Transliteration:( Huwal lazee ja’alakum khalaaa’ifa fil ard; faman kafara fa’alaihi kufruhoo; wa laa yazeedul kaafireena kufruhum ‘inda Rabbihim illaa maqtanw wa laa yazeedul kaafireena kufruhum illaa khasaaraa )
"He it is Who made you successors of the earth. Therefore whoever commits infidelity will suffer for his infidelity [112]. And the infidelity of the infidels will not increase with their Lord, except disgust [113]. And the infidelity of the infidels increases nothing except loss [114]."
This refers to how you inherited the earth after your forefathers passed away—leaving behind all they possessed. Their wealth, homes, and possessions were transferred to you. This highlights the temporary nature of worldly ownership and the transitory position of man as khalifah (successor) on earth.
The punishment of infidelity in the Hereafter will be borne by the individual infidel alone. However, in the world, if divine punishment comes upon a nation, even the general population may suffer due to the collective environment of sin. Hence, there is no contradiction between individual responsibility and collective consequence.
Even if an infidel performs outwardly good deeds, they do not draw him closer to Allah Almighty because infidelity remains a spiritual disease that nullifies the acceptance of such actions. The real cause of divine displeasure—kufr—still exists in him.
Just as giving nourishment to a severely ill person may worsen his condition, in the same way, miracles, Qur’anic verses, and signs—instead of guiding an obstinate infidel—often increase his rejection and arrogance, furthering his loss in both worlds.
The tafsir of Surah Fatir verse 39 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Fatir ayat 38 which provides the complete commentary from verse 38 through 39.
(35:39) It is He Who made you vicegerents in the earth.[64] So whoever disbelieves will bear the burden of his unbelief.[65] The unbelievers’ unbelief adds nothing but Allah’s wrath against them. The unbelievers’ unbelief adds nothing but their own loss.
64. This can have two meanings:
(1) Now He has settled you on His earth after the passing away of the previous generations and nations.
(2) The powers and authority that He has given to you over different things in the earth are not meant to make you the owners of these things but are meant to enable you to function as the representatives of their real Owner.
65. If the previous sentence is taken to mean that you have been made successors to the previous nations, this sentence would mean this: The one who did not learn any lesson from the fate of the previous nations and adopted the conduct of disbelief due to which those nations have gone to their doom, will himself see the evil end of his folly. And if the sentence is taken to mean this that Allah has delegated to you powers and authority as His vicegerents in the earth, this sentence would mean: He who forgot this position of vicegerency and became independent, or he who adopted service of someone else, apart from his real Master, would see the evil end of his rebellious conduct himself.
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