Sure 8 Al-Anfaal — Aya 55
إِنَّ شَرَّ ٱلدَّوَآبِّ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Wahrlich, schlimmer als das Vieh sind bei Allah jene, die ungläubig sind und nicht glauben werden
inna sharra l-dawābi ʿinda l-lahi alladhīna kafarū fahum lā yu'minūna
Wort für Wort
- إِنَّ inna Indeed
- شَرَّ sharra (the) worst
- ٱلدَّوَآبِّ l-dawābi (of) the living creatures
- عِندَ ʿinda near
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi Allah
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna (are) those who
- كَفَرُوا۟ kafarū disbelieve
- فَهُمْ fahum and they
- لَا lā (will) not
- يُؤْمِنُونَ yu'minūna believe
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
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,
(and they do not have Taqwa) meaning they do not fear Allah regarding any of the sins they commit.
(So if you gain the mastery over them in war), if you defeat them and have victory over them in war,
(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,
(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."