ص : ٣٣

  • رُدُّوهَا Return them
  • عَلَيَّۖ to me
  • فَطَفِقَ Then he began
  • مَسۡحَۢا to pass (his hand)
  • بِٱلسُّوقِ over the legs
  • وَٱلۡأَعۡنَاقِ and the necks
[He said], "Return them to me," and set about striking1 [their] legs and necks.
Footnotes
1 - With his sword as expiation. Some commentaries have also suggested the meaning of "stroking" with the hand.
Bring them back to me!, that is, the horses that were displayed; and they so brought them back. Then he set about slashing, with his sword, [their] legs (al-sooq is the plural of saaq) and necks, in other words, he slaughtered them and cut off their legs as an offering [of atonement] to God, exalted be He, for having been distracted by them from the prayer. He gave all the meat thereof as voluntary alms and so God compensated him what was better and faster that these [horses], and this was the wind, which blew at his command as he wished.