And if you could but see when the angels take the souls of those who disbelieved...453 They are striking their faces and their backs and [saying], "Taste the punishment of the Burning Fire.
Notes
[453] This sentence is left incomplete for additional effect. Its conclusion is left to the imagination of the reader or listener and estimated as "...you would see a dreadful sight."
Verse 50 of Surah Al-Anfal (8:50), a Medinan surah, is in juz 10, on page 183 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
Listen to verse 50 of Surah Al-Anfal
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Tafsir of verse 50
Al-Mukhtasar
If only you, O Messenger, could see those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers at the time when the angels remove their souls, striking their faces when they face towards them and striking their backs when they try to run away, and saying to them: Taste, O disbelievers, the burning punishment! If you had to see that, you would see a serious heart-wrenching sight.
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!
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."
If thou couldst see how the angels receive those who disbelieve, smiting faces and their backs and (saying): Taste the punishment of burning!
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-
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.
And if you could see the Angels as they take up the ones who disbelieved, striking their faces and their hind parts and (saying), "Taste the torment of the burning."
And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allāh or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal [something] like what Allāh revealed." And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the overwhelming pangs of death while the angels extend their hands, [saying], "Discharge your souls! Today you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation for what you used to say against Allāh other than the truth and [that] you were, toward His verses, being arrogant."
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
