Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:204

"And of the people is he whose speech pleases you..."

Meaning: It delights you and becomes great in your heart. From this comes the word ‘ajīb (wondrous), referring to that which is magnified in the soul. It is said this refers to Al-Akhnas ibn Shariq, who was a man of sweet speech. When he met the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he would soften his words, claim to love him, and claim to be a Muslim, saying, "Allah knows that I am truthful."

Others say this is general, applying to all hypocrites whose tongues are sweet while their hearts are more bitter than patience (aloes).

If you ask: To what does the phrase "in the life of this world" relate? I say: It relates to "speech." That is, his speech regarding worldly matters pleases you, because he seeks a worldly portion through his false claim of love, not desiring the Hereafter as one does with true faith and sincere love for the Messenger. Thus, his speech is for this world, not the next.

It is also possible it relates to "pleases you," meaning: his speech is sweet and eloquent in this world, so it pleases you, but it will not please you in the Hereafter due to the speechlessness and stuttering that will afflict him at the Standing (of Judgment), or because he will not be permitted to speak, so he will not speak in a way that pleases you.

"And he calls Allah to witness as to what is in his heart..."

Meaning: He swears, saying, "Allah is witness to the love and Islam in my heart." It is also recited as wa-yush-hidu Allāhu (and Allah bears witness), and in the codex of Ubayy, it is wa-yastash-hidu Allāha (and he calls Allah to witness).

"Yet he is the fiercest of opponents."

Meaning: He is intense in argumentation and enmity toward the Muslims. It is said he had a dispute with the tribe of Thaqif, so he attacked them by night, destroyed their livestock, and burned their crops.

Al-khiṣām (opponents) is the act of disputing. Attributing aladd (fiercest) to khiṣām is like saying "firm in treachery," or it is made aladd as an exaggeration. It is also said that khiṣām is the plural of khaṣm (opponent), like ṣa‘b and ṣi‘āb, meaning he is the most intense of opponents in his disputation.

"And when he turns away..."

From you, and departs after having softened his speech and sweetened his logic.

"...he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein..."

As he did with the tribe of Thaqif.

It is also said: "And when he turns away" means when he becomes a ruler (wāliyan), he does what evil rulers do: causing corruption in the land by destroying crops and offspring.

It is also said: He manifests oppression until Allah, because of the ill-omen of his oppression, withholds the rain, thereby destroying the crops and offspring. It is recited as wa-yuhliku al-ḥartha wa-al-nasla (and he destroys the crops and offspring), where the verb applies to the crops and offspring, and the nominative case is for conjunction with sa‘ā (strives). Al-Hasan recited it with a fatḥa on the lām (yahliku), which is a dialectal variation like abā ya’bā. It is also narrated from him as yuhliku (passive voice).

"Pride takes him to sin."

From the expression "I took him with such-and-such," meaning I compelled him to it and bound him to it. That is, the pride within him and the zeal of the Age of Ignorance compelled him toward the sin he is forbidden from, binding him to commit it and preventing him from abandoning it out of spite and stubbornness, or in response to the words of an advisor.