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Verses 1–6
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
From the content of these verses, it can be understood that this chapter was revealed in Medina after the Battle of Badr, insofar as it speaks of some of what happened at Badr. Additionally, it discusses various matters pertaining to jihad, the spoils of war (ghanāʾim and anfāl), and related matters, as well as some things pertaining to the migration to Medina (hijrah). On that note, the chapter ends.
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنْفَالِ ۖ قُلِ الْأَنْفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ ۖ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَصْلِحُوا ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ ۖ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ١
(8:1) They ask you about the spoils of war (al-anfāl). Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger. Mind Allah and rectify what is between yourselves (dhāta baynikum), and obey Allah and His messenger—if you be believers.
Anfāl is the plural of nafal, and means “an excess or abundance of something”. For that reason, nafal and nāfilah came to be used for performing extra acts of worship, whereas anfāl came to be used for fayʾ, which are properties with no owner, such as mountaintops, canyon-clefts, abandoned houses, ghost towns whose former inhabitants left no heirs, and other such things which go over and above what people own. No one owns them; therefore, they are the property of God and His messenger. Anfāl is also used for the spoils of war (ghanāʾim), since they are in excess of the objective which was sought in the war, for the goal of a battle is vanquishing and eradicating the enemy. If the enemy is vanquished and one is victorious, the aim has been met; spoils or captives are in excess of this original aim.
Dhāt was originally the feminine form of dhā, meaning “possessor of”. Although, technically, an object must be appended to it, in practice, it fell into common usage as a standalone word to refer to the essence of someone or something; for instance, dhāt al-insān is used to speak of what makes a person a person, or dhāt Zayd speaks of that intrinsic Zayd-ness that makes Zayd into Zayd. Originally, it was used as part of a compound phrase in the context of a person possessing certain deeds; then, it simply became dhāt.
Dhāt al-bayn refers to a poor relationship between two parties (as estrangement must always involve two parties). Thus, the command in this verse to rectify what is dhāt al-bayn is telling them to patch things up and end the bad blood between themselves.
Al-Rāghib says in al-Mufradāt:
Dhū is used two ways. One occurs when it is followed by a descriptor—an adjective, type, or category, which is appended to it; this descriptor must be specified directly rather than via a pronoun. It also takes a dual and plural form. The dual form is dhawātā and the plural is dhawāt. It must have an object appended to it.
However, lexicographers began to use it metaphorically to refer to the essence of a thing itself, whether it be an intrinsic or accidental characteristic. They used it alone or with a pronoun; they also prefixed it with the definite article al-. Thus it gained parlance to mean the essence or self of something, and the expression dhātuhu wa nafsuhu wa khāṣṣatuhu (“his essence, self, and specific characteristics”) came into common usage, although it was not originally used by Arabs.
Secondarily, in the dialect of the Ṭayʾ tribe, it was used to mean “who” or “what”. The word dhū was used regardless of whether it was in the nominative, accusative, or genitive cases, and whether it was in the singular, dual, or plural form. For example: “My well which (dhū) I dug and which (dhū) I bolstered and built around [with rocks].”
Al-Rāghib takes what he says about dhū not being used with a pronoun from al-Farrāʾ; peoples of mixed heritage were the ones who used dhū with a pronoun. However, the truth of the matter is that it was uncommon but not unheard of for the Arabs to use dhū with a pronoun; for instance, it is used with a pronoun by Imam ʿAlī in some of the sermons in Nahj al-Balāghah.
Exegetes vary widely in their understandings of what this verse mean. There are many points of disagreement. For instance, they disagree over what is meant by they ask you about the spoils of war, especially since in narrations from the family of the Prophet, as well as some others, like ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, and Ṭalḥah ibn Maṣraf, this verse is recited as yasʾalūnaka al-anfāl (“they ask you for the spoils of war”, rather than yasʾalūnaka ʿan al-anfāl, or “they ask you about the spoils of war”). In that view, the word ʿan is superfluous in the famous reading. Others say that the word ʿan is implied in the less common reading.
