سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ
Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 35
وَمَا كَانَ صَلَاتُهُمْ عِندَ ٱلْبَيْتِ إِلَّا مُكَآءً وَتَصْدِيَةً ۚ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ ﴿35﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Their Salât (prayer) at the House (of Allâh, i.e. the Ka‘bah at Makkah) was nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. Therefore taste the punishment because you used to disbelieve.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَا
wamā
And not
كَانَ
kāna
was
صَلَاتُهُمْ
ṣalātuhum
their prayer
عِندَ
ʿinda
at
ٱلْبَيْتِ
l-bayti
the House
إِلَّا
illā
except
مُكَآءًۭ
mukāan
whistling
وَتَصْدِيَةًۭ ۚ
wataṣdiyatan
and clapping
فَذُوقُوا۟
fadhūqū
So taste
ٱلْعَذَابَ
l-ʿadhāba
the punishment
بِمَا
bimā
because
كُنتُمْ
kuntum
you used to
تَكْفُرُونَ
takfurūna
disbelieve
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
35. Their prayer at the House was nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. So taste the punishment (of defeat at Badr) for your disbelief. [36]
[36]
The Worship of the House of Allah by the Disbelievers of Makkah:
The idolatrous custodians have strange ways of worship inside the House of Allah: they perform Tawaf naked, and by whistling and clapping, they provide themselves with entertainment. They have named this "worship." Then they claim: if the religion of the Muslims is true, why is no punishment sent down upon us? Perhaps they think that punishment only comes in the form of stones from the sky, a terrifying scream, or a mighty earthquake—something that occurs as a supernatural event. However, their crushing defeat at the Battle of Badr was such a punishment from Allah that broke the back of disbelief and the disbelievers. They insisted on war merely in the hope that, in the process, they would wipe out this small group of Muslims from the face of the earth. They had no idea that this very battle was going to become Allah’s punishment imposed upon them, or that the time for the acceptance of their prayer had arrived, and the divine decree was about to be issued against them.
[36]
The Worship of the House of Allah by the Disbelievers of Makkah:
The idolatrous custodians have strange ways of worship inside the House of Allah: they perform Tawaf naked, and by whistling and clapping, they provide themselves with entertainment. They have named this "worship." Then they claim: if the religion of the Muslims is true, why is no punishment sent down upon us? Perhaps they think that punishment only comes in the form of stones from the sky, a terrifying scream, or a mighty earthquake—something that occurs as a supernatural event. However, their crushing defeat at the Battle of Badr was such a punishment from Allah that broke the back of disbelief and the disbelievers. They insisted on war merely in the hope that, in the process, they would wipe out this small group of Muslims from the face of the earth. They had no idea that this very battle was going to become Allah’s punishment imposed upon them, or that the time for the acceptance of their prayer had arrived, and the divine decree was about to be issued against them.
