The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ
شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ
عِندَ اللّهِ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
فَهُمْ لاَ
يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾
8: 55. For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him:
They will not believe.
C1223. In 8:22 we were warned against "the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah", who do not make use of their faculties of hearing, speaking and understanding, in the service of Allah, and in fact misuse their faculties to blaspheme Allah.
The same brute creatures are shone here in another light: they are faithless both to Allah and man.
الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتَّ
مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ
يَنقُضُونَ
عَهْدَهُمْ
فِي كُلِّ
مَرَّةٍ...
8: 56. They are those with whom thou didst make a Covenant, but they break their covenant every time
C1224. The immediate occasion was the repeated treachery of the Banu Quraiza after their treaties with the Muslims. But the general lesson remains, as noted in the two following verses.
Treachery in war is doubly wrong, for it endangers so many lives. Such treachery should be punished in such a way that it gets no chance again. Not only the actual perpetrators but those who follow their standard should be rendered powerless.
And the broken treaty should be denounced so that the innocent party can at least fight on equal terms.
From actual physical warfare we can carry the same lesson to spiritual warfare. A truce or understanding is possible with those who respect definite principles, not with those who have no principles and are merely out for oppression and wickedness.
...وَهُمْ لاَ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٥٦﴾
and they have not the fear (of Allah).
فَإِمَّا
تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ
فِي الْحَرْبِ
فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم
مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ
لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَذَّكَّرُونَ ﴿٥٧﴾
8: 57. If ye gain the mastery over them in war, disperse, with them, those who follow them, that they may remember.
C1224a. The purpose of the verse is to urge Muslims to act against their enemies described above with a severity and resoluteness which would serve as a deterrent to other enemies of Islam who might be inclined to follow their example and act treacherously towards Muslims. (Eds.).
وَإِمَّا تَخَافَنَّ
مِن قَوْمٍ
خِيَانَةً
فَانبِذْ إِلَيْهِمْ
عَلَى سَوَاء...
8: 58. If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms:
...إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الخَائِنِينَ ﴿٥٨﴾
for Allah loveth not the treacherous.
8: 55
Asad Verily, the vilest creatures in the sight of God are those who are bent on denying the truth and therefore do not believe [note 58].
Pickthall Lo! the worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the ungrateful who will not believe;
Transliteration Inna syarrad dawa_bbi 'indalla_hil lazina kafaru_ fahum la_ yu'minu_n(a).
[[ Asad’s note 58 – Cf. verse 22 of this surah, where the same epithet is applied to human beings “who do not use their reason”. In the present instance, it should be noted, the particle ‘fa’ at the beginning of the phrase ‘fa-hum la yuminun’ has the meaning of “and therefore” (“and therefore they do not believe”): thus showing that lack of belief in spiritual verities is a consequence of one’s being “bent on denying the truth”.
Expressed in positive terms, this amounts to the statement that belief in any ethical proposition depends on one’s readiness to consider it on its merits and to admit the established – truths. As regards the expression ‘alladhina kafaru’, the use of the past tense is meant here, as so often in the Quran, to stress the element of intention, and is, therefore, consistently rendered by me –wherever the context warrants it – as “those who are bent on denying the truth’ (see also surah 2, note 6).]]
[[ Ali’s note - 1223 In viii. 22 we were warned against "the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah", who do not make use of their faculties of hearing, speaking and understanding, in the service of Allah, and in fact misuse their faculties to blaspheme Allah. The same brute creatures are shone here in another light: they are faithless both to Allah and man. (8.55) ]]
8: 56
Asad As for those with whom you have made a covenant, and who thereupon break their covenant on every occasion [note 59], not being conscious of God-
Pickthall Those of them with whom thou madest a treaty, and, then at every opportunity they break their treaty, and they keep not duty (to Allah).
Transliteration Allazina 'a_hatta minhum summa yanqudu_na 'ahdahum fi kulli marratiw wa hum la_ yattaqu_n(a).
8: 57
Asad if you find them at war [with you], make of them a fearsome example for those who follow them [note 60]
Pickthall If thou comest on them in the war, deal with them so as to strike fear in those who are behind them, that haply they may remember.
Transliteration Fa imma_ tasqafannahum fil harbi fa syarrid bihim man khalfahum la'allahum yazzakkaru_n(a).
8: 58
Pickthall And if thou fearest treachery from any folk, then throw back to them (their treaty) fairly. Lo! Allah loveth not the treacherous.
Transliteration Wa imma_ takha_fanna min qaumin khiya_natan fambiz ilaihim 'ala_ sawa_'(in), innalla_ha la_ yuhibbul kha_'inin(a).