The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 651
PT. 9 AL-ANFĀL CH. 8 الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ فَاضْرِبُوا فَوْقَ into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Smite, then, the upper parts of their necks, and smite off all finger-tips. '1103 الْأَعْنَاقِ وَاضْرِبُوْا مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ ذلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَا قُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ وَمَنْ That is because they have. 14 opposed Allah and His يُشَاقِقِ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّ اللهَ شَدِيدُ Messenger. And whoso opposes الْعِقَابِ severe in Allah and His Messenger, then Allah retribution. surely is 4:116; 47:33; 59:5. of the steps and making them firm (the fourth purpose served by the rain), i. e. the favour of God descended on the heart and then, as it were, travelled down to the feet. 1103. Important Words: the (upper part) is derived from 3. They say i. e. he was or became above them. So means, location or place that is above or over a person or a thing. They say i. e. his upper part is his head (Lane). Commentary: This verse shows that the angels are, as it were, intermediaries between God and men. It is through them that God's assistance comes to men. The verse also hints that there are some angels whose function is to strengthen the hearts of good men and make them firm, while there are others who are deputed to cast terror into the hearts of wicked men. So God bade the former class of angels to strengthen the hearts of the believers and told them that He would cast terror into the hearts of the disbelievers through the other class of angels. meant to God instructed the believers to strike the disbelievers at "the upper parts of their necks" because the upper part of the neck, i. e. that which is just below the head, is considered to be the best point for dealing an effective blow with the sword. This order related to such of the enemy as deserved to be killed and without killing whom the Muslims could not defend themselves. The striking on the "finger-tips" was incapacitate the enemy and make them unfit for fighting. This order thus related to those of the enemy who, so far as possible, were to be spared with the infliction of minimum injury. Both these orders were faithfully carried out, for although the Muslims were very weak at Badr, they were able to kill seventy of the disbelievers, mostly leaders, and take as many prisoners, while the enemy could kill only fourteen of them. 1091