * * A greeting among them is a type of striking and gathering.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And among the people is he who sells himself﴾ refers to every struggler in the path of Allah, or martyr in his own right, or one who changes a wrongdoing. The apparent meaning of this classification suggests that the preceding verses are generally about the disbeliever, as indicated by the warning of the Fire. And the sinners who have some of this character will receive their share of the warning of the verse. And those who say that the preceding verses are about hypocrites spoke about the Battle of Al-Raji'; they said: This verse is about the martyrs of the Battle of Al-Raji'.

And among those who said: 'That is in the Akhnas,' he said: 'This is about the Ansar and the early emigrants to faith.' And 'Ikrimah and others said: 'This is about a group of the emigrants.' They mentioned the 'hadith of Suhayb that he left Mecca to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and Quraysh followed him to bring him back. So he scattered his quiver and said to them: 'You know, by Allah, that I am one of your best archers. By Allah, I will shoot you as long as I have an arrow left. Then I will strike you with my sword as long as I have something of it in my hand.' They said to him: 'We will not let you go from us wealthy, while you came to us as a poor man. But guide us to your wealth and we will let you go.' So he guided them to his wealth and they left him. He emigrated to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and when he saw him, he said to him: 'The trade has succeeded, O Abu Yahya.' This verse was revealed about him.

And among those who said: 'He meant by the first the generality,' he said in this likewise with the generality.

And 'yashri' means 'he sells,' and from it: 'And they sold him for a cheap price' [Yusuf: 20]. And from it is the saying of Yazid ibn Mu'farrih al-Hamiri:

And I bought a cool drink, I wish that I had After a cool drink that I was enamored with.

And the other said:

He is given a price for it and he prevents it, And his companion says: 'Will you not buy?'

And from this, they are called 'shurata' as if they are those who sold their souls to Allah, the Exalted.

And a group has narrated that it is said: 'Shara' means 'ishtara,' and this is needed by those who interpret the verse about Suhayb because he bought his soul with his wealth and did not sell it. Except that it could be said: 'The intention of Suhayb to fight them is a sale of his soul to Allah, the Exalted,' so the wording would be correct in the meaning of 'he sold.' Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, interpreted this verse regarding the one who changes the wrong, and for this reason, Ali and Ibn Abbas said: 'The two men fought,' meaning the one who changes said to the corrupt: 'Fear Allah,' but the corrupt refused, and pride took him, so the one who changes sold his soul to Allah, the Exalted, and fought him, and they fought each other.

It has been narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab used to gather on Friday young men from the reciters, among them Ibn Abbas, al-Har ibn Qays, and others, and they would recite before him. Umar heard Ibn Abbas saying: 'The two men fought when he recited this verse,' so he asked him about what he said, and he explained this interpretation to him. Umar said to him: 'May Allah bless your birth, O Ibn Abbas.'

And Abu Huraira and Abu Ayyub, when Hisham ibn Amir carried on the line in Constantinople, some people said: 'He threw himself into destruction,' not as they said: 'Rather, this is the saying of Allah, the Exalted: 'And among the people is he who sells himself' [the verse].

And 'ibtigha' is an object for his sake, and Hamzah paused at: 'Mardaat' with a 'taa,' while the others with a 'haa.' Abu Ali said: 'The reason for Hamzah's pause with a 'taa' is either that it is in the language of those who say: 'Talahat' and 'Alqamath,' and from it is the saying of the poet:

........... Rather, the Jaws of the wilderness are like the back of the heifer.

Or it is because what is added to it is within the wording and must be, he established the 'taa' as it is established in connection, so that it is known that what is added to it is intended.

And His saying, exalted is He: "And Allah is Most Kind to the servants" is an encouragement that necessitates urging to comply with what has been praised in the verse. Just as in His saying, exalted is He: "So Hell is sufficient for him" is a warning that necessitates caution from what has been condemned in the verse.

Then, He, exalted is He, commanded the believers to enter into peace. Ibn Kathir, Nafi', and Al-Kisai read "peace" with a fatḥa on the letter sīn. The others read it with a kasra in this instance. It was said that both have the same meaning, referring to Islam and to peace. Abu Amr ibn Al-Ala said: Peace with a kasra on the sīn means Islam, and with a fatḥa it means peace. Al-Mubarrid denied this distinction. Al-Tabari preferred to interpret the term as meaning Islam because the believers were never commanded to initiate entering into peace. Rather, it was said to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to incline towards peace if they inclined towards it, but to begin with it, no.

After interpreting the term as Islam, there was a disagreement about who is being addressed. A group said: All the believers in Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and the meaning is: He commanded them to remain steadfast in it and to increase their commitment to its limits. Thus, "all" would then include all the believers and all parts of the Shari'ah. The situation can be from two things, and that is permissible, similar to His saying, exalted is He: "So she brought it to her people, carrying it" [Maryam: 27] and other examples. Ikrimah said: Rather, the addressees are those who believed in the Prophet from the Children of Israel, like Abdullah ibn Salam and others. This is because they went to glorify the Sabbath and disliked the meat of camels, and they wanted to apply some of the rulings of the Torah and mix that with Islam. Thus, this verse was revealed about them, and "all" in this context refers only to the parts of the Shari'ah. Ibn Abbas said: The verse was revealed about the People of the Book. The meaning is: O you who have believed in Musa and 'Isa, enter into Islam with Muhammad completely. Thus, "completely" in this context refers to the parts of the Shari'ah and to the addressees. For those who see peace as Islam. And for those who see it as peace, they say: He commanded them to enter into giving the jizyah. And "completely" means all together, and what is meant by "all" is the group that restrains its opposers. It was said that "completely" is an adjective for a missing source, as if the statement was: They entered completely, and when the noun was omitted, the adjective remained as a state.

And the statement about "steps" has been previously mentioned, and the alif and lam in "the devil" is for the genus. And "enemy" applies to the singular, dual, and plural. And "clear" can mean that he has made his enmity clear, and it can mean that it has become apparent to him that he is an enemy, because the Arabs say: The matter has become apparent and has made clear in one meaning.