Then how will it be when the angels gather them in death, smiting their faces and backs? (They leave the world in emotional agony for not having readied themselves for the life to come)
Then what will be (their plight at the time) when the angels will snatch out their souls (this way) that they will be striking their faces and their backs
And how will it be when the angels take them in death (disconnect them from their bodies), striking their faces and backs?
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim
How will they react when the angels of death besiege them all about to disembody their souls and descend violently upon them striking their faces and their backs