Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:51

"And those who strove against Our verses"—meaning, they exerted effort in attempting to invalidate them, labeling them at times as magic, at other times as poetry, and at others as fables of the ancients. The root of sa'y (striving) is speed in walking, but it is applied to both reforming and corrupting. It is said, "He strove in the affair of so-and-so," if he sought to fix it or corrupt it through his efforts therein.

"Attempting to undermine"—meaning, competing against the believers. The intent behind their competition is their opposition to them and their contradiction of them; for every time the believers seek to manifest the truth, these people seek to invalidate it. Its root comes from 'ajazahu (to vie with someone and render them unable), meaning he competed with him and surpassed him, for each of the two competitors desires to render the other incapable of catching up.

Ibn Kathir, Abu 'Amr, al-Jahdari, Abu al-Summal, and al-Za'farani read it as "mu'ajjizin" with the shaddah (doubled 'j'), meaning those who discourage people from faith. Abu Ali al-Farsi said: It means attributing inability (impotence) to the Muslims, just as you would say fassaqtu fulanan (I called so-and-so a transgressor) if you attribute transgression to him. This is consistent with His saying, "And they urge you to hasten the punishment." Ibn al-Zubayr read it as "mu'jizin" with a quiescent 'ayn and light 'zay, derived from a'jaza-ka (he surpassed you and escaped you). The author of al-Lawami' said: The meaning here is that they think they can render Us incapable, due to their belief that they will not be resurrected. The reading of the majority, mu'ajizin, is interpreted in the same manner. This description, under all readings, is a state (hal) of the pronoun in "strove," and it is not meant to be linked to anything else, as is apparent upon contemplation.

"Those"—described by what has been mentioned—"are the companions of the Blaze"—meaning, those who are consigned to the fire that is intensely ablaze. It is also said that it is the name of one of the levels of Hell.