Furthermore, some exegetes say that the anfāl are the spoils of war, in general. Others say that anfāl specifically refers to what was taken after the Battle of Badr; they argue for this on the grounds that anfāl is prefixed by the definite article al-, thereby denoting specific spoils of war. Another view is that anfāl refers to the fayʾ (properties acquired without fighting) which belonged to God, the Messenger, and the Imam. Some say that this verse was abrogated by the verse on khums; others say that it was not. Exegetes have argued long over this; those who have an interest in it can consult the exegeses by al-Rāzī, al-Ālūsī, and others.
The most apt view, which can be deduced from the text itself, is that the verse tells of two parties who were disputing and thus asked the Prophet to intervene; these are the they who were asking about the spoils of war. The conjunction fa- towards the end of the verse—Mind Allah (fattaqū Allāh) and rectify what is between yourselves—indicates that they were arguing over the spoils of war, and that they had asked for the Prophet’s judgment on the matter. That is, they asked for the Prophet’s ruling on the spoils of war to put an end to their dispute.
As you can see, this interpretation supports the more common reading of the verse (yasʾalūnaka ʿan al-anfāl, not yasʾalūnaka al-anfāl). This is because the expression saʾala ʿan means “to seek knowledge about something”—such as a ruling or information—whereas the verb saʾala with only a direct object means to ask for something. Between these two views, only the first fits the context of the whole verse.
Additionally, even though the word anfāl encompasses things beyond the spoils of war, such as fayʾ, here, it is used specifically for the spoils of war. However, it refers to spoils of war in general, not specifically the Battle of Badr. Even though they were disputing over the spoils of war which happened to come from the Battle of Badr, their dispute did not hinge on the fact that these spoils of war came specifically from the Battle of Badr; nothing in the verse indicates that. Rather, their concern was over spoils of war that were taken in battle against the enemies of the faith; this is clear.
However, just because the verse is specifically discussing spoils of war does not mean that the ruling in it cannot apply to other instances of anfāl. In fact, the ruling in the verse applies to anything considered anfāl, and conveys that all of the anfāl belong to God and the Messenger; none of the faithful have any share in them, whether the anfāl be ghanīmah or fayʾ.
Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger: From this, as well as God’s exhortations and urging towards faith, it can be understood that God put an end to the animosity by legislating that the spoils of war belong to Himself and the Messenger, thereby removing them from their hands. It evokes the sense that their dispute broke out when one side claimed that the spoils of war, or some of the spoils of war, was theirs and that the others had no share. However, the other side denied that. Therefore, God ended the dispute by taking the property out of their hands and establishing that it belongs to Himself and the Messenger. He then advises them to desist from their quarrel.
As for the view that, according to consensus, soldiers own whatever spoils of war they take, it is best to consult books of jurisprudence (fiqh) rather than exegesis.
In short, their dispute implies that, previously, there had been some sort of agreement that they could lay claim to the spoils of war. However, this had been a general or ambiguous sort of agreement, with each side trying to work it to its own benefit, as the verse shows.
A further explanation: The relationship of the verses in the chapter and the presentation of the story of the Battle of Badr in it demonstrate that the chapter was revealed wholly about the Battle of Badr and what happened shortly afterward, to the degree that Ibn ʿAbbās is said to have called it as “Sūrah Badr”. Rulings about the spoils of war (ghanīmah) are presented in five verses, located in three sections in the chapter, as it was arranged:
They ask you about the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger…. ()
Know that whatever you gain, a fifth of it is for Allah and the Messenger and the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer—if you believe in Allah and what We revealed to Our servant on the day of sorting, the day when the two hosts met. And Allah has power over all things. ()
It is not for a prophet to take captives until he subdues the land. You desire the fleeting things of this world, while Allah desires the hereafter [for you], and Allah is mighty, wise. Were it not for an ordinance from Allah that had already gone forth, an awful doom would have befallen you because of what you took. Eat then of what you have acquired in war, lawful and good, and mind Allah; Allah is forgiving, merciful. ()
From the text of the verses, it can be understood that the second set of verses was revealed after the first and third sets, since the second set says if you believe in Allah and what We revealed to Our servant on the day of sorting, the day when the two hosts met; that is, these verses must have been revealed sometime after the Battle of Badr.
