Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anfal Verse 50

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Only if you were to see (them) when the angels take out the souls of those who disbelieve, beating their faces and their backs, and (saying) “Taste the punishment of the flaming Fire.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

If only you could see when the angels take the souls of the disbelievers, beating their faces and backs, ˹saying,˺ “Taste the torment of burning!

Ruwwad Translation Center

If only you could see when the angels take the souls of the disbelievers, beating their faces and their backs, “Taste the punishment of the scorching fire!

A. J. Arberry

If thou couldst only see when the angels take the unbelievers, beating their faces and their backs: 'Taste the chastisement of the burning --

Abdul Haleem

If only you [Prophet] could see, when the angels take the souls of the disbelievers, how they strike their faces and backs: it will be said, ‘Taste the punishment of the Fire.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And couldst thou behold when the angels take away the life of those who disbelive striking their faces and their backs: taste the torment of burning.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If thou couldst see, when the angels take the souls of the Unbelievers (at death), (How) they smite their faces and their backs, (saying); "Taste the penalty of the blazing Fire-

Abul Ala Maududi

And if you could only see when the angels took away the souls of the unbelievers, striking them on their faces and backs, saying: 'Taste the torment of burning.

Ahmed Ali

If you could only see the infidels as the angels draw away their souls and strike their faces and their backs, (saying): "Taste the torment of burning

Ahmed Raza Khan

And if you see the angels when they are removing the souls of the disbelievers, hitting them on their faces and their backs; “Taste more of the punishment of the fire!” (Punishment in the grave is proven by this verse.)

Ali Quli Qarai

Were you to see when the angels take away the faithless, striking their faces and their backs, [saying], ‘Taste the punishment of the burning.

Ali Ünal

If you could but see how it will be when the angels take the souls of those who disbelieve, striking them on the faces and the backs, and (saying): "Taste the punishment of the scorching Fire!

Amatul Rahman Omar

Could you but see the angels carrying away the souls of those who disbelieve, smiting their faces and their backs (saying), `Suffer the punishment of burning.

English Literal

And if you see/understand when the angels make those who disbelieved die, they strike/beat their faces/fronts and their backs/ends, and (they say): "Taste/experience the burning torture."

Faridul Haque

And if you see the angels when they are removing the souls of the disbelievers, hitting them on their faces and their backs; "Taste more of the punishment of the fire!" (Punishment in the grave is proven by this verse.)

Hamid S. Aziz

If you could see how the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve, smiting them on their faces and hinder parts, saying, "Taste you the torment of burning!

Hilali & Khan

And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death), they smite their faces and their backs, (saying): "Taste the punishment of the blazing Fire."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said: Their religion has deluded them. And whoever trusts in Allah, then surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And had you seen when the angels will cause to die those who disbelieve, smiting their faces and their backs, and (saying): Taste the punishment of burning.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

If thou couldst see how the angels receive those who disbelieve, smiting faces and their backs and (saying): Taste the punishment of burning!

Muhammad Sarwar

Would that you could have seen the angels taking the souls of the unbelievers away from their bodies and smiting their faces and their backs saying, "Suffer the burning torment.

Qaribullah & Darwish

If you could see the angels when they carry off the souls of the unbelievers, beating their faces and their backs, saying: 'Taste the punishment of Burning!

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death); they smite their faces and their backs, (saying): "Taste the punishment of the blazing Fire. "

Wahiduddin Khan

If you could see, when the angels take the souls of those who are bent on denying the truth [at death], how they strike their faces and backs: saying "Taste the punishment of the Burning!

Talal Itani

If only you could see, as the angels take away those who disbelieve, striking their faces and their backs: “Taste the agony of the Burning.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And if you could only see, O Muhammad (s), when the angels take (read either as yatawaff or tatawaff) the disbelievers, beating (yadribna is a circumstantial qualifier) their faces and their backs, with hooked iron rods, and, they say to them; `Taste the chastisement of burning, that is, the Fire (the response to the [clause beginning with] law, `if', would be la-ra'ayta amran `azman, `you would truly have seen an terrible sight').

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Angels smite the Disbelievers upon capturing Their Souls

Allah says,

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ يَتَوَفَّى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الْمَليِكَةُ

And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death);

Allah says, if you witnessed the angels capturing the souls of the disbelievers, you would witness a tremendous, terrible, momentous and awful matter,

يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَارَهُمْ

they smite their faces and their backs,

saying to them,

وَذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ



"Taste the punishment of the blazing Fire."

Ibn Jurayj said that Mujahid said that,

وَأَدْبَارَهُمْ
(and their backs), refers to their back sides, as happened on the day of Badr.

Ibn Jurayj also reported from Ibn Abbas,

"When the idolators faced the Muslims (in Badr), the Muslims smote their faces with swords. When they gave flight, the angels smote their rear ends."

Although these Ayat are describing Badr, they are general in the case of every disbeliever. This is why Allah did not make His statement here restrictive to the disbelievers at Badr,

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ يَتَوَفَّى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الْمَليِكَةُ

يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَارَهُمْ

And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death); they smite their faces and their backs,

In Surah Al-Qital (or Muhammad) there is a similar Ayah, as well as in Surah Al-An`am,

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّـلِمُونَ فِى غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْمَلَـيِكَةُ بَاسِطُواْ أَيْدِيهِمْ أَخْرِجُواْ أَنفُسَكُمُ

And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands (saying);"Deliver your souls!" (6;93)

The angels stretch their hands and smite the disbelievers by Allah's command, since their souls refuse to leave their bodies, so they are taken out by force. This occurs when the angels give them the news of torment and Allah's anger.

There is a Hadith narrated from Al-Bara' that;

when the angel of death attends the disbeliever at the time of death, he comes to him in a terrifying and disgusting shape, saying, "Get out, O wicked soul, to fierce hot wind, boiling water and a shadow of black smoke."

The disbeliever's soul then scatters throughout his body, but the angels retrieve it, just as a needle is retrieved from wet wool. In this case, veins and nerve cells will be still attached to the soul.

Allah states here that angels bring news of the torment of the Fire to the disbelievers.

Allah said next