إِنَّ شَرَّ ٱلدَّوَآبِّ
عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ
كَفَرُوا۟ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتَّ
مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنقُضُونَ
عَهْدَهُمْ فِى كُلِّ
مَرَّةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُونَ
فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ
فِى ٱلْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ
بِهِم مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ
لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
Verily, the worst
of living creatures
before Allah are
those who disbelieve
so they shall not
believe. They are
those with whom
you made a covenant
but they break their
covenant every time
and they do not
have Taqwa. So if
you gain the mastery
over them in war,
then disperse those
who are behind
them, so that they
may learn a lesson.
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 (captured people) according to Ibn `Abbas, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, `Ata’ Al-Khurasani and Ibn `Uyaynah. This Ayat 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.”