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Surah Al-Anfal, Ayah 55 (8:55)

ٱلْأَنْفَال

إِنَّ شَرَّ ٱلدَّوَآبِّ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Quran 8:55 is ayah 55 of Surah Al-Anfal (“The Spoils of War”), a Medinan surah of 75 ayahs. It is in Juz 10, on page 184 of the Madani Mushaf.

8:55
إِنَّشَرَّٱلدَّوَآبِّعِندَٱللَّهِٱلَّذِينَكَفَرُوا۟فَهُمْلَايُؤْمِنُونَ٥٥
inna sharra l-dawābi ʿinda l-lahi alladhīna kafarū fahum lā yu'minūna

Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allāh are those who have disbelieved, and they will not [ever] believe-(55)

Word by word

  1. إِنَّinnaIndeed
  2. شَرَّsharra(the) worst
  3. ٱلدَّوَآبِّl-dawābi(of) the living creatures
  4. عِندَʿindanear
  5. ٱللَّهِl-lahiAllah
  6. ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna(are) those who
  7. كَفَرُوا۟kafarūdisbelieve
  8. فَهُمْfahumand they
  9. لَاlā(will) not
  10. يُؤْمِنُونَyu'minūnabelieve

Tafsir (commentary) of 8:55

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 8:55–57 together.

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 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,

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."

Read the full Surah Al-Anfal