Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:47

"And do not be like those who departed from their homes" after they were commanded with what they were commanded of the best deeds and forbidden from their opposites. The ones meant by this are the people of Mecca—Abu Jahl and his companions—when they set out to protect the caravan, out of batar (i.e., pride and insolence) and ri’a’ (showing off) to the people, so that they might be praised for bravery and generosity.

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when Abu Sufyan saw that he had secured his caravan, he sent word to Quraysh: "Return, for the caravan is safe." But Abu Jahl said: "By Allah, we will not return until we reach Badr, drink wine, have singing girls play for us, and feed the Arabs who attend us." They did reach it, but they were given the cup of death instead of wine, mourners wailed over them instead of singing girls, and their wealth became spoils of war instead of their own to spend.

The two masdars (verbal nouns) are in the accusative case due to their being reasons (ta'lil). It is also permissible for them to be in the position of a state (hal), meaning "insolent and showing off." On both interpretations, the intended meaning is to forbid the believers from being like them in insolence and showing off, and to command them to be people of piety and sincerity, if we consider that a prohibition from a thing is a command for its opposite.

"And they hinder [others] from the way of Allah" is a conjunction following "out of insolence." This is clear if we interpret it as a state (hal), by treating it as an active participle, since a sentence can function as a state without difficulty. However, on the interpretation that it is a reason (maf'ul lahu), it requires difficulty, as a sentence cannot typically function as a reason. Hence, it was said: the original [structure] was "that they might hinder" (an yasuddu), and when the particle an was omitted, the verb became elevated in status while still intending the meaning of a masdar without a substitute, as in the poet's saying: "O you who rebuke me for facing the battle," meaning: "for that I face the battle." This is anomalous, and the preferred view is to consider it an initiation of a new clause.

The point of expressing the first [part] as a noun and the latter as a verb is that insolence and showing off were their established habits, unlike hindering [the path of Allah], which was something that manifested for them during the era of Prophethood.

"And Allah is encompassing of what they do," so He will recompense them for it.