Tafsir of Muhammad 47:22

"So would you perhaps, if..."

• "ʿasaytum" (you perhaps): This is the dialect of the people of Hijaz. As for the Banu Tamim, they say ʿasā an tafʿala (it is hoped that you do) and ʿasā an tafʿalū (it is hoped that you all do), without attaching pronouns. Nafiʿ recited it with a kasra on the sīn (ʿasītum), which is rare.
• The Shift: The speech shifts from the third person to the second person (addressing them directly) as a form of iltifāt (rhetorical shift), to be more emphatic.
• The Meaning: If you ask: "What is the meaning of 'So would you perhaps, if you turn away, cause corruption on earth'?" I say: Its meaning is, "Is corruption expected of you?"
• The Theological Question: If you ask: "How is this valid in the speech of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, when He knows what has been and what will be?" I say: Its meaning is that because it is known of you—and you are worthy of being told by anyone who has tested you and known your weakness and the looseness of your commitment to faith—"O you people, what do you think? Is it expected of you, if you were to take charge of people's affairs and rule over them, given the evidence that has appeared from you and the signs that have emerged, that you would 'cause corruption on earth and sever your ties of kinship' due to infighting over power and greed for the world?"
• Alternative Interpretation: It is said: "If you turn away from the religion of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his Sunnah, you will return to what you were upon in the Age of Ignorance: corruption on earth through raiding and plundering, and severing ties of kinship through fighting among relatives and burying daughters alive."
• Variants: It is recited as walaytum (you turned away). In the recitation of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), it is tawallaytum (you were governed by). That is: "If oppressive rulers take charge of you, you will go out with them, march under their banner, and corrupt through their corruption." It is also recited as tuqaṭṭiʿū and taqaṭṭaʿū (severing/being severed).
• "Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed": This is a reference to those mentioned. Because of their corruption and severing of ties, He withheld His grace from them and abandoned them, until they became deaf to hearing the sermon and blind to seeing the path of guidance.
• Context: It is possible that by "those who believe," the text refers to the sincere, steadfast believers who yearn for revelation when it is delayed. When a Surah regarding Jihad is revealed, you see the hypocrites among themselves becoming distressed by it.

"Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon their hearts?"