(For that reason)
That is, for what was mentioned in the midst of the story. The *min* (from) is causative, related to His saying: **(We ordained)**, meaning: We decreed. It is also said that it relates to the term *al-nādīmīn* (the remorseful), which is apparent in what has been narrated from Nāfiʿ, though Abū al-Baqāʾ and others considered *katabnā* (We ordained) as a new sentence and viewed that connection as far-fetched.
Al-ajl (reason) is written with a fatḥah on the hamzah, though it may also be read with a kasrah (by transferring the vowel to the nūn, just as it is read by transferring the fatḥah to it). Originally, al-jināyah (crime) is used; one says, "He committed ajl upon them," meaning he committed a crime against them, similar in meaning to "he brought upon them a jarīrah (sin)." Then it was used to explain the causes of crimes, and later it was expanded to be used for every cause. Thus, the meaning is: From that—the beginning of the decree—did this arise, and not from anything else.
(Upon the Children of Israel)
They are specified by name because envy was the origin of that corruption, and it is prevalent among them.
It is also said that they were mentioned instead of other people because the Torah was the first book in which the enormity of murder was revealed, and despite that, they were the most tyrannical and persistent in it, even to the point of killing the Prophets—peace and blessings be upon them. It is as if it were said: Because of this grave matter, We ordained in the Torah the gravity of murder and imposed it strictly upon them, yet they, after that, remained indifferent.
From this, one learns that this verse does not support the view of al-Hasan, al-Jubbāʾi, and Abū Muslim that the two sons of Adam—peace be upon him—were from the Children of Israel. Furthermore, the sending of the raven—the manifest sign in instructing him, which would have been unnecessary in their time if they had not been ignorant of how to bury—refutes that.
(That it is)
Meaning, the matter is: (Whoever kills a soul), one of the human souls, (without a soul)—that is, without the killing of a soul that justifies legal retaliation (the bāʾ denotes exchange, relating to "killing")—or (without corruption in the land)—that is, a corruption therein that justifies the shedding of blood, such as polytheism, for example. This is coordinated with what the bāʾ is appended to. The negation here applies to the disjunction, because the permissibility of killing is conditioned upon one of the mentioned factors (killing or corruption). By necessity, its prohibition is conditioned upon the absence of both. It is as if it were said: Whoever kills a soul without one of these two causes (it is as if he had killed mankind entirely), due to the two actions sharing in the violation of the sanctity of blood, defiance against Allah the Exalted, and the arrogance in killing, which leads to legal retribution and attracts the great wrath of Allah the Exalted. Ibn Jarīr narrated from Ibn Masʿūd that this analogy refers to the victim, just as the analogy following it refers to the savior; the first is more appropriate to the intended purpose of the analogy. It is read aw fasādan (corruption) in the accusative, implying "or committed corruption" or "or corrupted with corruption."
(And whoever saves one)
Meaning, whoever causes the survival of a single soul characterized by the absence of the aforementioned killing and corruption—either by forbidding its killer from killing it or by rescuing it from other causes of destruction in any way—(it is as if he had saved mankind entirely). It is also said that it means whoever helps in the carrying out of legal retaliation, it is as if he, etc. The mā in both places is kāffah (a restrictor), preparing the sentence for the verb that follows. Jamīʿan (entirely) is a state (ḥāl) for "mankind," or an emphasis. The benefit of the analogy is to strike terror and provide a deterrent against killing a single soul by portraying it in the image of killing all of mankind, and to incite and urge toward saving it by portraying it in the image of saving all of mankind.
(And certainly, Our messengers came to them with clear proofs)
Meaning, clear signs speaking to the confirmation of what We ordained for them, to emphasize the necessity of observing it and to reinforce the obligation of upholding it. The sentence is independent, not coordinated with "We ordained," and it is emphasized with an oath due to the complete concern for its content. It did not say "And We sent messengers to them" to clearly state that the message reached them, for that is more indicative of their extreme stubbornness and arrogance.
(Then indeed, many of them, after that)
After what has been mentioned of the decree and the emphasis of the command regarding the sending of messengers. The demonstrative pronoun is used in place of a pronoun to indicate its complete distinctiveness and its inclusion—because of that—among observable matters. What it contains of the meaning of distance is an allusion to the loftiness of its rank and the remoteness of its status in terms of gravity. Thumma (then) is for sequence in rank and remoteness.
(In the land)
This relates to His saying: (were certainly transgressors), as does the word "after" in the text; the lām al-muzḥalaqah does not prevent this. Transgression (isrāf) in any matter is the moving away from the limits of moderation without concern for it. The meaning is: they were transgressors in the matter of killing, unconcerned by it. Since their transgression in the matter of killing necessarily implies their negligence in the matter of saving—both in existence and non-existence—and since it is the uglier and more atrocious of the two matters, it was sufficient to mention it in the context of the condemnation intended by the verses. Al-Kalbī said the meaning is: those who exceed the limits of truth through polytheism. It is also said that it is more general than transgression by killing, polytheism, and others.
Allah the Exalted said: "Indeed, many of them," because—as is in al-Khāzin—He knew that among them were those who believed in Allah the Exalted and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and they are few compared to the many. He mentioned the earth, even though transgression only happens therein, to indicate that the transgression of that "many" was not something specific to them, but rather its evil spread throughout the earth and extended to others.
