Tafsir of Al Imran 3:106

(On the Day when some faces will turn white and some faces will turn black): The word "Day" is in the accusative case due to the meaning of "stability" (istiqrar) contained within "for them," or it is in the accusative because an implicit "Remember" is governing it. It has also been said that the governing word is "punishment," but this is weakened by the fact that a noun-of-action (masdar) that is being described does not act as a verb. It is also said that the governing word is "Great," but it has been objected that this would restrict its greatness to this specific instance, which lacks meaning. This objection is countered by the argument that if it is great in this instance—and it contains every great thing—then it is even more so in other instances, unless one claims that the restriction is not intended.

The whiteness is intended to mean its literal sense, or its necessary consequence of joy and happiness; the same is said regarding the blackness. The majority hold the first view, stating that the people of truth are marked by the whiteness of their faces and the radiance of their complexion as an honor to them and a manifestation of the effects of their deeds in that assembly, while the people of falsehood are marked by the opposite. It is apparent that the whitening and blackening apply to the entire body, yet they are attributed to the faces because the face is the first thing one encounters of a person and sees, and it is the most noble of their limbs.

There is a difference of opinion regarding the time of this occurrence. It is said: at the time of the resurrection from the graves. It is said: at the time of reading the records. It is said: at the time when good deeds and evil deeds are weighed on the Balance. It is said: at the words of the Almighty, "But stand apart today, O criminals!" It is said: at the time when each group is commanded to follow what they worshipped. It is not far-fetched to say that in each of these stations, a portion of this occurs until it reaches a limit known only to Allah—for whiteness and blackness are from the "variable" (mushakkik) categories, not the "uniform" (mutawati') ones, as is not hidden. It has been recited as tabyadu and taswadu with a kasra on the initial letter, which is a dialectal variation, as well as tabyadu and taswadu.

(As for those whose faces have turned black): This is a detailed explanation of the states of the two groups. He began with the state of those whose faces turned black because of its proximity to "and some faces will turn black," and so that the beginning and the ending might be with that which gladdens the nature and expands the breast. (Did you disbelieve after your belief?) This is based on an intended speech preceded by a fa (so/then), meaning: "Then it is said to them..." The omission of the word "speech" and the inclusion of the fa in the omission is more frequent than can be counted. What is forbidden is to omit the speech alone in response to "As for" (amma). The interrogation is for the purpose of rebuke and astonishment at their state. The speech is a narrative of what is said to them, so there is no turn of the speaker (iltifat) therein, contrary to what al-Sameen claimed. The apparent meaning from the context and the sequence is that these are the People of the Scripture, and their disbelief after their belief is their disbelief in the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) after their belief in him before his mission. This is the view of Ikrimah, and it was chosen by al-Zajjaj and al-Jubba'i.

It is also said: They are all the disbelievers, because of their turning away from what was incumbent upon them regarding the confession of monotheism when He testified over them regarding their own souls: "Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes." This is narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka'b. It is possible that "belief" is intended to mean belief in potential and innate nature (fitra), and the disbelief of all the disbelievers occurred after this belief, due to their ability—through sound reasoning, clear proofs, and evident signs—to believe in Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). From al-Hasan, it is reported that they are the hypocrites; they gave the word of belief with their tongues but denied it with their hearts and deeds; thus, the belief here is metaphorical. It is also said that they are the people of innovation and desires from this community; this is narrated from Ali (may Allah honor his face), Ubayy ibn Umamah, Ibn Abbas, and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with them).

(So taste the punishment): i.e., the known punishment described as being great. The command is for the purpose of humiliation, to establish and confirm what is commanded. It is also said: it is possible that it is a command of subjugation, that every hair of their limbs should taste the punishment—we seek refuge with Allah the Almighty from His wrath. The fa is to signal that the command to taste the punishment is consequential to their aforementioned disbelief, as made explicit by His words, "for that you used to disbelieve." The ba is for causality. It is also said: it is for confrontation (muqabala) without consideration of causality, and it does not mean "for" (lam). Perhaps the Almighty intended "after your belief." Combining the past and present tense forms is to indicate the continuity of their disbelief or its passage in the world.