Tafsir Al-Jalalayn: Al-Anfaal, Ayah 57
Common Words
Other Scholars on This Ayah
Tafsir
(If thou comest on them) if you imprison them (in the war, deal with them so as to strike fear in those who are behind them) such that they serve as a lesson to those who are behind them, (that haply they may remember) i.e. take admonition and avoid breaking their treaties.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Probably you will fight with a people, you will dominate them, and they will save themselves and their children by their property. The version of Sa'id has You will then conclude...
“What you (O Muslims) cut down of the palm trees (of the enemy), or you left them standing...”
But for the other Muslims (i.e. coming generations) I would divide (the land of) whatever villages the Muslims might conquer (among the fighters), as the Prophet (ﷺ) divided (the land of) Khaibar.
`Umar said, "Were it not for those Muslims who have not come to existence yet, I would have distributed (the land of) every town I conquer among the fighters as the Prophet (ﷺ) distributed the land o...
Yemen will be conquered and some people will go away (to that country) driving their camels and carrying their families on them and those who are under their authority, while Medina is better for them...
`Umar said, "But for the future Muslim generations, I would have distributed the land of the villages I conquer among the soldiers as the Prophet (ﷺ) distributed the land of Khaibar."
Syria will be conquered and some people will go out of Medina along with their families driving their camels. and Medina is better for them if they were to know it. Then Yemen will be conquered and so...
‘Umar said “Had I not considered the last Muslim, I would have any town I conquered divided as the Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) had divided Khaibar.”
Al-Jalalayn Commentary
So if fa-immā here the letter nūn of the conditional particle in ‘if’ has been assimilated with the extra mā you come upon them if you find them anywhere in the war deal with them so as to cause those fighters behind them to scatter to disperse by making an example of them and punishing them so that they the ones behind them might remember that they might take heed from their example.