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As for the form of the phrase

 اَلَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ1

Know that there is an elevated and subtle suitability in describing here the fâsiq — who harbour doubts about the Qur’an's miraculousness and word order — with these specific attributes.

It is as though the Qur'an is saying:

 "It's not at all surprising that the fâsiq should be hesitant and ignorant about the miraculousness of the Qur'an’s order, since they fail to see the miraculousness of Qoudrah in the order of the universe, which is the Greater Qur'an. Just as they view the order of the universe as merely coincidental and its fruitful transformations as futile, accidental occurrences; therefore, its underlying hikmahs are concealed from them due to the corruption of their rûh. So too, through their sick fitrah and corrupt whims, they perceive the miraculous order of the Qur’an as a disordered muddle, its premises as barren, and its fruits as bitter."

As for the phrase يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ :

Since أن النقض  literally means untying and tearing apart the strands of a rope, its use here points to an elevated style.

It is as though the covenant with Taâ’lâ is a luminous rope twisted with hikmah, ‘inâyah and will, extending from azal to eternity. It manifests in the universe in the form of a universal order. This great chain has sent down its individual chains to all the species, and its most wondrous extremity2 has been extended to mankind. Within the rûh of man, it has bequeathed the seeds of potentialities and abilities, yielding fruits from them. These seeds of potentiality are watered and brought to bloom through juz’ al-ikhtiyârî, which is rectified and balanced by the legislative command, that is, the textual evidences (al-dalâil al-naqliyyah3).

Thus, the covenant is fulfilled by employing these potentialities and dispositions for the very purposes they were created for. Conversely, breaking the covenant is to do the exact opposite, which is to unravel and separate the strands of that rope.4 Examples of this include believing in some prophets while denying others, accepting some religious decrees (ahkâm) while rejecting others, or approving of some âyahs while disapproving of others.5 For indeed, this disrupts the order, the harmony and the overall regularity.

As for the phrase 6 وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ :

Know that 7 مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ encompasses both the commands of Sharî’ah and the takwînî commands, both of which are embedded within 'Âdâtullah and the laws of fitrah8. Thus, severing what has been commanded to be maintained in terms of the Sharî‘ah means actions such as severing sila ar-rahm9 and disconnecting the hearts of believers from one another; and you may make further analogies along these lines.

And in terms of the takwînî Sharî’ah, it means:

• Severing action (‘amal) from ‘ilm,
• Severing ‘ilm from intelligence,
• Severing intelligence from dispositions,
• Severing ma’rifatullah from the mind (‘aql),
• Severing labour from strength,

• And severing jihad from courage, and so forth...

For indeed, the granting of strength is a ma’nawî takwînî command to strive and work, and the granting of intelligence is a ma’nawî takwînî command to acquire ‘ilm, and so on.

As for the phrase 10 وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ :

Know that whoever becomes corrupt and embroiled in the mire [of sin] seeks to have companions who are similarly embroiled, in order to alleviate the terror of his own state through the mystery: "When a calamity becomes widespread, it becomes bearable."

Likewise, if a subversive corruption falls into someone’s heart, the perfections within his heart are ruined, and his elevated feelings decline. Consequently, an inclination toward destruction is born within him; he begins to derive a certain pleasure from destruction, and thus actively seeks his gratification in corruption and disorder.

If you ask: "How can the corruption perpetrated by a single fâsiq affect the entire earth, as indicated by the comprehensive phrase فِي الْاَرْضِ ?"

You are told in response: Wherever there is an established order, there is a precise balance; indeed, order itself is built entirely upon balance. Even the intrusion of a tiny, insignificant object between the cogs of a massive machine will affect its operation, even if it goes unnoticed. Similarly, a colossal scale holding a mountain on each of its pans will be affected by placing a single walnut upon one of them.