Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:59

"And let not those who disbelieve think they have escaped..."

The verb [translated as "think"] is read with the ya of the third person, which is the reading of Hafs, Ibn 'Amir, Abu Ja'far, and Hamza. Although it has been claimed that the latter was unique in this, such a claim is as clear as a false light; for it is explicitly stated in al-Taysir that the first two also read it this way, and in al-Majma' that all four read it so. The verifiers have said that this is clearer than the sun at noon, because the agent (fa'il) of the verb "think" (yahsabanna) is the relative pronoun ("those") that follows it. Its first object is omitted—meaning "themselves"—and it was omitted due to redundancy. The second object is the clause "they have escaped," meaning: let not those disbelievers think themselves to have escaped, that is, to have evaded being apprehended. The intent here is to cause them to despair of salvation and to sever their vain hopes of benefiting from the renunciation [of the pact]. It is limited to refuting this specific illusion, without necessarily refuting other illusions regarding their vain desires—such as resisting the believers or overcoming them—in order to alert [the reader] that such things do not even enter the sphere of their thoughts or calculations; the only thing that could possibly cross their minds is the thought of escape.

It is also possible that the agent is a hidden pronoun and the omission is not one that would come to mind—as has been supposed—meaning: let he not think—that is, the Prophet, the one doing the calculation, those behind them, or anyone else—as it is understood from the context, so it is not a valid objection to say that it was not previously mentioned. As for the two objects of the verb, they are "those who disbelieved" and "they have escaped." It is reported from al-Farra' that the agent is "those who disbelieved," and that "they have escaped" is interpreted as "that they have escaped," so that the "that" (an) and its clause stand in the place of the two objects. This is supported by the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: "annahum sabaqu" (that they have escaped). Abu al-Baqa' and others countered this by saying that the infinitive "that" (an) is a relative particle, and the omission of a relative particle is weak in analogy and anomalous in usage; nothing of it has been cited except for a few instances, such as tasma'u bil-Mu'aydi khayrun min an tarahu (To hear of the Mu'aydi is better than to see him), and the like. Thus, the speech of God Almighty should not be subjected to such a ruling.

Those other than whom we have mentioned read it (tahsabanna) with the ta (second person), based on the fact that the address is directed to the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, or to anyone who is a recipient of the address. In this case, "those who disbelieved" and "they have escaped" are its two objects, and there is no dispute regarding this. Al-A'mash read "let not think" (la tahsab) with the ba vowelled with kasra and fatha, based on the omission of the light nun.

His saying: "Indeed, they cannot escape [Him]"—that is, they will not evade God Almighty, or they will not find their pursuer unable to overtake them—is an explanation for the prohibition, presented by way of an isti'naf (resumption of speech). Ibn 'Amir read it with the hamza vowelled with fatha (annahum), which is also an explanation, implying the preposition lam (for), the omission of which is common in such instances.

It is said that the verb acts upon it, and the particle la is redundant (zaydah), supported by the fact that it has been read with its omission. "They have escaped" is a state (hal), meaning "having escaped," i.e., having evaded or fled. This is weakened by the fact that la is not considered redundant in a position where it is possible for it to be otherwise, and also because, as Abu al-Baqa' stated, the convention regarding the second object of hasaba (to think) in such cases is for the hamza of anna to be vowelled with kasra.

This [reading of the second person] serves to dispel whatever might be feared regarding the consequences of the renunciation [of the pact], for it is an awakening of the enemy and enables them to flee and escape the hands of the believers. It contains a negation of their ability to resist and confront in the most eloquent and emphatic way, as indicated. Al-Jubba'i mentioned that "cannot escape you" (la yu'jizunaka) is the meaning, provided it is also an address to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, which is not devoid of merit.

The manifest meaning is that the inability to escape—regardless of how the object is construed—is an indication that He, Glory be to Him, will empower [the believers] over them in this world. As for what is narrated from al-Hasan—that the meaning is "they will not evade God Almighty such that He will not resurrect them in the Hereafter"—it is strange of him, if it is authentic. Al-Khazin claimed that the meaning is general, implying that they cannot escape God Almighty at all: either in this world by being killed, or in the Hereafter by the punishment of the Fire. He mentioned that this contains consolation for the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, regarding those among the polytheists who escaped him and were not punished by him. This is evident according to the opinion that the verse was revealed concerning those who escaped from the ranks of the polytheists, which is narrated from al-Zuhri. It is also read yu'jizunna with a shadda. Ibn Muhaysin read yu'jizunani (they cannot escape me) with a kasra on the nun, implying the first person pronoun; one of the two nuns was omitted for lightness, and the ya was omitted, with the kasra serving as a substitute, which is frequent in the Book.