Furthermore, the third set of verses indicates that some people had spoken to the Messenger of God about taking captives and had asked him to ransom the enemies rather than to kill them. These verses censure them for that, then permit them to make use of the spoils of war. It seems that, from that, they had the idea that they could take possession of the spoils of war (ghanāʾim and anfāl), although they were confused over matters such as whether or not everyone present at the battle had a right to the spoils of war, or only those who fought. And were the shares divided equally, or were there differences—for instance, did horsemen take more than foot-soldiers?
This was the root of their disagreement. They brought it to the Messenger of God, whereupon the verse was revealed: Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger. Mind Allah and rectify what is between yourselves. Their error was in assuming that they could take possession of the spoils of war through misunderstanding the verse [eat of what you have taken…]. This verse ratified the ruling that the spoils of war belonged to God and the Messenger, and forbade them from arguing with each other. After their quarrel had ceased, the Prophet returned the spoils of war to them by dividing the spoils of war among them equally. He put aside a share for some companions who had not been present at the battle and had not gone out to fight, and did not distinguish between horsemen and foot-soldiers. Then, after some time, this verse was revealed: Know that whatever you gain, a fifth is for Allah…. Then, the Prophet collected a fifth of what had been allotted to them, and they kept the rest. This is what can be deduced from reading the verses about the anfāl in harmony with each other.
They ask you about the spoils of war (al-anfāl): Taken in conjunction with the context, it can be understood that they asked the Prophet for a ruling on the spoils of war after they had asserted that they enjoyed ownership over it. However, they different over who had rights to it, or how it should be distributed, or both. Thus, they fell into dispute.
Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger: This replies to their question. It explains that they do not actually have the immediate right to possess it; rather, God and His Messenger have authority over it, and that it will be distributed as God and His Messenger please. This severed the root of their disagreement.
This interpretation shows that this verse () did not abrogate [eat of what you acquire…] (). The verb eat does not at all imply that they have been granted ownership over the spoils of war. Rather it means that they can make use of what the Prophet has distributed to them.
It also shows that [and know that…khums verse ] did not abrogate say: the spoils of war belong to Allah and His Messenger (). This is because [and know that…] forbids the fighters from making use of all of the spoils of war. However, verse already established that the spoils of war belong to God and the Prophet, not them personally. Therefore, this verse reinforces that the spoils of war belong to God and His Messenger, but allows them to use what is theirs. Therefore, there is no contradiction between these two verses and hence no abrogation. Instead, from all three sets of verses together, it can be deduced that God and His Messenger own the spoils of war. Then, four-fifths of it is distributed to the fighters, who may use it as they please, whereas a fifth (the khums) belong specifically to God, the Messenger, the near of kin, and others.
Additionally, from the above interpretation, it can be understood that since ghanāʾim is used for the anfāl (which is the plural of nafal, meaning “excess”), the ruling given here is meant in general. It is as if it is saying: “They ask you about the ghanāʾim, which are the excess things that no one claims ownership of. If it be thus, then tell them the ruling about excess acquisitions and anfāl. Tell them that the anfāl belong to God and His Messenger; this implies that the ghanīmah also belong to God and His Messenger.”
This could possibly reinforce the view that the definite article al- in the first occurrence of al-anfāl in verse refers to specific spoils of war. However, the definite article al- in the second occurrence of al-anfāl in verse either refers to the category of anfāl as a whole or denotes all instances of the category of anfāl. This would explain why the noun anfāl is repeated in the verse rather than replaced with a pronoun.
It also shows that Say: The anfāl are for Allah and His Messenger is an overarching ruling, encompassing all types of ownerless properties and acquisitions, not just spoils of war, such as abandoned houses, ghost towns and ruins, mountaintops, canyon-clefts, kings’ wealth, and wealth or property with no inheritor. Anfāl in the sense of spoils of war pertains specifically to Muslim soldiers under the command of the Prophet. The remainder falls under the ownership of God and His Messenger.
This is what can be understood from pondering over these verses. However, exegetes have wrangled tremendously over these verses. It would serve no purpose here to argue for or against their views; therefore, those who are interested in learning more may consult the exegetical tomes.
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ٢ الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ ٣ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا ۚ لَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ ٤
(8:2-4) The believers are only those whose hearts tremble when the name of Allah is mentioned, whose faith increases when Allah’s signs are recited for them, and who trust in their Lord, who establish the prayer and spend of what We have given them. Truly these are the believers; they have ranks before their Lord, forgiveness, and an honorable sustenance.
