Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:161

(Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers) — The relative pronoun is for covenantal reference, as is the default. The intended meaning is those who concealed [the truth], and concealment is expressed as "disbelief" to denounce them for it. The sentence is a counterpart to the one containing "except" (i.e., the preceding verse), and it is not connected by a conjunction to signal the absolute disparity between the two groups.

The verse encompasses both grouping and separating: it groups those who concealed the truth under a single ruling—that they are cursed—and then separates them, stating: As for those who repented, Allah, the Exalted, has accepted their repentance and removed from them the punishment of the curse. As for those who died upon concealment and did not repent, the curse has been established upon them and has not been removed.

Some investigators stated that the word of exception was brought into the first sentence, even though it is not for exclusion from the previous ruling, but rather in the sense of "but" (lakin), to indicate that repentance became an expiation for the curse upon them; it is as if they never engaged in it and never entered into it. In this, there is a commitment to an interpretation contrary to the apparent meaning of the exception. For this reason, others have said that the intended meaning of the sentence from which the exception is made is to explain the permanence and continuity of the curse, and upon this, the connected exception turns. The sentence "Indeed, those who disbelieve..." etc., is an initiated sentence brought to verify the persistence of the curse beyond the exception and to confirm its permanence and continuity for those who did not repent.

Limiting the mention to "disbelief" in the relative clause—without addressing the lack of repentance, reform, or clarification—is based on the premise that the existence of disbelief necessitates the absence of all those virtues, just as the existence of those virtues necessitates faith, which mandates the absence of disbelief. Thus, faith was not explicitly mentioned among the attributes of those who repented. The difference between the two continuities is that the first is renovative and the second is essential. It is not hidden that this is more in accordance with the literal text, although what some investigators mentioned is more profound in meaning, higher in status, and more subtle in insight.

It is said: The relative pronoun is general, covering those who concealed [the truth] and others, as the apparent meaning of the clause requires. The verse is in the category of tadhyil (appending a reinforcing statement). Thus, those who concealed the truth and died upon it enter into it primarily. It has been objected that restricting the threat to the denial of mitigation is the fairest witness that the verse concerns those who concealed the truth and died upon it, for they are the most severe and most wicked of disbelievers, whereas the threat for disbelievers in general is absolute eternity in the Fire. You know that this is subject to dispute; in fact, there is no disbeliever destined for Hell whose state on the Day of Resurrection is not exactly as described in the verse. I do not think you are in doubt regarding this after hearing the saying of the Exalted: "Indeed, the criminals will be in the punishment of Hell, abiding eternally. It will not be lightened for them, and they will be therein in despair." Thus, it is not far-fetched to say that this opinion is sound, and the Imam [Fakhr al-Din al-Razi] adopted it; the words of al-Tayyibi also point to its soundness and excellence. Contemplate this.

(Upon them is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all of mankind 161) — The intended meaning is the continuity and permanence of this. This ruling is different from the previous one, as the previous one intended the occurrence and onset of the curse upon them. The mention of the angels and mankind is not intended for specification—to contradict the previous generality—nor for total generality—to invite the exclusion of those who are overwhelmed (i.e., those who have no sense of their own selves) or many of the pious who do not curse anyone. Rather, the intended meaning is that these hostile ones curse them from behind them.

"All of them" (ajma'in) is an emphasis referring to the whole, not just mankind. The intended meaning of "mankind" is the believers, for they are the hostile ones among them; as for the disbelievers, they are like cattle, because this [interpretation] resolves the core of the problem. It is also said that it remains upon its generality and that the disbelievers will curse one another on the Day of Resurrection, or that the sentence is meant to inform of the worthiness of those people to be cursed by everyone, not that it actually occurs. The curse was not repeated here as the verb was repeated earlier, out of sufficiency and artistic variety in the noble arrangement, and as appropriate to what the emphasis suggests.

Al-Hasan read: "and the angels and all of mankind" (al-mala'ikatu wal-nasu ajma'un) in the nominative case. This has been explained in several ways:

1. It is a conjunction to "curse" (la'natu), with the estimation: "The curse of Allah and the curse of the angels..."—the genitive (mudaf) was elided from the second, and the genitive possessor (mudaf ilayhi) was set in its place.
2. It is an initial subject (mubtada') with an elided predicate, meaning: "The angels and mankind curse them," or it is the agent of an elided verb, meaning: "The angels and mankind curse them."
3. "Curse" is a verbal noun (masdar) attributed to its agent, and the nominative noun is a conjunction to its [the verbal noun's] position [of authority]. The Arabs have indeed attributed the agent of a verbal noun to its position in the nominative, such as the verse: masha al-haluku 'alayha al-fadlu (The lewd woman walked upon it, with the 'favor'...). Al-fadlu is nominative, acting as an adjective to the "lewd woman" based on her position (as the agent). If this is established in an adjective, it is permissible in a conjunction, as there is no difference between them.

Abu Hayyan claimed this is not permissible because the condition for a conjunction based on position is that there must be an examiner and holder of the position that does not change. Furthermore, even if the verbal noun status of "curse" is granted, it only acts [on its agent] if it is resolved into "that" (an) and the verb, and here the intention is fixity/permanence, so it cannot be resolved into them. Others, however, granted it and said: It is the school of Sibawayh.