Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:11

(And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge) — This is an initiation into the state of the wavering ones. That is, among them is he who worships the Exalted One while being on the periphery of the religion, having no stability within it, much like one who is at the edge of an army: if he senses victory, he remains, but if not, he flees. In the discourse, there is a metaphorical representation (isti‘ara tamthiliyya).

His saying, Exalted is He, (But if good befalls him...) and so forth, is an interpretation of that and a clarification of the point of resemblance. The "good" intended is worldly good, such as prosperity, well-being, and offspring. That is, if he is struck by what he desires, (he is reassured by it)—meaning he remains firm upon what he was outwardly, not that he is reassured with the reassurance of the believers, whom no gale can displace and no sentiment can deter. (But if a trial befalls him)—that is, anything by which he is tested, such as an aversion that affects his person, his family, or his wealth—(he turns on his face)—meaning he dominates the direction he faces, turning neither to the right nor the left, indifferent to the heat or mountains he encounters. This is the meaning of what is said in al-Kashshaf: "He flew upon his face," which in al-Kashf is interpreted as a metonymy for defeat. It is said that here, it is an expression of anxiety, as it stands in opposition to "he is reassured." In any case, the intent is that he returns from his religion to disbelief.

Al-Bukhari, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn Marduyah recorded from Ibn Abbas regarding this verse: A man would arrive in Medina; if his wife gave birth to a boy and his horses produced offspring, he would say, "This is a good religion." But if his wife did not give birth and his horses did not produce offspring, he would say, "This is an evil religion."

Ibn Marduyah recorded from Abu Sa’id that a man from the Jews accepted Islam, then lost his sight, his wealth, and his children. He took a bad omen from Islam and came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "Cancel my pledge (allow me to apostatize)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Islam does not permit the cancellation of pledges." The man said, "I have not gained any good from this religion of mine; my sight and wealth have gone, and my child has died." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "O Jew, Islam purifies men just as fire purifies the dross from iron, gold, and silver." Then this verse was revealed. Ibn Hajar considered this report weak.

It is also said it was revealed regarding Shaybah ibn Rabi’ah, who accepted Islam before the Prophet’s victory (peace and blessings be upon him) and apostatized after it. This is narrated from Ibn Abbas. Al-Hasan said it was revealed regarding the hypocrites.

(He has lost this world and the Hereafter) — This is an inaugural sentence, or a substitute for "he turns on his face," as Abu al-Fadl al-Razi said, or a state (hal) of its subject, either with an implied "already" (qad) or without it, as is the opinion of Abu Hayyan. The meaning is that he has lost the world and the Hereafter, squandering both, as he missed what would have brought him joy in both.

Mujahid, Humayd, al-A’raj, and Ibn Muhaysin—by way of al-Za’farani, Qa’nab, al-Jahdari, and Ibn Miqsam—read khasiran (as an active participle, fā’il), in the accusative case as a state, because its genitive construction is nominal. It was also read as khasirun in the nominative case, as the subject of "turns on his face." In this, there is the placing of the explicit noun in place of the pronoun to indicate the cause of his turning being his loss. It is said that it is a form of abstraction (tajrid), containing hyperbole. It is also permissible for it to be the predicate of a deleted subject—that is, "he is a loser"—and the sentence is delivered as a form of blame and denunciation.

(That is the clear loss) — That is, what has been mentioned of loss, with the demonstrative "that" implying distance, signaling that it is at the furthest extreme. It is said that the particle of distance is used because the referent is not explicitly mentioned [in the immediate context]. (The clear) — meaning manifest, such that its being a loss is beyond question.