[And it is He who made you successors upon the earth.] Muhammad (Ibn Abi Zamaneen) said: The meaning is: inhabitants of the earth, where you succeed one another; the singular is 'khalifah'.
[And raised some of you above others in degrees] regarding the merits He has bestowed upon you in [this world] [that He may test you] meaning: to examine you [in what He has given you] meaning: what He has bestowed upon you.
[Indeed, your Lord is swift in punishment] when the time comes in which He wills to punish them, at the time they denied His messengers, [and indeed, He is Forgiving, Merciful] to whoever repents from their polytheism and believes in their Lord.
﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلائِفَ الأَرْضِ﴾ قَالَ محمدٌ: الْمَعْنَى: سُكَّانَ الْأَرْضِ؛ يَخْلُفُ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا، وَاحِدُهُمْ: خَلِيفَةٌ.
﴿وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ﴾ فِيمَا أَعْطَاكُمْ مِنَ الْفَضَائِلِ فِي [الدُّنْيَا] ﴿ليَبْلُوكُمْ﴾ ليختبركم ﴿فِيمَا آتَاكُم﴾ أَعْطَاكُمْ.
﴿إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ﴾ إِذَا جَاءَ الْوَقْتُ الَّذِي يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ فِيهِ حِينَ كَذَّبُوا رسله ﴿وَإنَّهُ لغَفُور رَحِيم﴾ لِمَنْ تَابَ مِنْ شِرْكِهِ وَآمَنَ بِرَبِّهِ.
