So, if you encounter those who have rejected, then strike the control center until you overcome them. Then bind them securely. You may either set them free or ransom them, until the war ends. That, and had God willed, He alone could have beaten them, but He thus tests you by one another. As for those who get killed in the cause of God, He will never let their deeds be put to waste.
Translation endnotes
[47:4] The expression "darb al riqab" is traditionally translated as "smite their necks." We preferred to translate it as "strike the control center." The Quran uses the word "unuq" for neck (17:13,29; 8:12; 34:33; 38:33; 13:5; 26:4; 36:8; 40:71). The root RaQaBa means observe, guard, control, respect, wait for, tie by the neck, warn, fear. "Riqab" means slave, prisoner of war, since they are controlled or guarded. Even if one of the meanings of the word riqab were neck, we would still reject the traditional translation, for the obvious reason: The verse continues by instructing muslims regarding the capture of the enemies and the treatment of prisoners of war. If they were supposed to be beheaded, there would not be a need for an instruction regarding captives, which is a very humanitarian instruction. Unfortunately, the Sunni and Shiite terrorists have used the traditional mistranslation, and abused it further by beheading hostages in their fight against their counterpart terrorists, Crusaders and their allied coalition, who torture and kill innocent people in even bigger numbers, yet in a baptized fashion that is somehow depicted as non-barbaric by their culture and media. The Quran gives two options regarding the hostages or prisoners of war before the war ends: (1) set them free; or (2) release them to get a fee for their unjustified aggression. Considering the context of the verse and emphasis on capturing the enemy, we could have translated the segment under discussion as, "aim to take captives." The Old Testament contains many scenes of beheadings and grotesque massacres. For instance, see: 2 Samuel 4:7-12; 2 Kings 10:7, and 2 Chronicles 25:12.