Tafseer of The Spoils of War · Al-Anfaal · 8:14
"That [is yours], so taste it." And indeed for the disbelievers is the punishment of the Fire.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The statement concerning the exegesis of His word: ذَلِكُمْ فَذُوقُوهُ وَأَنَّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابَ النَّارِ (14) (That is it, so taste it; and know that for the disbelievers is the punishment of the Fire.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: This punishment which I have hastened upon you in this worldly life, O disbelievers (kāfir) who oppose Allah and His Messenger — the striking above your necks and the smiting of every fingertip, by the hands of My allies, the believers — taste it then forthwith, and know that for you in the Hereafter and at the return is the punishment of the Fire (ʿadhāb al-nār).
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As for the fatḥa-ending of "anna" in His word "wa-anna li-l-kāfirīn," there are, with respect to grammatical parsing, two possibilities:
The one is the nominative (rafʿ), and the other is the accusative (naṣb).
As for the nominative, the meaning is: "That is it, so taste it; that is it, and that for the disbelievers is the punishment of the Fire" — with the intent of a repetition of "that is it" (dhālikum), as though it was said: that is the matter, and this.
And as for the accusative, this is in two ways: The one is: "That is it, so taste it, and know" — or: "and be convinced" — "that for the disbelievers." The accusative is then on the basis of an elided verb. The poet said:
And I saw your husband in the thick of battle, girt with a sword and a spear.
With the meaning: and bearing a spear.
And the other is with the meaning: "That is it, so taste it, and with [the fact] that for the disbelievers is the punishment of the Fire" — then the "bāʾ" was omitted, whereby the accusative arose.