These three verses explain the distinctions of the true believers. They discuss their faith, their noble traits, and copious divine reward. They build upon and emphasize the last phrase of verse (Mind Allah and rectify what is between yourselves, and obey Allah and His messenger—if you be believers).
Out of all the characteristics of faith, God selects five of them here, for these five traits bring the others along with them—though they be many—as does true faith. If people turn their attention towards these traits and try to instill them inside themselves, it will pave the way for their souls to be mindful of God, for the people to reconcile with each other, and for them to obey God and His Messenger.
These five traits are as follows: (a) their hearts tremble and flutter at the remembrance of God, (b) their faith increases when they hear the verses of the Qur’an, which are the signs of God, (c) they trust in God, (d) they establish the prayer, and (e) the spend [charitably, and on others] out of the sustenance that God has granted them. Obviously, the first three traits pertain to the heart, and the latter two to the limbs.
These traits are listed in the order in which they naturally appear, for the light of faith dawns gradually in the heart, then blossoms until it reaches its true fullness. Initially, it inspires the heart towards reverence and fear when God is mentioned. This is what is meant by: The believers are only those whose hearts tremble when the name of Allah is mentioned.
Then, faith continues to spread and branch off in the ways mentioned in the verse, guiding towards true understanding. Whenever a faithful person contemplates these things, their faith increases and strengthens, until it becomes true certainty. This is what is meant by: …whose faith increases when Allah’s signs are recited for them.
After their faith burgeons to perfection, they comprehend the stature of their Lord vis-à-vis their own station. They understand reality as it is. They see that all matters lie with God, for He alone is the Lord to whom all things return. Thus, man’s true charge is to trust in God and traipse after His will, taking Him as their guardian in all worldly matters which weigh on their minds, contenting themselves with what He has allocated to them for their journey through this life, following His ordinances, enjoining His commands and prohibitions. This is what is meant by: …and who trust in their Lord.
Then, after full faith has settled in the heart, it impels the human being—the servant of God—to worship his Lord. He sets himself to the station of worship and sincere humility; this is prayer, and is a matter between himself and his Lord. He also fulfills people’s needs in society. When people experience shortfalls or need assistance, he spends on the deprived from the sustenance that God has granted him—whether that be wealth, knowledge, or something else. This is a matter between himself and other members of his society. This is what is meant by: who establish the prayer and spend of what We have given them.
The expression whose faith increases speaks of an increase in the quality rather than the quantity of faith; that is, it speaks of an increase in the intensity and perfection of faith. This is in contrast to the view of some exegetes, who hold that it refers to an increase in the numbers of the faithful.
Truly these are the believers; they have ranks before their Lord, forgiveness, and an honorable sustenance: Here, God utters His decree: faith shall be planted in whoever exhibits these five traits. Therefore, they all have ranks before their Lord, forgiveness, and an honorable sustenance, and no further distinctions are mentioned, for all true believers share these five traits and enjoy a generous divine reward.
They have ranks before their Lord, forgiveness (maghfirah), and an honorable sustenance (rizq karīm): Forgiveness is God’s pardon of their sins. Honorable sustenance is the blessings they shall enjoy in the garden. Elsewhere in the Qur’an, God also expresses His will that they should enjoy an honorable sustenance in the garden, such as in:
Those who believe and do good shall have an honorable sustenance, whereas those who strive against Our signs shall find themselves feeble; they shall be the inhabitants of the fire. ()
From this, it becomes clear that they have ranks before their Lord, forgiveness, and an honorable sustenance speaks of degrees of nearness, station and adoration (zulfā), and degrees of spiritual honor.
Degrees of nearness to God naturally beget forgiveness and the garden.
When this verse speaks of ranks before their Lord, it means that all of the faithful, altogether, have these ranks, not that each one of them has all these ranks. This is because faith necessarily varies and is instilled in varying degrees. Therefore, some of the faithful are at the first rank; some are at the second; and others have different ranks or degrees of faith. This understanding is reinforced by these verses:
Allah raises in rank the faithful among them, and those with knowledge. ()
Is the one who pursues the pleasure of Allah like the one who purchases Allah’s wrath? Such a person finds a home in Hell—and what an evil destination. They are ranks before Allah, and Allah sees what you do. ()
Some exegetes hold that ranks (darajāt) here refers to the levels of Paradise. However, the above explanation refutes this view. Rather, ranks should be taken as referring to levels of nearness to God, as has been explained, even though higher levels of nearness to God correspond to higher levels in Paradise.
كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَارِهُونَ٥ يُجَادِلُونَكَ فِي الْحَقِّ بَعْدَ مَا تَبَيَّنَ كَأَنَّمَا يُسَاقُونَ إِلَى الْمَوْتِ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ ٦
(8:5-6) [Remember] how your Lord caused you to go forth from your house in truth, although a group of the believers were averse, disputing with you about the truth (yujādilūnaka fī al-ḥaqq) after it had become clear, as if they were being driven forth towards death while beholding it.
The text gives the sense that [Remember] how your Lord caused you to go forth pertains to what was being discussed in Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger, and means: “God has decreed that the spoils of war belong to Himself and His Messenger. This is right, although you dislike it, just as some of you disliked how God caused you to forth from your house, even though it was the right thing. All of this has a role in improving their religious and worldly affairs, although they perceive it not.”
Some exegetes maintain that [Remember] how your Lord caused you to go forth pertains to disputing with you about the truth after it had become clear (). Others say that the linguistic governer here is the meaning of truth, and that it means: “This reminder is part of the truth, just as He sent you forth from your house in truth.” However—as you see—both of these views are far from the actual context of the verses.
Ḥaqq (“truth”) here means the opposite of falsehood. It is used to denote something established which has desirable real-life consequences. When one of God’s acts—such as sending them forth from their houses—is described as “true”—it means that it must be done.
Some exegetes say that ḥaqq here refers to the revelation; others say that it means “jihad”. However, both of these views are farfetched. There are also other views.
Yujādilūnaka comes from the root j-d-l, which originally meant “to twist”. It is used in the expression zamānun jadīl, meaning “a tightly twisted rein/braid”. According to Majmaʿ al-Bayān, jidāl is used to mean “quarrelling” because a quarrel goes round and round from viewpoint to viewpoint.
Together, the two verses mean that God’s decree about the spoils of war was right, even though they disliked it. Similarly, it was also right for them to be sent forth from their homes in Medina, even though a group of the believers disliked it and argued over whether it had been right after it had been made wholly clear to them. They were acting like people being driven forth towards death with all the implements of execution in front of them!
Examining Narrations
- In Jāmiʿ al-Jawāmiʿ, al-Ṭabrisī writes:
Ibn Masʿūd, [Imām] ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, [Imām] al-Bāqir, and [Imām] al-Ṣādiq used to recite [this verse as]: “They ask you for the spoils of war (yasʾalūnaka al-anfāl).”
Author’s comments: This is also narrated [elsewhere] from Ibn Masʿūd, [Imām] al-Sajjād, [Imām] al-Bāqir, [Imām] al-Ṣādiq, and others.
- It is narrated in al-Kāfī via a chain of narration from al-ʿAbd al-Ṣāliḥ [Imām al-Kāẓim]:
The anfāl are the ruins whose inhabitants have perished, and lands which were not best by horses or riders; rather, they were acquired by treaty and given freely without any fighting.
He—that is, the legal sovereign (wālī)—has jurisdiction over mountaintops, canyon-clefts, thickets, and unowned barren lands. He also takes possession of the [former] king’s holdings, insofar as they have not been usurped, for usurped wealth must be returned. He inherits from those who have no inheritor, and provides for those who cannot provide for themselves.
- In al-Kafī, via a chain of narration from Imām al-Ṣādiq, regarding they ask you about the spoils of war (anfāl) (), Imām al-Ṣādiq says:
When someone dies and leaves no heir, their property becomes part of the anfāl.
Author’s comments: Many Shi‘i narrations reiterate the meaning of these two narrations. Although they do not describe the anfāl as spoils of war, this presents no problem here since the context of the verses indicates it that [in the verse] it is taken as such.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ said:
Four verses of the Book of God were revealed on my account. My mother had sworn not to eat or drink until I parted ways from Muḥammad. Therefore, God revealed: If they urge you to take partners to Me which you know not of, do not obey them, but associate kindly and mannerly with them in the world (). Second, a sword that I had nabbed [during battle] struck my fancy, so I said, “O Messenger of God, give me this.” Then, the verse was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war… (). Third, I fell ill, and the Messenger of God came to me. I told him, “O Messenger of God, I want to divide my wealth; shall I bequeath half?” He said, “No.” I said, “A third?” He fell silent, and, thereafter, bequeathing a third was allowed. And, fourth, I was drinking wine with some of the Anṣār in when one of their men bashed me in the nose with the jawbone of a camel. I went to the Prophet, and the verse prohibiting wine was revealed.
