مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ ﴿۳۲﴾ إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا أَنْ يُقَتَّلُوا أَوْ يُصَلَّبُوا أَوْ تُقَطَّعَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ مِنْ خِلَافٍ أَوْ يُنْفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ذَلِكَ لَهُمْ خِزْيٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿۳۳﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهِمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۳۴﴾

﴾32﴿ Min ajli zaalika katabnaa 'alaa Banee Israaa'eela annahoo man qatala nafsam bighairi nafsin aw fasaadin fil ardi faka annammaa qatalan naasa jamee'anw wa man ahyaahaa faka annamaaa ahyan naasa jamee'aa; wa laqad jaaa'at hum Rusulunaa bilbaiyinaati summa inna kaseeram minhum ba'da zaalika fil ardi lamusrifoon
﴾33﴿ Innamaa jazaaa'ul lazeena yuhaariboonal laaha wa Rasoolahoo wa yas'awna fil ardi fasaadan ai yuqattalooo aw yusallabooo aw tuqatta'a aideehim wa arjuluhum min khilaafin aw yunfaw minalard; zaalika lahum khizyun fid dunyaa wa lahum fil Aakhirati 'azaabun 'azeem
﴾34﴿ Illal lazeena taaboo min qabli an taqdiroo 'alaihim fa'lamooo annnal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem

﴾32﴿ Because of this incident, we made it obligatory upon the children of Israel that whoever kills someone without compensation (retribution) and without corruption in the land So it is like he killed all the people, and whoever saved someone is also the one who saved everyone, and indeed our messengers came to them with clear orders, many of them are transgressors on earth after this
﴾33﴿ There is no other punishment then this, for those who fight with Allah Almighty and His Messenger and strive for destruction (corruption) in this world that they are killed or hanged or cut off, their hands and feet opposite to each other or removed from the earth This is a disgrace for them in this world and a great torment in the hereafter
﴾34﴿ Except those who repented before you reached them, so know that indeed Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

[32] This passage discusses the transition from the story of Qabil (Cain) to the mention of the wickedness of the Children of Israel in the verse “Because of that” (مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ). According to Qurtubi, "ajal" here means "crime and offense," and "that" refers to Qabil; alternatively, "ajal" could carry its well-known meaning of "appointed term," with "that" referring to the various corruptions that arose from intentional murder. This crime, which entails numerous evils, is the reason for the legitimacy of retribution (qisas) and the emphasis on the severity of intentional murder in all past religions—especially among the Children of Israel, whose hearts were often hardened. Due to their envy, murder, fighting, and many other forms of corruption were prevalent among them. “Whoever kills a soul without [legal justification]”—according to the indication of the text (isharat al-nass), legal justifications include retribution for murder, adultery after marriage, apostasy, and highway robbery. If the killing is beyond these reasons, it is considered unjust and wrongful, and the text emphasizes the gravity and wickedness of such a murder. “Or corruption on earth” refers to sins for which the law permits capital punishment. As mentioned in the hadith recorded in Bukhari and Muslim: “The blood of a Muslim is not lawful except in three cases: disbelief after faith, adultery after marriage, or killing a soul without just cause.” “And whoever gives life to a soul”—here, "life" is the opposite of murder, not death in general. It refers to saving a person from destruction—drowning, burning, or from a murderer—which is called spiritual life (hayat ma'nawi). “Indeed, there came to them” indicates that Allah sent many messengers to the Children of Israel to enforce this ruling so that they would have no excuse left.
[33] This passage mentions some forms of transgression (isrāf) that result in punishment in both this world and the Hereafter. These wicked deeds appeared among the Children of Israel after the revelation of the Torah. There is a difference of opinion regarding the interpretation of this verse. Some commentators say it was revealed about the tribes of ‘Ukl and ‘Uraina, who became apostates, drove away camels, and brutally killed the camel herders — an incident reported in Bukhari and Muslim. Others say it was revealed concerning the People of the Book. However, the correct view, according to Ibn Kathir, is that the verse is general, applying to polytheists and others alike. “Those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger” means those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, whether by apostasy, disbelief, or otherwise. “And strive to spread corruption on earth” refers to highway robbery, murder, intimidation, and stealing people's property. “That they be killed…” — there is a difference among early scholars (salaf) regarding this verse. One opinion is that the conjunction “or” (أو) indicates a choice (takhyīr), meaning the judge or ruler may choose any of the punishments. The second opinion is that “or” indicates categorization (tanwī‘), based on the report from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): if the criminals only killed, then the punishment is execution; if they did other crimes, the punishment matches accordingly. “Or be exiled from the land” — as narrated by al-Sam‘ani from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, it means they should be banished from all Muslim territories. Another interpretation from the people of Kufa is that they should be imprisoned, which Ibn Jarir preferred. “That is a disgrace for them” — because highway robbery halts trade and restricts travel for acts of worship, Allah prescribed severe worldly punishments for it. Each punishment carries with it humiliation and shame in this world. “And for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment” — this has been used by those who argue that worldly punishment does not eliminate the punishment of the Hereafter. The opposing view says this refers only to disbelievers. However, the correct opinion is that the verse is general in meaning.
[34] If the verse is about disbelievers, then the ruling is clear: by repenting, all sins except for shirk (associating partners with Allah) and disbelief are forgiven. But if the verse is about Muslims, then according to the majority of scholars, repentance erases the rights of Allah (Ḥuqūq Allah), but not the rights of people (Ḥuqūq al-‘Ibād) or retribution (qiṣāṣ). If the person repents before being apprehended, then both are forgiven. However, if the person repents after being caught, then the prescribed punishments (ḥudūd) of Allah are not lifted. This latter opinion is considered the stronger view.