Al-Baqarah: (96) And you will surely find them the most eager of people...

Know that when the Almighty informed them in the preceding verse that they do not wish for death, He informs them in this verse that they are extremely eager for life. This is because there is a third category here: a person who neither wishes for death nor wishes for life. He said: {And you will surely find them the most eager of people for a life} (Al-Baqarah: 96).

As for His saying, {And you will surely find them}: Wajada here means 'to know' (a transitive verb requiring two objects), as in, "I found Zayd to be protective" (Wajadtu Zaydan dhā ḥifāẓ). Its two objects are {them} (hum) and {the most eager} (aḥraṣ).

He said {for a life} (li-ḥayātin) in the indefinite form because it refers to a specific kind of life: a long-lasting life. This is why the recitation with the indefinite form is more impactful than the recitation of Abu [al-Hasan al-Basri] which uses the definite form, {for the life} (lil-ḥayāti).

As for the wāw (conjunction) in {And of those who associate partners in worship} (Wa mina alladhīna ashrakū), there are three opinions:

1. The first opinion: It is a wāw of conjunction (wāw ‘aṭf). The meaning is that the Jews are the most eager of people for life, and they are more eager than those who associate partners in worship, similar to saying, "He is the most generous of people, and more so than Ḥātim." This is the view of al-Farra’ and al-Aṣamm.
   • If it is objected: "Were those who associate partners not already included under 'people'?" We reply: Yes, but they were singled out for mention because their eagerness is intense. This contains a great reprimand because those who associate partners do not believe in the Hereafter and only know this worldly life. Therefore, their eagerness for it is not surprising, as it is their paradise. If someone who possesses a Scripture and acknowledges recompense exceeds them in eagerness, he is more deserving of the greatest rebuke.
   • If it is objected: "Why is their eagerness greater than the eagerness of the polytheists?" We reply: Because they know with certainty that they are destined for the Fire, whereas the polytheists do not know that.

2. The second opinion: This wāw is a wāw of resumption (wāw isti’nāf), and the statement is complete at {for a life}. The meaning is: And of those who associate partners in worship are people, one of whom wishes [to live long], with the subject omitted, similar to His saying: {And there is none of us but has a known station} (As-Sāffāt: 164).

3. The third opinion: There is a transposition (taqdīm wa ta’khīr). The meaning is: "And you will surely find them and a group of those who associate partners in worship to be the most eager of people for a life." Then, this desire is explained by His saying: {One of them wishes he could be granted a life of a thousand years}. This is the view of Abū Muslim.

The first opinion is preferable because if the context is specifically about the Jews, it is more appropriate to the apparent meaning that the intent is: "And you will surely find the Jews to be the most eager for life than the rest of the people and than those who associate partners in worship," so that this may be more emphatic in refuting their claim and revealing their falsehood in saying, "The Hereafter is for us and not for anyone else." And Allah knows best.

They differed regarding the meaning of His saying, {And of those who associate partners in worship}, with three opinions:

1. It is said they are the Magians (Zoroastrians), because they used to say to their king: "Live a thousand Nowruz and a thousand Mahrajān (festivals)." This is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās as the saying of the non-Arabs: Zī hazār sāl (Live a thousand years).
2. It refers to the Arab polytheists.
3. It refers to every polytheist who does not believe in the Hereafter, because we explained that the eagerness of such people for the world should be greater.

The mention of a thousand years is not meant to imply the non-Arabs' saying of ten thousand years; rather, it is used for exaggeration (takthīr), which is known in the speech of the Arabs.

As for His saying, {One of them wishes he could be granted a life of a thousand years}, the meaning is that He clarified how far they are from wishing for death, in that they wish for this longevity and are extremely eager for it. How can one who is in this state possibly wish for death?

As for His saying, {Yet that would not save him from the punishment if he were granted a life} (Wa mā huwa bi-muzḥziḥihi mina al-‘adhābi an yu‘ammara), there are two sub-issues:

Regarding what {it} (huwa) refers to in {And it is not} (Wa mā huwa): There are three opinions:

1. It is a pronoun referring back to {one of them} (aḥaduhum) who was mentioned. Meaning: And that one of them will not be saved from the Fire by his long life.
2. It is a pronoun referring to the verbal noun implied by {he were granted a life} (an yu‘ammara), and {if he were granted a life} is a substitute for it.
3. It is an ambiguous pronoun (mubham), and {if he were granted a life} clarifies it.

Zahzaḥah means moving away or pushing aside. Al-Qāḍī said: The meaning is that his long life will not have even the slightest effect in removing the punishment. If the Almighty had said, "And it will not distance him or save him," it would not have indicated the smallness of the effect as clearly as this statement does.

As for His saying, {And Allah is Seeing of what you do} (Wa Allāhu baṣīrun bi-mā ta‘malūn): Know that Baṣar (Seeing) can sometimes mean Knowledge. It is said, "So-and-so has insight (baṣar) into this matter," meaning knowledge. It can also mean that He possesses the quality that, if objects of sight existed, He would see them. Both descriptions are valid for Him, the Exalted. However, for those who say that some deeds cannot be perceived by this sight, then Baṣar must necessarily mean Knowledge. And Allah knows best.

Translation:

Say: "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel—for indeed, he brought it down upon your heart by permission of Allah, confirming what came before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers— [then let him know that] whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael, then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers."