Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:216

(Fighting is ordained for you), meaning the fighting of disbelievers. It is an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn) if they enter our lands, and a collective obligation (fard kifaya) if they are in their own lands. It has been read with the verb in the active voice, attributing it to the Doer, who is Allah—Almighty and Majestic is He—with "the fighting" in the accusative case. It has also been read as "Killing (al-qatl) is ordained for you," meaning the killing of the disbelievers.

(And it is hateful to you): This is a conjunction to "ordained." Coupling a nominal sentence to a verbal one is permissible, as has been explicitly stated. It is said that the waw is for the state (hal), making the clause a circumstantial qualifier, but this has been refuted on the grounds that a confirming circumstantial qualifier cannot take a waw, and a changing one would be purposeless here.

(And al-kurh): With the damma (u), like al-karh with the fatha (a)—both of which are canonical readings—it means hatred/aversion. It is said that the form with fatha refers to the hardship that befalls a person from the outside, while the form with damma refers to what befalls them from within themselves. It is also said that the form with fatha is a noun meaning "compulsion," while the form with damma means "aversion." In any case, if it is an infinitive (masdar), it is interpreted as such, or it is treated as a hyperbolic expression, or it is an adjective like "baked bread." If it is meant as "compulsion" and is applied to aversion, it is a metaphorical assimilation, as if they were compelled to it due to its intensity and great hardship.

Furthermore, the fact that fighting is considered hateful does not negate faith, for such aversion is natural, given that it involves killing, captivity, the destruction of the body, and the loss of wealth. This does not negate the acceptance of what one has been tasked with, like a sick person drinking a foul-tasting medicine; they hate it for its foulness, yet they accept it from another perspective. The same applies to abandoning the fighting of enemies, for therein lies humiliation, the weakening of authority, the enslavement of offspring, the plundering of wealth, the possession of lands, and the forfeiture of the abundant share of eternal bliss.

These two nominal sentences are circumstantial qualifiers of the indefinite noun, which is rare, though Sibawayh explicitly permitted it, as noted in Al-Bahr. Abu al-Baqa’ permitted them to be adjectives for it, and the inclusion of the waw is justified by the fact that the form of the sentence here is identical to its form when it is a circumstantial qualifier.

(And perhaps): The first instance is for expressing concern, and the second is for expressing hope, according to what some have maintained. The reason "perhaps" is mentioned, which denotes a lack of certainty, is that when the soul is disciplined and purified, the state it previously experienced is inverted; what it loved becomes hateful, and what it hated becomes beloved. Since the soul is capable—through discipline—of such an inversion, it is not definitively stated that it will hate what is good for it or love what is evil for it. Therefore, there is no need to claim that it is used here to signify certainty, as in the rest of the Quran, except for His saying: "Perhaps his Lord, if he divorces you..."

(And Allah knows what is good for you and what is evil for you): The object is omitted for brevity. (And you do not know) that, so hasten to what He commands you, for He only commands you to do what He knows contains goodness for you, and refrain from what He has forbidden you, for He only forbids you from what is evil for you.

The relevance of this verse to the preceding one is apparent, for it concerns Jihad, which is the sacrificing of one’s self, an act that surpasses the sacrificing of wealth.