Ibn Zayd said concerning “Corruption has appeared on land and sea”: “It means sins.”

I say: He meant that sin is the cause of the corruption that has appeared, and that the corruption that has appeared consists of the sins themselves. Thus, the particle lām in His words, “so that He may cause them to taste some of the consequences of their deeds,” indicates consequence and causation. On the former interpretation, corruption means the loss, evil, and suffering that Allah brings about on earth because of His servants’ sins. Whenever they commit a sin, Allah brings upon them a punishment. As one of the early Muslims said: “Whenever you commit a sin, Allah brings upon you a punishment by His sovereign authority.”

The apparent meaning—and Allah knows best—is that corruption refers to sins and their consequences. This is supported by His words, “so that He may cause them to taste some of the consequences of their deeds.” This is always our condition: Allah makes us taste only a little of the consequences of our deeds. Were He to make us taste the consequences of all our deeds, He would not leave a single living creature on the face of the earth.