Surah Anfal ayat 57 Tafsir Quran 8:57

﴿فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ﴾
[ الأنفال: 57]

8:57 So if you, [O Muhammad], gain dominance over them in war, disperse by [means of] them those behind them that perhaps they will be reminded.

So if fa-immā here the letter nūn of the conditional particle in ‘if’ has been assimilated with the extra mā you come upon them if you find them anywhere in the war deal with them so as to cause those fighters behind them to scatter to disperse by making an example of them and punishing them so that they the ones behind them might remember that they might take heed from their example.

Therefore, whenever and wherever you Muslims meet them in an active hostile contention, reduce them into a useless form to set an example of their humiliation serving as a deterrent to those who attempt thereafter to war against you

Striking Hard against Those Who disbelieve and break the Covenants Allah states here that the worst moving creatures on the face of the earth are those who disbelieve, who do not embrace the faith, and break promises whenever they make a covenant, even when they vow to keep them, وَهُمْ لاَ يَتَّقُونَ ( and they do not have Taqwa ) meaning they do not fear Allah regarding any of the sins they commit. فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِى الْحَرْبِ ( So if you gain the mastery over them in war ), if you defeat them and have victory over them in war, فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ ( then disperse those who are behind them, ) by severely punishing the captured people according to Ibn `Abbas, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, `Ata' Al-Khurasani and Ibn `Uyaynah.
This Ayah commands punishing them harshly and inflicting casualties on them.
This way, other enemies, Arabs and non-Arabs, will be afraid and take a lesson from their end, لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ( so that they may learn a lesson.
) As-Suddi commented, "They might be careful not to break treaties, so that they do not meet the same end."

(8:57) So if you meet them in war, make of them a fearsome example for those who follow them *42 that they may he admonished.

So if you, [O Muhammad], gain dominance meaning

*42).
The verse makes it lawful for Muslims to feel absolved of the obligations of a treaty with a people who, despite that alliance, threw the obligations of the treaty overboard and engaged in hostile actions against the Muslims.
It would even be lawful for the Muslims to engage in hostilities against them.
Likewise, if the Muslims are engaged in hostilities against a people and the non-Muslims who are bound in treaties of alliance or friendship with the Muslims, array themselves on the side of the enemy and fight against the Muslims, it would he lawful for the Muslims to treat them as enemies and kill them.
For by their brazen violation of the obligations of the treaty concluded with their people, they had made it absolutely lawful for Muslims to disregard the terms of that treaty concerning the inviolability of the lives and properties of at least those individuals.

 

Striking Hard against Those Who disbelieve and break the Covenants Allah states here that the worst moving creatures on the face of the earth are those who disbelieve, who do not embrace the faith, and break promises whenever they make a covenant, even when they vow to keep them, وَهُمْ لاَ يَتَّقُونَ ( and they do not have Taqwa ) meaning they do not fear Allah regarding any of the sins they commit. فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِى الْحَرْبِ ( So if you gain the mastery over them in war ), if you defeat them and have victory over them in war, فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ ( then disperse those who are behind them, ) by severely punishing the captured people according to Ibn `Abbas, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, `Ata' Al-Khurasani and Ibn `Uyaynah.
This Ayah commands punishing them harshly and inflicting casualties on them.
This way, other enemies, Arabs and non-Arabs, will be afraid and take a lesson from their end, لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ( so that they may learn a lesson.
) As-Suddi commented, "They might be careful not to break treaties, so that they do not meet the same end."

( If thou comest on them ) if you imprison them ( in the war, deal with them so as to strike fear in those who are behind them ) such that they serve as a lesson to those who are behind them, ( that haply they may remember ) i.e. take admonition and avoid breaking their treaties.

So if you gain the mastery over them in war, punish them severely in order to disperse those who are behind them, so that they may learn a lesson.

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