{فهل عسيتم}

This address is directed toward those in whose hearts is a disease, expressed through the rhetorical device of iltifat (shift in mode of address) to emphasize the rebuke and heighten the censure.

The interrogative particle hal (is/then) is used for inquiry, and its original function is to enter upon a declarative sentence to ask about its content. Asā (to hope/expect), which is an auxiliary verb, denotes that which is signified by the predicate. Thus, the meaning is: "Is it to be expected and anticipated from you, (if you were to be given authority) over the affairs of people and were placed in command over them—for it is derived from wilayah (authority/governance), and the object of the verb is omitted—(that you would cause corruption on earth and sever your ties of kinship)?"

This interpretation has been narrated from Muhammad ibn Ka'b, Abu al-'Aliyah, and al-Kalbi. It refers to the internal fighting for authority and the greedy scramble for the carrion of this world. The expectation of this outcome is valid for anyone who observes their condition, except for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, as it is not befitting for Him, Exalted is He, to "expect" anything, as inquiry in the case of other than Him implies. The meaning is: Since your conditions—which signify an intense craving for this world—have been witnessed, such that when you were commanded to engage in Jihad, which is the means to the great reward of Allah, you detested it and manifested what you manifested; it is fitting for anyone who has experienced you and known your state to say to you, "O you people, what do you think? Is it to be expected from you, if you were to be given authority, that you would cause corruption on earth..." and so on.

Some have interpreted tawallaytum as "turning away" from Islam. If so, the meaning is: "If you turn away from Islam, will you then return to your state during the Jahiliyyah—causing corruption on earth through raiding and looting, and severing ties of kinship by fighting your own relatives, and burying daughters alive?" This has been challenged on the grounds that what occurs within the scope of a conditional clause in such a context must be considered reprehensible due to the corruptions that follow it, not due to the act itself. There is no doubt that turning away from Islam is the root of all evil and corruption; therefore, it ought to be the primary basis for the rebuke, not merely a vehicle for rebuking lesser corruptions. The first interpretation is supported by the reading of some as wullītum (passive voice), as well as the reading mentioned in al-Bahr attributed to Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—as well as Ruways, Ya'qub, and others as tuwallaytum (passive voice), based on the meaning: "People will place you in authority and gather to follow you," or "You will be rulers among them." It is also said the meaning is: "You will be under the authority of oppressive rulers, and you will go forth with them, march under their banner, and spread corruption through their corruption."

Abu Hayyan favored the interpretation of "turning away," though he stated the meaning is: "If you turn away from complying with the command of Allah regarding fighting, you will cause corruption on earth by failing to aid the people of Islam against their enemies, and you will sever your ties of kinship—for many of the Muslims are your kin. Thus, when you fail to aid them, you sever the bond of kinship between you and them." This is challenged by the fact that characterizing this as "corruption" is subtle, and the use of an (if) instead of idha (when) is problematic, given that turning away from the command of Allah is akin to the apostasy of those hypocrites. Reflect upon this.

The clause an tufsidu (that you cause corruption) is the predicate of asa, and in tawallaytum (if you turn away/are given authority) is a parenthetical clause, with the answer to the condition being omitted, indicated by what precedes it. Some claimed that the most apparent reading is to treat in tawallaytum as a hal (circumstantial) clause of a future state, but this is flawed because a condition without a response has not been known to function as a hal clause unless it is an (the conditional particle), which is never separated from the waw.

Attaching pronouns to asa—as is done with other conjugated verbs—is the dialect of the Hijazis; the Banu Tamim do not attach them, but insist that it be followed by an and the verb. Thus, they say: al-zaydan 'asa an yaquma and al-zaydun 'asa an yaqumu. The Imam mentioned these two dialects and then said: "As for those who say 'asa anta taqumu and 'asa ana aqumu, it is below what we have mentioned." Due to the length, his intent was to narrate a third dialect, which is the separation of the pronoun; however, we do not know of any transmitter of the Arabic language who mentioned it, and if it is anything else, it has little benefit.

Nafi' read ‘asaytum with a kasra on the sin (unpointed), which is strange. Abu 'Amr, in one of his narrations, along with Salam, Ya'qub, Aban, and ‘Ismah, read tuqatti'u (with light ta), the imperfect of qatta'a. Al-Hasan read tataqatta'u with a fatha on the ta and qaf and a shadda on the ta, which is originally tataqatta'u with two tas, one of which was elided. They set arhamakum in the accusative case due to the omission of the preposition (i.e., fi arhamikum), because taqatta'a is an intransitive verb.