The most preferable of the two interpretations of the āyah is the interpretation of the one who said: The statement of God, blessed be His Name, {And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are only peacemakers"} was revealed concerning the hypocrites who were during the time of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, even if every hypocrite after them until the Day of Resurrection who possesses their description is intended by it.

And the statement of Salmān upon reciting this āyah, "These people have not come yet," may be understood to have been said by him after the demise of those who possessed this description during the time of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, as an account from him about those of them who would come after them and had not yet arrived (1), not that he meant that no one possessing this description had passed.

We only said that the most preferable of the two interpretations of the āyah is what we mentioned because of the consensus of the authoritative scholars of interpretation that this is the description of those hypocrites who were among the Companions of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, during the time of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and that these āyāt were revealed concerning them. The interpretation agreed upon by consensus is more worthy of interpreting the Qur'an than an opinion for whose correctness there is no evidence from a principle or parallel.

And causing corruption on the earth is acting in it according to what God, whose praise is Majestic, has forbidden, and neglecting what God commanded to be preserved; that is the sum of causing corruption, just as He, whose praise is Majestic, said in His Book, reporting the statement of His angels: {They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood?"} [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 30], meaning by that: Will You place on the earth one who disobeys You and opposes Your command? Likewise is the description of the people of hypocrisy: they are causers of corruption on the earth through their disobeying their Lord therein, their committing what He forbade them from committing, their neglecting His obligatory duties, their doubting the religion of God—from which He accepts no deed from anyone except through believing in it and having certainty of its reality (2)—their lying to the believers by claiming the opposite of the doubt and skepticism in which they remain, and their aiding the people who deny God, His Books, and His messengers against the allies of God, whenever they find a way to do so. So that is the corruption of the hypocrites in the earth of God, while they