Tafsir of Al Imran 3:177

"Indeed, those who purchased disbelief for faith," meaning they took disbelief as a substitute for faith, desiring what they took and turning away from what they left. For this reason, "purchased" (ishtaraw) was placed in the position of "exchanged" (badalu), because the former is more expressive of desire and more indicative of poor choice.

His saying, "They will not harm Allah at all," has already been discussed. Here, it contains an apparent innuendo that the harm is limited to themselves, as if it were said: "They only harm their own selves." The intended meaning of the "relative pronoun" (al-mawsul) here is the same as that which was intended there; the repetition serves to establish the ruling and emphasize it by clarifying its cause through changing the title of the subject. For what is mentioned within the silah (relative clause)—given that it is a hallmark of total loss and eternal deprivation—is explicit in that the harm reaches them alone and does not extend to anyone else at all. It indicates the utter foolishness of their minds and the flimsiness of their opinions; how could they possibly be capable of harming the allies of Allah—whose victory He, Exalted is He, has guaranteed—when they (the allies) are more precious than a "jalimah" (a heavy object) and more secure than the throat of a lion?

It has been suggested that the relative pronoun here may be general, while there it was specific, or vice-versa, excluding what Al-Hasan held regarding it. The sentence confirms the content of what preceded it, like the confirmation of general rules for the partial judgments that fall under them. Al-Zamakhshari permitted that the first might be general for the disbelievers, while this one is specific to the hypocrites, singling them out for mention because they are more severe in harm and plotting. This was objected to on the grounds that intending the general there does not befit the majesty of the Revelation, for the issuance of "hastening into disbelief" in the aforementioned sense, and its being a cause for inciting sadness in the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)—as is understood from the prohibition against it—can only be conceived of from those known to be characterized by it. As for those disbelievers whose state is unknown—such as those in distant lands—attributing said "hastening" to them and considering it a source of his (peace and blessings be upon him) sadness has no basis. It is possible to say: he who held the view of generality in the first did not intend by "the disbelievers" those who are opposite to the believers, wherever they were or however they were found, but rather those who include the recalcitrant and the apostates, for instance, from whom harm to him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) might be expected; in which case, this objection does not apply.

It has been said: The intended meaning of the first is the hypocrites, or those who apostatized, while the intended meaning here is the Jews. "Faith" refers either to faith actually attained—as is the state of apostates—or faith in potentiality, near to realization, achieved by witnessing its proofs in the Torah, as is the case with the Jews; or "dispositional faith" attained by witnessing the speaking revelation and the proofs established in the horizons and within themselves, as is the habit of all other disbelievers; or the common denominator between them all. So, understand this.

"And for them is a painful torment," meaning causing pain. This sentence is a mubtada'ah (commencing) sentence, clarifying the extreme hideousness of their torment by mentioning the peak of its pain-inducing nature after mentioning the extremity of its magnitude; or it confirms the harm indicated by the first sentence. It has been said: Since it is customary for a purchaser to be pleased with what he has bought and happy with his acquisition when the deal is profitable, and to be in pain when it is a loss, their torment was described as "painful" in consideration of that. This was conveyed by our master, the Shaykh al-Islam.