And when he mentioned what pleased them about the state of their enemies, the openly defiant and the hidden ones in this world, embellishing that with the jewels of wisdom and the wonders of words, which by adhering to them happiness is attained and by neglecting them misery befalls, he followed it with what would please them about the state of their enemies at death and after it. He said, addressing those who, if the veil were lifted, would not increase in certainty, specifically addressing every listener with strong certainty to qualify for such a discourse, recounting their state at that time: "And if only you could see, O highest of creation, when the angels take the souls of those who disbelieve," meaning: from among those who say this and from others whom you killed at Badr and from others before and after that. "The angels," meaning: their troops whom We appointed over them while they were in the state of "striking."

And when striking the face and the back is the clearest indication of humiliation and disgrace, he said: "Their faces and their backs," meaning: the upper parts of their bodies and the lower ones. So, the other is more appropriate. "And while they say to them: Taste what you used to deny," "Taste the punishment of the blaze" [Al-Imran: 181], meaning: you would have seen a terrifying sight and a dreadful matter. This pleased you to the utmost, and their words did not affect their anger, for they know at that time who was deceived by his religion. And "if" although it turns the present tense into the past, the expression in the present tense in its context does not lack benefit, which is what was mentioned as an indication that this does not specifically pertain to one of the dead among them over another dead, rather there is no difference between those who died earlier and those who died later, whether one died at Badr or elsewhere. And there is nothing in the speech that necessitates that those who said "These have been deceived by their religion" [Al-Anfal: 49] were present at Badr, but the apparent meaning is that the speakers were in Medina. Their expression of "these," which is a tool of proximity for belittling and making it easy to take them, just as the tool of distance is used for magnifying by distance of rank. And upon this, the saying of Pharaoh after Banu Israel traveled for a time, at least a night and part of a day, as Allah narrated about them: "Indeed, these are but a small band" [Ash-Shu'ara: 54]. It is noted that Al-Baghawi has transmitted in the interpretation of His saying, "They see them as twice their number with the eye" [Al-Imran: 13] that a group of the Jews attended the battle of Badr to see upon whom the turn of events would be. And if you reflect on this along with His saying, "Like the custom of the people of Pharaoh" [Al-Anfal: 52], you would know that the main purpose of these verses is to His saying, "That is because they are a people who do not understand" [Al-Hashr: 13], referring to the Jews. And in His expression of "they do not understand" is a severe reproach for them, just as He said in the verse of Al-Hashr: "Indeed, you are more fearful in their chests than Allah. That is because they are a people who do not understand" [Al-Hashr: 13].