Tafsir of Sad 38:28

(Or shall We make those who believe and do righteous deeds like the corrupters in the land?)

The hamza in "Am" (Or) is disjointed (munqati'ah), interpreted as bal (nay) followed by an implicit interrogative hamza. This hamza serves to deny and reject the equivalence between the two groups in the most eloquent and emphatic manner. The bal is for transitional deflection (idrab intiqali), moving from the consideration of the matter of resurrection and reckoning—already established by the previous negation of creating the world in vain—to establishing and confirming it by denying the equivalence between the two groups.

That is: "Nay, shall We make the believing, righteous ones like the disbelieving, corrupt ones in the land?"—which has been made a dwelling place for them. This is as necessitated by the denial of the resurrection and the requital that follows it, due to the equality of the two groups in their enjoyment of worldly life; in fact, most disbelievers have a greater share of it than most believers. However, such an arrangement [of equality] is impossible and contrary to Wisdom. Therefore, the resurrection and requital are definitively determined, in order to raise the former to the highest heights ('Illiyyin) and to cast the latter into the lowest depths (asfal safilin).

Thus they have said. Its apparent meaning is that the impossibility of making the two groups equal is a wisdom that necessitates the physical resurrection. There is some obscurity in this; it is apparent that a spiritual resurrection would suffice to satisfy the requirement of Wisdom regarding rewarding the former and punishing the latter. The intellectual proof to which the verse points is evident in establishing a resurrection—once the concept of transmigration of souls (tanasukh) is invalidated—and it is sufficient in refuting the disbelievers. The Arabs did not believe in a resurrection at all, and transmigration never crossed their minds. There is another path, famous among the theologians, for establishing the physical resurrection; using this specific intellectual proof as a path to establish it requires reflection, so reflect upon it.

His saying, Exalted is He: (Or shall We make the righteous as the wicked?) is a deflection and a transition from establishing what was mentioned—by the necessity of the impossible, which is the absolute equivalence between the two aforementioned groups—to establishing it by the necessity of that which is more obviously impossible, namely the equivalence between the pious believers and the wretched disbelievers. Interpreting the "wicked" (fujjar) as the wicked among the believers is not supported by the context. It is possible that these two groups are intended to be the same as the first two, and the repetition is in consideration of two other attributes that are more pertinent to the denial of equivalence than the first two attributes.

Regardless, the intended meaning of the plural in both instances is not specific individuals. This is why Ibn Abbas said: "The verse is general, applying to all Muslims and disbelievers." It is also said that it refers to a specific group of the polytheists of Quraish who said to the believers: "We shall be given in the Hereafter goodness that you will not be given," so this was revealed. You know that the consideration is for the generality of the wording, not for the specificity of the cause. In another narration from Ibn Abbas, recorded by Ibn 'Asakir, he said: "Those who believe are Ali, Hamza, and Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with them), and the corrupters in the land are Utbah, Walid ibn Utbah, and Shaybah," who were the ones who dueled on the day of Badr. Perhaps he meant that they were the cause of revelation.