Session Thirty-Four, Verse 60, The Five Parts of the Verse, Part Five

Session Thirty-Four

Verse 60 – The Five Parts of the Verse – Part Five: “And Do Not Commit Corruption Upon the Earth, Spreading Mischief” – Point One – Point Two – Three Possibilities – The Preferred Possibility

May 5, 2025

Part Five: “And Do Not Commit Corruption Upon the Earth, Spreading Mischief”

The fifth part, which is the final part of verse 60, is: “and do not commit corruption upon the earth, spreading mischief” («وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ»). This part comprises several points.

Point One

In this verse, a prohibition is given against transgression and corruption. Regarding “‘athiy,” two possibilities exist:

1. One possibility is that it means transgression of a limit.
2. The second possibility, which some exegetes have also noted, is that it means the intensification of corruption. Of course, in the first meaning — namely, transgression of a limit in an absolute sense — transgression of a limit is itself also a form of corruption, but the meaning of corruption is not explicitly stated in the first possibility.

If we say that “‘athiy” means transgression of a limit in an absolute sense, then the word “mufsidin” (“spreading mischief”) could serve as a circumstantial clause (hal) and qualifying restriction (qayd) for “la ta’thaw“; in this case, “and do not commit corruption upon the earth, spreading mischief” means: do not transgress the limit in a manner that constitutes corruption and corruption-spreading. This means that it is possible for transgression of a limit to occur in a manner that does not involve corruption; transgression and exceeding a limit, given the various degrees that we might attribute to it, may not reach the point of constituting corruption.

In any case, this verse contains a prohibition against transgression of a limit, or against the intensification of corruption, depending on which of these two possibilities is adopted here. The question, however, is: why has this statement been mentioned following “eat and drink from the provision of God”? This is, in fact, intended as a warning and an admonition — that, now that We have granted you all this mercy and blessing — drinking water, manna and quails, and ample means and resources for living — you must render thanks for these blessings, rather than showing ingratitude toward this blessing and beginning to engage in corruption and transgress your own bounds. This, then, is, in fact, a warning to the Children of Israel that, after all this grace and mercy of God, it is fitting that you be grateful to Him, rather than showing ingratitude toward God’s blessings.

Point Two

The second point is this: what is meant by “corruption” (fasad) and “transgression” (tughyan) in this verse, where it states “and do not commit corruption upon the earth, spreading mischief”? Whether we take “mufsidin” to be an emphasis (ta’kid) of “la ta’thaw,” in the sense that one should not engage in an intensification of corruption, or whether we do not take it as such an emphasis — through what is corruption and transgression here realized? Three possibilities exist here, to which the exegetes have drawn attention.

First Possibility

One possibility, which al-Razi has noted in al-Tafsir al-Kabir, is that you should not engage in transgression specifically with regard to making use of the water; for, in the use of water, particularly when needs become intense, conflict usually breaks out. We observe this very matter even today; perhaps the conflict that arises over water is more severe than the conflict that exists over food — although both are, in their own right, significant. Al-Razi states: when God said, “So We said: Strike the stone with your staff” («فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ»), and designated a drinking place for each group, this means that water itself was placed at their disposal as a blessing, and the number of drinking places corresponded precisely to the number of clans that existed among the Children of Israel; hence, in principle, there should have been no occasion for conflict to arise over water. But because God Almighty knew this people, and was aware of their greed, avarice, impatience, and lack of forbearance, He said: now that all of God’s blessings have been placed at your disposal, do not engage in conflict with one another over this water any further, and do not engage in corruption. In al-Razi’s words: “It is as though He, Most High, said: if conflict should arise on account of this water, do not exceed all bounds in this conflict” («فکأنه تعالی قال إن وقع التنازع بسبب ذلک الماء فلا تبالغوا فی التنازع») — that is, it is as though He takes the occurrence of conflict over water among them as a given, but says: do not exceed all bounds in this conflict; a certain degree of conflict is perhaps conventional and acceptable. This is particularly consistent with the meaning we have noted for “‘athiy,” namely, the intensification of corruption; if we interpret it in this manner, “la ta’thaw” means a prohibition against excess in conflict over water, which was indeed foreseeable — both given their own circumstances and given that people generally engage in conflict over water. In the case of the Children of Israel, too, there were factors that would have further contributed to such conflict. This, then, is one possibility — namely, that the corruption referred to here relates specifically to water and its use.

Second Possibility

Another possibility is that the transgression and corruption referred to here concerns eating and drinking; for, prior to this, the discussion had already turned to eating: “eat and drink from the provision of God.” We have noted that “eating” carries an apparent sense of present actuality, and, in principle, refers to that very meaning of manna and quails, rather than to those things that would be obtained, in the future, through the irrigation of lands and orchards, which would constitute a potential foodstuff; “drinking,” too, carries this same sense. Hence, following “eat and drink from the provision of God,” the verse states “and do not commit corruption upon the earth, spreading mischief” — meaning: do not engage in transgression and corruption in your eating and drinking. This, of course, has a parallel; in verses 80 and 81 of Surat Ta-Ha, it states: “And We sent down upon you manna and quails. Eat of the good things We have provided for you, and do not transgress therein” («وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى * كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا فِيهِ») — here too, a specific warning is given against transgression with regard to eating.

Third Possibility

The third possibility is that this prohibits them from transgression and corruption in an absolute sense, not specifically with regard to eating and drinking, but rather, transgression and corruption upon the earth in general. The verse states: God Almighty granted you all these blessings; a collection of blessings has been enumerated, followed by foodstuffs and water for drinking; it is as though the verse intends to say: now that God has shown you all this kindness, behave with decency and live accordingly — particularly given the word “upon the earth” («فی الارض»), mentioned here, which may corroborate this very meaning, namely, that it refers to transgression in an absolute sense, not specifically with regard to eating and drinking; the verse intends to say: notwithstanding these blessings that God has placed at your disposal, do not engage in corruption, and do not engage in transgression upon the earth.

The Preferred Possibility

These three possibilities have, roughly speaking, been put forward regarding this verse, and each may be supported by certain indications; but it appears, in light of the totality of these points and the indications and parallels we have noted, that perhaps the second possibility is the more correct one — namely, that the prohibition here concerns transgression in eating and drinking. For, prior to this, eating and drinking have been mentioned, and hence the prohibition likewise relates to that very situation in which they found themselves. Of course, the third possibility, too, is not particularly far-fetched. These two possibilities, in any case, carry preference over the first possibility, as stated by al-Razi.

Question:

Professor: We have noted that two possibilities exist regarding “‘athiy“; the verse intends to say that, notwithstanding these blessings, you should not engage in transgression. Transgression means exceeding a limit… that is, does it refer to corruption in an absolute sense, or does it relate to a particular situation and circumstance?… So you are confirming that it does not refer to corruption in an absolute sense; this, in fact, relates to the corruption and transgression of limits connected to eating and drinking. It is true that the verse states “upon the earth,” but here, in light of what precedes it, this is what is intended.