أَم نَجعَلُ الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ كَالمُفسِدينَ فِي الأَرضِ أَم نَجعَلُ المُتَّقينَ كَالفُجّارِ

Shall We treat those who have faith and do righteous deeds like those who cause corruption on the earth? Shall We treat the God-wary like the vicious?

EXEGESIS

Mufsidīn (those who cause corruption) comes from fasād, meaning not being within the bounds of moderation.^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 636.} It is used then for excessive vices which bring about harm.

Fujjār (vicious) is the plural of fājir, which comes from fajr, which literally means to cleave something apart. When used for a person it means to cleave apart and tear away the covering of righteousness and piety.^{‎[2]Raghib, p. 626.} Hence, it means someone who is clearly evil and makes little attempt to hide it.

EXPOSITION

Shall We treat those who have faith and do righteous deeds like those who cause corruption on the earth? This is a rhetorical question that is not answered, but rather is meant to highlight the reprehensibility and foolishness of such an assumption.^{‎[3]Zamakhshari, 4/90.} Hence, it plays the part of a stern warning and a threat.^{‎[4]Tibyan, 8/557.}

This verse continues with the topic of the necessity of a day of accounting, asking the reader to ponder another logical consequence of denying it. If there was no accounting, then in addition to what the previous verse mentioned about all of creation being meaningless, it should also mean that right and wrong, and good and evil, are essentially without any difference.

This also relates closely to the story of Prophet David (a) as he was the vicegerent of God on earth.^{‎[5]Mudarrisi, 11/355.} As such he acted with justice towards others, markedly opposite to those who spread corruption on the earth.

To further emphasise the point a second example is pointed to: Shall We treat the God-wary like the vicious? This second example is even more forceful than the first, as God-wariness is a level higher than faith, and a fājir is even worse than those who cause corruption.^{‎[6]Alusi, 12/181; Shawkani, 4/493.} Whereas a corrupt individual may claim and pretend to be doing good or trying to better themselves, When they are told: ‘Do not cause corruption on the earth,’ they say: ‘We are only reformers!’ (2:11), a fājir relishes in their sins and vices and promotes them as good and desirable. Indeed, many fujjār may also cause corruption in the land, but are far more brazen about it, hence why it is more emphatic. It is as if the verse is saying that even if one thought the first could be possible, then how could one ever assume the second to be possible? If one thought that a believer and a sinner could be the same, then what about a saint and a vicious tyrant?

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. It is reported that this verse was revealed about Imam Ali (a), Ḥamzah, and ʿUbaydah ibn al-Ḥārith on the day of Badr, and their opponents, ʿUtbah, Shaybah, and Walīd ibn ʿUtbah.^{‎[7]Muhit, 9/153; Suyuti, 5/308; Alusi, 12/181. Ahkam, 4/1646, says it was revealed about the Banī Hāshim and Banī al-Muṭṭalib versus Banī ʿAbd al-Shams.} Others have said that those who have faith is about all the companions of Prophet Muhammad (s) and their opponents, the Quraysh.^{‎[8]Baghawi, 4/66-67.} Obviously, neither meaning should limit the intended scope of the verse to include all such individuals.
2. It is narrated through Ismāʿīl ibn Mukhallad al-Sarrāj, from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), in a very lengthy narration: ‘It is not appropriate for the followers of truth to bring themselves down to the level of the followers of bāṭil because God did not declare the followers of truth to be equal in His sight to the followers of bāṭil. They did not know the meaning of what God had said in His book: Shall We treat those who have faith and do righteous deeds like those who cause corruption on the earth? Shall We treat the God-wary like the vicious?’^{‎[9]Kafi, 8/12; Nur, 4/453.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Rāzī points out that often in this world we may see the faithless evildoers enjoy riches and comforts, whilst the faithful may suffer from poverty and other tribulations. For Rāzī, this is another further proof that resurrection and reckoning are fundamentals necessitated by reason.^{‎[10]Razi, 26/38. See also Ibn Kathir, 7/54.} Makārim Shīrāzī says these are in fact two different proofs, the previous verse was giving evidence based on wisdom (ḥikmah), and this verse evidence based on justice (ʿadl),^{‎[11]Nemuneh, 19/266.} as was alluded to earlier.

As for the reason for the repetition of the two groups, Tabatabai proposes a different solution to what we mentioned earlier. He argues that God does not wish to elaborate the difference between a believer and a nonbeliever, but rather the difference between a believer that does good, and a person that does evil (be he a believer or nonbeliever), and this is why the second example of the God-wary and the vicious is related, in order to clarify this point.^{‎[12]Tabatabai, 17/197.}

Mudarrisi uses the verse to argue that the Islamic ruler and caliph should not be one who causes corruption on the earth, as opposed to those who have claimed that the Islamic ruler is the one who claims authority by the sword, whether he be good or corrupt.^{‎[13]Mudarrisi, 11/355.}

[1] Raghib, p. 636.
[2] Raghib, p. 626.
[3] Zamakhshari, 4/90.
[4] Tibyan, 8/557.
[5] Mudarrisi, 11/355.
[6] Alusi, 12/181; Shawkani, 4/493.
[7] Muhit, 9/153; Suyuti, 5/308; Alusi, 12/181. Ahkam, 4/1646, says it was revealed about the Banī Hāshim and Banī al-Muṭṭalib versus Banī ʿAbd al-Shams.
[8] Baghawi, 4/66-67.
[9] Kafi, 8/12; Nur, 4/453.
[10] Razi, 26/38. See also Ibn Kathir, 7/54.
[11] Nemuneh, 19/266.
[12] Tabatabai, 17/197.
[13] Mudarrisi, 11/355.