Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:205

(And when he turns away) means when he retreats and turns aside; this was stated by al-Hasan. Or, it means when he gains power and becomes a ruler (wali); this was stated by al-Dahhak.

It is said that (al-harth) here refers to women, and (al-nasl) refers to children. It is narrated from al-Sadiq that al-harth in this context refers to religion, and al-nasl refers to people.

It is recited as wa yuhliku al-harthu wa al-naslu (and the tillage and the progeny perish), treating the verb as being performed by the tillage and the progeny, with the nominative case (al-raf’) acting as a coordination to the verb sa'a (he strove). Al-Hasan recited it with a fatha on the lam (yahlaka), which is a dialectal variation of aba (he refused/perished). It is also narrated from him as yuhliku (he destroys/perishes) in the passive voice.

He is not pleased with it, so beware of His anger concerning it. The sentence is a parenthetical clause for the purpose of a warning. Corruption was deemed sufficient to mention here as it encompasses the second [the destruction of tillage and progeny], as it is a case of mentioning the general after the specific.

It cannot be objected that Allah, the Exalted, is the Creator of things before their corruption, so how can He, the Glorified, decree that He does not love corruption? For it is said: Corruption—as it is defined in reality—is the removal of a thing from a praiseworthy state for no valid purpose. This does not exist in the actions of the Exalted, nor does He command it. Whatever we see of His actions—Glorified is He—that appears to be corruption is only such in relation to us. From the perspective of the Exalted, it is all rectitude. As for His command to slaughter animals, for example, for the sake of eating, it is for the well-being of man, who is the essence of this world. As for His causing death, it is one of the causes of eternal life and [the soul's] return to its original home. What might be needed here has already been previously discussed.