سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ
Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 50
وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذْ يَتَوَفَّى ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ۙ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَـٰرَهُمْ وَذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلْحَرِيقِ ﴿50﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death); they smite their faces and their backs, (saying): "Taste the punishment of the blazing Fire."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَوْ
walaw
And if
تَرَىٰٓ
tarā
you (could) see
إِذْ
idh
when
يَتَوَفَّى
yatawaffā
take away souls
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(of) those who
كَفَرُوا۟ ۙ
kafarū
disbelieve
ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ
l-malāikatu
the Angels
يَضْرِبُونَ
yaḍribūna
striking
وُجُوهَهُمْ
wujūhahum
their faces
وَأَدْبَـٰرَهُمْ
wa-adbārahum
and their backs
وَذُوقُوا۟
wadhūqū
Taste
عَذَابَ
ʿadhāba
(the) punishment
ٱلْحَرِيقِ
l-ḥarīqi
(of) the Blazing Fire
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 50){ وَ لَوْ تَرٰۤى اِذْ يَتَوَفَّى الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا … :} After describing some conditions of the lives of the disbelievers, their state at the time of death is described. Although this verse has appeared here in connection with the incident of Badr, and for this reason some commentators have considered it to refer to the disbelievers of Badr, but due to the general wording, it describes the state of every disbeliever at the time of death. It is stated that when the angels seize the souls of the disbelievers, the way they strike their faces and backs, and the way they scold and deal harshly with them—if only you could see that scene, because hearing about it is not the same as seeing it, as Allah Almighty has mentioned the same thing in Surah Al-An'am (93) and Surah Muhammad (27, 28), and in the ahadith, the scene of the disbeliever's soul being taken is described as extremely terrifying.
