2:11

Salam and good morning,

This is AYAH 2:11

2:11 واذا قيل لهم لا تفسدوا في الارض قالوا انما نحن مصلحون
2:11]
Wa-itha qeela lahum latufsidoo fee al-ardi qaloo innama nahnumuslihoona

Wa-itha: And if/when
Note:
Please remember that the Arabic If is different from the English If and it sometimes means When, as in this situation.
qeela lahum: It was said to them
latufsidoo: Do not cause ROT/damage/make things not useable/make things not beneficial
Note:
F-S-D is the root word here. It means Rotten when it is related to food (food that is not eatable). However, it is used in a wider sense to mean damaged/ not useable/not helpful (Physically and mentally according to the situation). Tufsidoo is the present tense 2nd person plural and it means CAUSE damage/cause rot/Cause things to be not useful/not beneficial. It is preceded by LA which means Do NOT.
fee al-ardi: In the Land
qaloo: The said
innama nahnumuslihoona: We are but doing the opposite
Note:
The word muslih is a derivative of the root S-L-H which is the exact opposite of the word FASAD. Muslih means then the ones that fixes the rot/damage or the one that reconcile differences and makes things good.

My note:
The Ayah means “And when they are told not to cause damage/rot in the land (Do not make the land not suitable for living mentally and physically, just as the rotten food is not eatable) they answer:” we do just the opposite.”

My personal note:
This AYAH seems to suggest that making life on earth more livable (To all who live on earth, including trees and animals) is an aim for humanity. It also suggests that deviation from the Trust/Safety in GOD can achieve the opposite. The next AYAH will explain further.

I hope that this helps someone. Have a great day

Hussein