Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:94

(Say, if the home of the Hereafter is exclusively for you): This is a refutation of another claim made by them, following the refutation of their claim regarding the belief in what was revealed to them. Because the objective differed, one was not conjoined to the other, despite the evident relevance that warrants mentioning them together. The verse was revealed—according to what Ibn al-Jawzi narrated—when the Jews said: "Allah the Exalted did not create Paradise except for Israel and his children." Abu al-Aliyah and al-Rabi’ said the reason for its revelation was their saying: "None shall enter Paradise" (etc.), and "We are the sons of Allah" (etc.), and "The Fire will not touch us" (etc.). Similar reports were narrated from Qatadah.

The pronoun in "Say" is either for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) or for anyone who wishes to establish the argument against them. The intended meaning of "the home of the Hereafter" is Paradise, which is the standard interpretation. It has been deemed appropriate in al-Bahr to assume an omitted genitive, meaning: the bliss of "the home of the Hereafter." "With Allah" means in His decree. It has been said that it means proximity, rank, and honor. To interpret it as physical proximity—as some have suggested—is a remote possibility.

"Exclusively" (Khalisatan) means specifically for you, as you claim. "Khalis" (pure/exclusive) is that which nothing mingles with, or from which its impurities have been removed. The word Khalisatan is in the accusative case as a state (hal) from "the home," which is the noun of Kana (the verb "to be"). "For you" (lakum) is its predicate, placed first for emphasis or to convey restriction, and what follows is for further reinforcement. This applies if one allows the state to be derived from the noun of Kana, which is the more correct view. Those who do not allow it—based on the premise that it is not a "doer" (fa'il)—made it a state from the implied pronoun within the predicate. It has also been said that Khalisatan is the predicate and "for you" is a circumstantial prepositional phrase related to Kana or to Khalisatan—a view whose weakness is apparent, as it restricts the judgment before it even arrives, and there is no justification for placing the adjunct of the predicate before the noun while requiring the prepositional phrase to be situated between the noun and the predicate.

Al-Mahdawi and Ibn Atiyyah went even further by making Khalisatan a state and "with Allah" the predicate, despite the fact that the speech would not be self-sufficient with that alone. "Without" (duna) here denotes exclusivity and the severance of partnership. It is said: "This is for me without you," meaning you have no right to it with me and no share. It relates to Khalisatan. The intended meaning of "the people" is the human race, which is the most apparent interpretation. Others said it refers to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the Muslims; others said it refers to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) alone, as stated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). They say that "the people" can be used to refer to a single man, though this is likely only metaphorical, by treating the individual as a collective group.

(Then wish for death, if you are truthful): ...in your claim that Paradise is "exclusively" for you. For whoever is certain that he is among the people of Paradise chooses to transition to the abode of eternity and desires to be freed from staying in the abode of sorrows. As it was narrated of Ali (may Allah's countenance be honored) that he was walking between the two ranks in a light garment, and al-Hasan said to him: "What is this, father? This is not the attire of warriors!" He replied: "My son, your father does not care whether he falls upon death or death falls upon him."

Abdullah ibn Rawahah would recite while fighting the Byzantines: "How wonderful is Paradise and its approach, pure and cool is its drink, and the Byzantines are Byzantines whose punishment has drawn near."

Ammar said at Siffin: "Tomorrow we meet the loved ones, Muhammad and his companions." It is narrated of Hudhayfah that he used to wish for death, and when he was dying, he said: "A beloved has come in a time of need." It is also narrated from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that when he received news of those killed at the Well of Ma'unah, he said: "I wish I had been left with them in the mountain pass."

From this, it is known that wishing for death due to longing for the Abode of Bliss and meeting the Generous One is not forbidden. The prohibition is only for wishing for it due to an affliction that has befallen one, as that is a sign of panic and lack of satisfaction with the divine decree. In the Hadith: "Let no one among you wish for death due to an affliction that has befallen him; and if he must, let him say: 'O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and take my soul when death is better for me.'"

"Wishing" (Tamanni) refers to a person saying: "I wish such and such." It is among the actions of the heart, or a desire of the heart and the love of attainment accompanied by speech. Thus, the meaning of the verse is: "Ask for death with the tongue," as stated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), or "Desire it with your hearts and ask for it with your tongues," as a group of scholars said. Under both interpretations, the command to wish for it is literal. The possibility that the meaning is "expose yourselves to death and do not guard against it, like those who wish for it—so fight those who oppose you and do not be among those who pay the Jizyah and are humiliated"—or to be in such a state of righteous deeds that those who wish for death and desire Paradise would be in, is not supported by the traditions.

Indeed, Ibn Abi Hatim recorded with a Sahih chain from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), in a Mawquf (stopped) narration: "If they had wished for death, each of them would have choked on his own saliva." Al-Bayhaqi recorded from him in a Marfu' (elevated) narration: "No man among them says it but he chokes on his saliva." And al-Bukhari recorded from him also in a Marfu' narration: "If the Jews had wished for death, they would have died."

Ibn Abi Ishaq recited Fatamanu al-mawt (wish for death) with a kasra (vowel 'i') on the waw. al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim narrated from Abu Amr a fathah (vowel 'a') on it, and it was also narrated from him that he reduced the sound of its damma (vowel 'u').