وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنۡ يُّعۡجِبُكَ قَوۡلُهٗ فِى الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا وَيُشۡهِدُ اللّٰهَ عَلٰى مَا فِىۡ قَلۡبِهٖۙ وَهُوَ اَلَدُّ الۡخِصَامِ‏ ﴿2:204﴾ وَاِذَا تَوَلّٰى سَعٰى فِى الۡاَرۡضِ لِيُفۡسِدَ فِيۡهَا وَيُهۡلِكَ الۡحَـرۡثَ وَالنَّسۡلَ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الۡفَسَادَ‏ ﴿2:205﴾وَاِذَا قِيۡلَ لَهُ اتَّقِ اللّٰهَ اَخَذَتۡهُ الۡعِزَّةُ بِالۡاِثۡمِ​ فَحَسۡبُهٗ جَهَنَّمُ​ؕ وَلَبِئۡسَ الۡمِهَادُ‏﴿2:206﴾ وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنۡ يَّشۡرِىۡ نَفۡسَهُ ابۡتِغَآءَ مَرۡضَاتِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ رَءُوۡفٌ ۢ بِالۡعِبَادِ‏ ﴿2:207﴾

(2:204) Among people there is a kind whose sayings on the affairs of the world fascinate you: he calls Allah again and again to bear testimony to his sincerity;²²³ yet he is most fierce in enmity.²²⁴ (2:205) Whenever he attains authority,²²⁵ he goes about the earth spreading mischief and laying to waste crops and human life, even though Allah (whose testimony he invokes) does not love mischief. (2:206) Whenever he is told: “Fear Allah,” his vainglory seizes him in his sin. So Hell shall suffice for him; what a wretched resting place! (2:207) On the other hand, among men there is a kind who dedicates his life seeking to please Allah; Allah is Immensely Kind to such devoted servants.

---

Notes

223. Such a person tends to claim again and again that he was merely a well-wisher and was simply striving to uphold what is true and right, and to promote the welfare of the people rather than doing things for the sake of personal aggrandizement.

224. The words aladd al-khisam mean ‘the most fierce in enmity’. This would apply to someone who concentrates all his energies on opposing truth, and who resorts to whatever falsehood, dishonesty, treachery and breach of faith he thinks necessary to achieve his ends. 

225. The expression idha tawalla can be translated in two ways. First, in the manner of our translation of the text. It can also be translated to make the verse mean that when such people return from sweet and apparently genuine talk, they engage in arrogant and destructive action.