Taberî reports many views regarding whom this verse was revealed about: Suhaib b. Sinân and Abû Dharr, Ahnes b. Sharîk, an unnamed Meccan emigrant, or every person who fights in the way of Allah and sells their soul/commands good and forbids evil. He himself indicates that the most appropriate interpretation according to the outward meaning of the verse is the one narrated from Umar b. al-Khattâb, namely the commentary about the person who commanded good and forbade evil and was killed for this reason.

والذي هو أولى بظاهر هذه الآية من التأويل، ما روي عن عمر بن الخطاب

According to this exegete, the verse, following the mention in the previous verse of a person who sells the world in exchange for religion, conversely describes the situation of a person who sacrifices their religion/soul/wealth in the way of religion. Râzî transmits the story narrated from Ibn 'Abbâs as the reason for the revelation of the verse: Suhaib, Ammar, Sumayyah, Yâsir, Bilâl, Habbâb and Abis were tortured by idolaters; Suhaib saved his religion by giving his wealth, and when he returned to Medina, Abû Bakr greeted him saying 'let the trade be profitable.' Furthermore, through a narration from Qatâdah, it is noted that these people were not from the Khârijites, but from the Companions who fought against the idolaters for the sake of Allah's pleasure.

روى ابن عباس أن هذه الآية نزلت في صهيب بن سنان مولى عبد الله بن جدعان ، وفي عمار بن ياسر ، وفي سمية أمه ، وفي ياسر أبيه ، وفي بلال مولى أبي بكر ، وفي خباب بن الأرت ، وفي عابس مولى حويطب أخذهم المشركون فعذبوهم

According to Ibn Kesîr, this verse is a general ruling about all hypocrites and all believers; this view is narrated from Qatâdah, Mujâhid and Rabî' b. Anes and is considered authentic. Furthermore, in a narration transmitted from Nawf al-Bikâlî, it is mentioned that in the Qur'ân there is a description of a group from this community whose tongues are sweet as honey but whose hearts are bitter as aloe, who wear sheep's clothing for people while their hearts are wolves' hearts, who are irreverent toward Allah and trust in Him; when Nawf pondered this description in the Qur'ân, he found that these are hypocrites.

قوم يحتالون على الدنيا بالدين ألسنتهم أحلى من العسل وقلوبهم أمر من الصبر يلبسون للناس مسوك الضأن وقلوبهم قلوب الذئاب

According to Beydâvî, the expression 'selling one's soul' in the verse means a person sacrifices their life in the way of striving or for commanding good and forbidding evil until they are killed; this sacrifice is done with the purpose of gaining Allah's pleasure. Furthermore, it is narrated that the verse was revealed about Suhaib b. Sinân al-Rûmî; when the idolaters tortured him to turn him away from the religion, he said that he was an old man and could neither benefit nor harm them, gave them his wealth and went freely to Medina. Allah's mercy toward His servants is explained by directing them to such a 'trade' and making them responsible for striving, thus making them worthy of the reward of warfare and martyrdom.

ومن الناس من يشري نفسه يبيعها أي يبذلها في الجهاد، أو يأمر بالمعروف وينهى عن المنكر حتى يقتل ابتغاء مرضات الله طلبا لرضاه. قيل: إنها نزلت في صهيب بن سنان الرومي، أخذه المشركون وعذبوه ليرتد فقال: إني شيخ كبير لا ينفعكم إن كنت معكم ولا يضركم إن كنت عليكم فخلوني وما أنا عليه وخذوا مالي فقبلوه منه وأتى المدينة.