on three legs, while raising the fourth so that only the tip of its hoof, whether of a foreleg or hind leg, rests on the ground. One says: A horse ṣafana when it stands on three legs and turns up one of its hooves. It is also said that, linguistically, a ṣāfin is one that stands. In the hadith: “Whoever likes people to stand before him in rows should take his place in the Fire.” (1) That is, standing. The jiyād are the choice, swift horses; the singular is jawād.

Ibn Abbas said: It means the racing horses.

“And he said, ‘Indeed, I preferred the love of fine horses over the remembrance of my Lord, until the sun disappeared behind its veil. Bring them back to me.’ Then he began striking their legs and necks.” (32–33)

“And he said, ‘Indeed, I preferred the love of fine horses’”—that is, I gave preference to the love of fine horses. By “fine horses,” he meant horses. The Arabs interchange the letters rāʾ and lām; thus they say, khataltu al-rajula and khatartu-hu, meaning, “I deceived him.” Horses were called khayr (“good”) because goodness—reward and spoils—is bound to their forelocks. (2) Muqatil said: “The love of khayr” means wealth; that is, the horses that were paraded before him.

“Over the remembrance of my Lord”—that is, over the prayer, namely the afternoon prayer. “Until it disappeared behind its veil”—that is, until the sun disappeared behind the veil: it became hidden by that which conceals it from sight. It is said that the veil is a mountain beyond Mount Qaf, a year’s journey away, and that the sun sets behind it.

“Bring them back to me”—that is, bring the horses back to me. So they brought them back, “then he began striking their legs and necks.” Abu Ubaydah said: ṭafiqa yafʿalu means the same as “he continued doing.” What is meant by “striking” is cutting: he began striking their legs and necks with the sword. This is the view of Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, Qatadah, Muqatil, and most exegetes. (4) This was lawful for him, for a prophet of Allah would not commit what is forbidden, nor would he repent of one sin by committing another.

Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: Allah did not rebuke him for hamstringing the horses, since he did so out of grief over having missed an obligatory duty to his Lord.