Tafsir of Al-Adiyat 100:8

(And indeed, he is, in love of wealth, intense) means: wealth. This meaning is found elsewhere in the Quran; some have specified it as "great wealth," and it has been interpreted as such in His saying—the Exalted—"if he leaves behind wealth (khayr)," meaning a bequest. It is termed "wealth" (khayr) in consideration of how people perceive it; otherwise, some of it is evil on the Day of Resurrection.

The lam (in li-hubbi) is for causality, meaning: he is intense because of his love for wealth.

(Intense) means: stingy, as has been said. Just as a stingy person is called shadid (intense), he is also called mutashaddid, as in the words of Tarafa: "I see death seeking out the noble and choosing... the treasure of the lewd, stingy man."

Shadid here may be in the sense of a passive participle (maf'ul), as if the stingy person has been "bound" (shudda) against bestowing favors. It may also be in the sense of an active participle (fa'il), as if he has "bound tight" (shadda) his purse, so nothing comes out of it.

More than one scholar has permitted that shadid be intended as "strong." Perhaps this is the most apparent interpretation, in which case the lam would mean "in," i.e., "and indeed he is strong/exaggerated in his love of wealth," with the intent being the intensity of his love for it.

Al-Zamakhshari said: The meaning is that he is strong and capable regarding the love of wealth, the preference for the worldly life, and the pursuit of it, while regarding the love of worshipping Allah—the Exalted—and thanking His blessings, he is weak and reluctant. You say, "He is shadid for this matter and strong for it" when he is capable of it and in control of it. Al-Naysaburi made the lam in this interpretation causal, but it is not apparent, so contemplate this.

Al-Farra' said: It is possible the meaning is "And indeed, for the love of wealth, he is intense in love," meaning he loves wealth and loves being a lover of it, but he sufficed with the first "love" in place of the second, just as He—the Exalted—said, "The wind blew fiercely (ishtaddat) upon it on a stormy day," meaning a day of stormy wind, sufficing with the first mention in place of the second.

Qutrub said: It means he is shadid (intense) li-hubb al-khayr (for the love of wealth), like saying "he is li-Zayd (for Zayd) dharub (a frequent striker)," in the sense of "striker of Zayd." The outward form of the analogy suggests that he considered "love of wealth" as the object of shadid, that shadid is an active participle in the form of fa'il (intensified), and that the lam in li-hubbi is for strengthening (taqwiyah)—in which there is what there is.

It has been said: It is permissible to consider shadid a similarity adjective (sifah mushabbahah) that was annexed to its subject, which is "love"—annexed to "wealth" as a verbal noun to its object. Then the attribution was shifted, the subject was accusativeized by analogy to the object, then brought forward and made genitive with the lam. Even setting aside the affectation, the advancement of the adjective's modifier before it is not permissible, and its being genitive in such a construction is of no use, as it is not like "Zayd is happy with you" (Zaydun bika farih), as is not hidden.

It is understood from the words of Al-Zamakhshari in Al-Kashshaf that it is permissible to intend by it what is with Him—the Exalted—of acts of obedience, such that the meaning is: "Indeed, for the love of good deeds, he is not joyous or open-handed, but rather he is shadid (intense), withdrawn." And His saying—the Exalted—...