Author’s comments: This narration has some discrepancies.
First, the context of verses (We have ordained for man goodness to his parents, and if they urge you to take partners to Me…) implies that these verses are meant as a general exhortation, not for a specific case. Furthermore, as verse (Say: “Come, I shall recite what your Lord forbidden for you—that you do not associate partners with Me, and show kindness to your parents…’) shows, goodness towards one’s parents has been ordained overall, not just as part of one specific religious code to the exclusion of another.
Second, the story of Ṣaʿd ibn Abī Waqāṣ collecting a sword and asking the Prophet to grant it to him suits the alternate recitation of they ask you for the spoils of war (yasʾalūnaka al-anfāl), not they ask you about the spoils of war (yasʾalūnaka ʿan al-anfāl), which has already been explained above.
Third, it is established via the Sunnah, not the Qur’an, that a bequest may be made of one-third of one’s wealth; no verses to this effect were revealed.
Fourth, even if it is true that he was drinking wine with some of the companions and was struck in the nose with a camel jawbone, he was not only drinking with the Anṣār; rather, he was drinking with a group of the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, and it was ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb who broke his nose. Then, God revealed the verse in Sūrah al-Māʾidah. That is, God did not directly prohibit wine but rather conveyed an intensified distaste for it: O you who believe, wine and gambling and idols and lots are filthy acts of Satan, so spurn them so that you may be successful ().
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that Abū Umāmah said:
I asked ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit about the [verse of] anfāl.
He said: “It was revealed about those of us who were present at the Battle of Badr. It was revealed when we disagreed over the spoils of war (nafl), and our dispute soured. Then God took all of it out of our hands and put it in control of the Messenger of God, who divided it among the Muslims.
Barāʾ added that he divided the spoils equally.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that ʿUbādah ibn Ṣāmit said:
We marched forth with the Messenger of God, and I witnessed [the Battle of] Badr with him. We met forces, and God routed them. One contingent chased after them, defeating them and finishing them off, while another contingent descended on the [former] troops, gathering the spoils of war. A third contingent surrounded the Messenger of God so that no harm would befall him.
When night fell, and the contingents returned, those who had collected the spoils of war said, “We are the ones who collected this, so no one else has any share.”
However, those who had chased after the enemy said, “You have no greater right to it than we. We are the ones who drove the enemy away [so you could collect it] and vanquished them.”
Then those who had protected the Messenger of God said, “You have no greater right to it than us. We were guarding the Messenger of God, since we feared that the enemy might harm him. This was what we were busy with.”
Then the verse was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger. Mind Allah and rectify what is between yourselves (). Then the Messenger of God divided them among the Muslims.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that Ibn ʿAbbās said:
On the day of Badr, the Prophet said: “Whoever kills an enemy shall have this and that, and whoever takes a captive shall have this and that.”
The elders planted themselves beneath the banners, whereas the youths rushed into fighting and plundering. The elders said to the youths: “Give us a share, for we provided assistance to you; had you faced any difficulties, you would have taken shelter with us.”
They brought their dispute to the Prophet, and the verse was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger (). Then he divided the spoils of war between them equally.
Author’s comments: There are many other narrations expressing the same idea and fleshing out the details of the Qur’anic story. We shall mention them in the latter sections on some of the following verses.
Some narrations say that the Prophet had promised to grant them the spoils and plunder, and then God abrogated that by saying: Say: the spoils of war are for Allah and the Messenger; these narrations imply that. Some might also glean from these narrations that a leader (imām) does not have to fulfill his promises to the fighters. However, this inference would be incorrect, since they were arguing about the spoils of war on the Day of Badr; and had the Prophet already made promises to them about that, they would not have differed, since the matter would have already been made clear to them.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Jarīr relates from Mujāhid:
The Prophet was asked what would be done with the fifth part of khums after the first four parts [had been distributed], whereupon this verse was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war… ().
