It is not that they sought him out and took him for that purpose. A similar expression in speech is when people say regarding one who has earned wealth, and it led him to destruction: "Such-and-such a person only earned for his own demise," whereas he did not seek the wealth for his demise, but rather the matter eventually resulted in that. Some grammarians call this "Lam" (the letter 'lam') the 'lam of consequence' (lam al-sayrura).
لَا أَنَّهُمْ طَلَبُوهُ وَأَخَذُوهُ لِذَلِكَ، وَمَثْلُهُ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ قَوْلُهُمْ لِلَّذِي كَسَبَ مَالًا؛ فَأَدَّاهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَى الْهَلَاكِ: إِنَّمَا كَسَبَ فُلَانُ لِحَتْفِهِ، وَهُوَ لَمْ يَطْلُبِ الْمَالَ لِحَتْفِهِ، وَلَكِنْ صَارَ الْأَمْرُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ وَهَذِهِ اللَّامُ يُسَمِّيهَا بَعْضُ النَّحْوِييِّنَ لَام الصيرورة.
