The phrase "and spread corruption on earth (wa yufsidûna fî al-ard):"

Consider this: in accordance with [the saying] "the more general the calamities the pleasanter they become," a person who becomes depraved and gets embroiled in the morass wants companions who are similarly embroiled so as to alleviate his terrible plight. Likewise, if [the idea of] revolution settles in someone's heart, it will lead to the ruin of its perfections and attainments and its high sentiments will gradually decline, and the desire to destroy will born in it. This will make him feel a pleasure at destruction, and he will seek the pleasure by spreading corruption and fomenting revolution.

• If you were to ask: How can the whole earth, indicated by the word "on earth," be affected by the corruption of one depraved person?

You would be told: That which has order has balance; in fact, the order is based on balance. If even an insignificant thing disturbs the workings of a machine, the machine is affected by it. And a pair of scales holding two mountains in its pans is affected if only a walnut is placed on one of them.

Now the phrase "these it is that shall be the losers (ûlâ'ika humu al-khâsirûn):"

Consider this: this phrase should have been: "they are the losers since [they did not accept] right-guidance through [the Qur'an]." [It is expressed the way it is to make the following points, concerning:] "these (lit. those) (ûlâ'ika)," and "they (hum)," and the definite article of "the losers," and its generality:

The purpose of "these (lit. those) (ûlâ'ika)" is to conjure up the idea of something palpable or perceptible (li-ihdâr al-mahsûs) and this indicates that when the listener hears of their vile situation, it arouses his disgust and makes him angry at them. So he wants to picture them in his imagination in order to vent his anger and express his loathing, and to observe them as their terrible end is described.