Author’s comments: This does not agree with what was previously mentioned regarding the context and contents of the verse. Some early exegetes, like Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, Mujāhid, and ʿIkrimah, relate from Ibn ʿAbbās that the verse They ask you about the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war are for Allah and His Messenger… was abrogated by Know that whatever you gain, a fifth of it is for Allah and His Messenger (). However, our previous discussion shows that abrogation did not occur here.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad said:
I heard a man asking Ibn ʿAbbās about the spoils of war (anfāl). He said that they included horses and plunder. He repeated his question, and Ibn ʿAbbās said the same thing. Then the man asked, “What are the anfāl which God mentions in His book?” He kept repeating his question as if he was trying to corner him. Finally, Ibn ʿAbbās said, “This man is like Ṣabīgh whom ʿUmar struck.”
Another version says that he said, “Do you need someone to wallop you, like ʿUmar did to Ṣabīgh, the Iraqi?” For ʿUmar had beaten him until blood flowed to his heels.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, regarding truly these are the believers (), al-Ṭabarānī relates from al-Ḥārith ibn Mālik al-Anṣārī:
Ḥārith passed by the Messenger of God, who said, “How are you today, Ḥārith?”
Ḥārith said, “I have awoken as a true believer.”
The Prophet said, “Consider what you say, for every claim has an underlying reality. What is the reality of your faith?”
Ḥārith said, “I have disassociated myself from the world. I have stayed awake at night and remained thirsty during the day. It is as if I see the inhabitants of Paradise visiting each other, and the inhabitants of the Fire crying out to each other.”
The Prophet said, “O Ḥārith, you have understood, so hold fast to that.” He said that three times.
Author’s comments: This narration is related via numerous Shi‘i chains of narration.
An Arab tribe said to have originally been from Yemen but which had migrated to north Arabia and beyond before the advent of the Prophet. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, in place of the word alladhī or allatī. [Trans.] ↩︎
In this snippet of verse, dhū is used where allatī would otherwise be used. [Trans.] ↩︎
Abū Zakariyyā al-Farrāʾ (d. 822), a famous Kufan scholar of the Arabic language with a strong knowledge of the language of the Bedouins, which was considered to be a purer form of Arabic. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, in places where Arabs had intermarried with others; for instance, among Berbers, or in Muslim Spain. [Trans.] ↩︎
Qur’an . [Trans.] ↩︎
Rather than, say, seeing them as abrogating each other. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, the first al- is lām al-ʿahd, and the second is either lām al-jins or lām al-istighrāq. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, it says Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and His Messenger… rather than Say: They belong to Allah and His Messenger…. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, wealth or property specifically allocated for the use of a king or ruler who was conquered or who surrendered, but which is not considered part of the spoils of war. [Trans.] ↩︎
In al-Durr al-Manthūr, al-Ṭayālisī, al-Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad, Muslim, al-Nuḥās in his Nāsikh, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqī in al-Shuʿb [Shuʿb al-Īmān] attribute this to Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ. [Trans.] ↩︎
In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Aḥmad, ʿAbd ibn Ḥamīd, Ibn Jarīr, Abū al-Shaykh, Ibn Mardawayh, al-Ḥākim, and al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan attribute this to Abū Umāmah. [Trans.] ↩︎
That is, he asked about verse , not about anfāl as a general concept. [Trans.] ↩︎
In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr, Aḥmad, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Ḥibbān, Abū al-Shaykh, al-Ḥākim, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqī—who deems it authentic—attribute this to ʿUbādah ibn Ṣāmit. [Trans.] ↩︎
In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Ḥabbān, Abū al-Shaykh, Ibn Mardawayh, al-Ḥākim, and al-Bayhaqī—who deems it authentic in al-Dalāʾil—attribute this to Ibn ʿAbbās. [Trans.] ↩︎
In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Mālik, Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abu ʿUbayd, ʿAbd ibn Ḥamīd, Ibn Jarīr, al-Nuḥās, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Abū al-Shaykh, and Ibn Mardawayh attribute this to al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad. [Trans.] ↩︎
ʿUmar beat Ṣabīgh for asking too many foolish questions. [Trans.] ↩︎