Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:125

(So whoever Allah intends to guide) – meaning, to acquaint him with the path of truth and grant him success toward faith. The Mu‘tazila said: The intended meaning is to guide him to the reward, or to Paradise, or to reward him for the guidance, or to increase him in it.

(He expands his breast for Islam) – meaning, it becomes wide and spacious for it. This is a metaphor or a metonymy for making the soul prepared for the dwelling of truth within it, purified of what prevents and contradicts it. As the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, indicated when he was asked: "How is this expansion, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "It is a light cast into the breast, so it expands and opens up." It was asked: "Is there a sign by which that is known, O Messenger of Allah?" He, peace be upon him, said: "Turning toward the eternal abode, distancing oneself from the abode of deception, and preparing for death before the meeting of death."

(And whoever He intends to misguide) – meaning, to create misguidance in him due to his evil choice. It is also said: The intent is to misguide him away from the reward, or away from Paradise, or away from an increase in faith, or to forsake him and leave him to his own devices.

(He makes his breast tight and constricted) – in such a way that it rejects the acceptance of truth, so that there is almost no passage for good to enter it. Ibn Kathir read dayyiqan with a light pronunciation (without the shadda). Nafi‘ and Abu Bakr from ‘Asim read harajan with a kasra on the ra’, meaning "severely tight." The others read it with a fatha on the ra’ as an adjective derived from the verbal noun for the sake of exaggeration. The root meaning of haraj, as al-Raghib said, is the gathering together of a thing, and from this, the narrow is called haraj. Some researchers said: Its original meaning is the intensity of tightness, for the haraja is a thicket where the trees are so intertwined that it is difficult to enter. Ibn Humayd, Ibn Jarir, and others narrated from Abu al-Salt al-Thaqafi that ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, read harajan with a fatha on the ra’, and some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, who were with him read it harijan with a kasra. ‘Umar said: "Find me a man from Kinana and make him a shepherd, and let him be from the tribe of Mudlij." They brought him, and ‘Umar said to him: "O young man, what is the haraja among you?" He said: "The haraja among us is the tree that exists among trees which neither a grazing animal, nor a wild beast, nor anything else can reach." ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Likewise is the heart of the hypocrite; no good can reach it."

(As though he were climbing into the sky) – This is a new sentence, or a state from the pronoun of the description, or another description. The intent is the exaggeration of the tightness of his breast, as he is likened to one who undertakes what he is not capable of; for climbing the sky is a metaphor for that which is outside the sphere of possibility. It contains a warning that faith is impossible for him, just as climbing is impossible for him, and this impossibility is according to custom. Al-Zajjaj said: Its meaning is as though he were ascending into the sky, distancing himself from the truth and moving away in flight from it. The original form of yassadadu is yatas‘adadu, and it has been recited as such, with the ta’ assimilated into the sad. Ibn Kathir read yassadu, and Abu Bakr from ‘Asim read yusa‘idu, and its root is also as previously mentioned.

(Thus) – an indication of the aforementioned "making" [of the breast] that follows, according to what has been verified, or an indication of the previous "making," meaning: like that making—that is, making the breast haraj in the manner described.

(Allah places the impurity) – meaning, the punishment or the abandonment. Ibn al-Mundhir and others narrated from Mujahid that he said: "(The impurity) is that in which there is no good." Al-Raghib said: "(The impurity) is the filthy thing." Al-Zajjaj said: "It is the curse in this world and the punishment in the Hereafter." Its root, as it is said, is from al-irtijas, which is agitation.

(Upon those who do not believe) – meaning, upon them. The explicit noun is placed in the position of the pronoun for the sake of explanation.