"The punishment will be doubled for him."
Muhammad said: The interpretation of 'athām' (penalty) in the language is the recompense for something. It is said: 'He has met the athām of that,' meaning the recompense for it. Whoever read 'yudāʿaf' (it will be doubled) with a sukūn (jussive) does so because the doubling of the punishment is the meeting of the penalty. And whoever read 'yudāʿafu' with a damma (nominative) does so based on the meaning of explanation, as if someone said, 'What is meeting the penalty?' and it was answered, 'The punishment is doubled for the sinner.'
﴿يُضَاعف لَهُ الْعَذَاب﴾.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: تَأْوِيلُ الْأَثَامِ فِي اللُّغَةِ: الْمُجَازَاةُ عَلَى الشَّيْءِ، يُقَالُ: قَدْ لَقِيَ أَثَامَ ذَلِكَ؛ أَيْ جَزَاءَ ذَلِكَ، وَمَنْ قَرَأَ ﴿يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَاب﴾ بِالْجَزْمِ فَلِأَنَّ مُضَاعَفَةَ الْعَذَابِ لَقْيُ الْأَثَامِ. وَمَنْ قَرَأَ: (يُضَاعَفُ) بِالرَّفْعِ فَعَلَى مَعْنَى التَّفْسِيرِ؛ كَأَنَّ قَائِلًا قَالَ: مَا لَقْيُ الْأَثَامِ، فَقِيلَ: يُضَاعف للآثم الْعَذَاب.
