Surah Al Anfal Tafseer

فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ

So if you gain the mastery over them in war,

if you defeat them and have victory over them in war,

فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ

then disperse those who are behind them,

According to Ibn Abbas, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, Ata' Al-Khurasani and Ibn Uyaynah,

by severely punishing (the captured people).

This Ayah commands punishing them harshly and inflicting casualties on them. This way, other enemies, Arabs and non-Arabs, will be afraid and take a lesson from their end,

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

so that they may learn a lesson.

As-Suddi commented,

"They might be careful not to break treaties, so that they do not meet the same end.