Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:52

His saying, Exalted is He: "(It is) like the habit of the family of Pharaoh..."

The phrase is the predicate of a deleted subject, meaning: "The habit of these people is like the habit of the family of Pharaoh..." The sentence is an inauguration intended to explain that the punishment which befell them was due to their disbelief and nothing else, as it likens their state to the state of those known for being destroyed for that very reason. This serves to increase the vilification of their condition and to alert that this is a constant law among the destroyed nations.

Al-da'b is a continuous habit; from this is the saying: "That remained the da'b (habit/state) until Hawazin argued and Sulaym and 'Amir dispersed." The intended meaning is the affair upon which they persisted, regarding what they did and what was done to them in terms of retribution—like the habit of the family of Pharaoh, who are famous for the ugliness of their deeds and the atrocity of their punishment and chastisement.

"...and those before them," that is, before the family of Pharaoh and his companions among the nations who did what they did and met the punishment they met, such as the people of Noah, 'Ad, and their likes.

His saying, Exalted is He: "...they disbelieved in the verses of Allah," is an explanation of their habit, but with the observation that it refers to what they did, not the habit of the family of Pharaoh and those after them, for that is already understood from the aspect of the comparison. The sentence has no place in syntax due to what has been pointed out, and the same applies to the view that it is an inauguration, whether syntactically or explanatorily. It has been said that it is a circumstantial clause with the implicit addition of "qad" (already), thus it is in the accusative case.

His saying, Glorified is He: "...so Allah seized them for their sins," follows the same rule in interpretation as the previous clause, but with consideration of the habit of what was done to them. The fa (so) is for explaining that it is one of the consequences of their crimes and the ramifications branching from them. The mention of "sins" emphasizes what the fa provided regarding causality, while indicating that alongside their disbelief, they had other sins that contributed to the requital. It is permissible that by "their sins" is meant their acts of disobedience which branched from their disbelief; thus the ba (in/for) would be for accompaniment, meaning: "He seized them while they were cloaked in their sins, not having repented for them."

Regarding the inclusion of punishment as part of their "habit," even though it is not something they could maintain or become accustomed to—as is considered in the meaning of al-da'b as you have known—this is either due to prioritizing what they did over what was done to them, or by treating their persistence in what necessitates it (disbelief and sins) as equivalent to their persistence in the punishment itself, due to the complete connection between them. That the intended meaning of their "habit" is the sum of what they did and what was done to them is indicated by what was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: "The family of Pharaoh were certain that Moses, peace be upon him, was the Prophet of Allah, yet they denied him. Likewise, these people: Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to them with the truth, yet they denied him. So Allah, Exalted is He, sent down punishment upon them just as He sent it down upon the family of Pharaoh." Ibn al-Khazin and others held this view. It has been said that the meaning of their "habit" is only what they did, and it has been said it is only what was done to them, but that is of no consequence.

His saying, Glorified is He: "Indeed, Allah is powerful, severe in penalty," is an intercalated sentence confirming the content of what preceded it regarding the seizure, meaning that He, Glorified is He, cannot be overcome by any victor so as to push back His punishment from whomever He wishes to punish.