سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ
Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 57
فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ﴿57﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
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.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَإِمَّا
fa-immā
So if
تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ
tathqafannahum
you gain dominance over them
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْحَرْبِ
l-ḥarbi
the war
فَشَرِّدْ
fasharrid
disperse
بِهِم
bihim
by them
مَّنْ
man
(those) who
خَلْفَهُمْ
khalfahum
(are) behind them
لَعَلَّهُمْ
laʿallahum
so that they may
يَذَّكَّرُونَ
yadhakkarūna
take heed
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.
The meaning of {فَاِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ …: ’’ تَشْرِيْدٌ ‘‘} is to create fear and scatter them in panic, that is, if you ever find them in battle, then give them such a severe punishment for their treachery that the other disbelievers behind them, with whom you have a treaty, also become overawed and frightened, and they take such a lesson that they do not even think of violating the treaty. Thus, although the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had previously sufficed with the exile of the Jews of Banu Nadir and Banu Qaynuqa, due to the continuous treacheries of Banu Qurayza and their breaking of the treaty at the very time of the Battle of the Trench, after a siege of 25 days, he gave them an extremely exemplary punishment: all 600 of their adult men were killed, including one female war criminal, and their women and children were made slaves. Unfortunately, at this time, whether it is the disbelievers of India, America, or Europe, none of them are fulfilling the covenants made with the Muslims, but due to their incompetence and indulgence, Muslims, instead of expressing honor and dignity, are content with humiliation and helplessness.
