And when they softened to this address, and turned to the King, the Most Forgiving, He turned to them and said: "And when" meaning: remember this which Allah has mentioned to you, and your condition in it was as He mentioned. Then it led to great happiness and an honor that is unlike any other honor. And remember when: "Allah promises you" meaning: the One who encompasses the attributes of perfection, "one of the two groups" the caravan or the enemy. And He replaced 'one' - so that the promise would be repeated - with His saying: "that it is for you" meaning: you dislike meeting the one with strength, "and you wish" meaning: while you love a great love "that which is not of strength" meaning: weapons, fighting, and struggle by which heroes are known and men are distinguished from those who are weak. "It will be for you" meaning: the caravan, because there were only a few people in it, it is said that they were forty men, out of ignorance from you of the consequences. Then it became clear to you that what Allah did is better for you than what cannot be comprehended. So submit to Him the matter in secret and openly, you will attain wealth and victory. And Imam Abu Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr al-Asimi said regarding the connection of the end of Al-A'raf with this Surah and the connection of the end of that with the beginning of this: what he stated: When Allah, glorified is He, narrated to His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in Surah Al-A'raf the news of the nations, and the believers concluded from all of that that guidance cannot be except by a prior happiness, due to the beginning of the Surah mentioning the wretched ones with the story of Iblis and ending it with the story of Balaam, and both of them disbelieved with knowledge and what they had received did not benefit them. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, alerted His servants to the door through which Balaam came by His saying, glorified is He: "But he clung to the earth and followed his desire" [Al-A'raf: 176]. So Allah, glorified is He, indicated that following desires misleads more than any misguidance. They were alerted to what contains wisdom in leaving desires altogether, so He, exalted is He, said: "They ask you about the spoils" [Al-Anfal: 1] the verse. It was said to them: Leave what you see as a right that is obligatory for you, and entrust the matter to Allah and the Messenger, for that is safer for you and wiser in restraining your desires and suppressing your lusts and leaving the matters of your Lord. And much has been composed in this lenient, clear Shari'ah regarding cutting off the means, and establishing the presumption of a thing in its place, like prohibiting a sip of wine or a drop, and the sermon during the waiting period and considering deep sleep as invalidating. So these are presumptions where the ruling has not occurred based on what is for themselves nor by what they are like this, but rather by what they are presumptions and causes for what has been prohibited for its essence or has warranted a ruling for its essence and its specific cause. And when the Muslims were commanded to keep their hands off the spoils on the day of Badr when the fighters were inclined to take it and they spoke to themselves about monopolizing it and saw that it was their right and that whoever did not engage in fighting from the elders and those who withdrew from it for a necessity had no right to it, and others also saw that their right in it was established because they were in it as a support and refuge behind their backs. What Allah commanded them regarding submitting the ruling in that to Allah and His Messenger was from the perspective of cutting off the means; for the pursuit of their desires in that - even if each of the two parties clung to a proof - is a presumption for the leadership of souls and an ease in following desires. So Allah commanded them to abstain from that and to entrust it to Allah and His Messenger; for that is safer for them and more fulfilling for their religion and more lasting in reforming relations and more beneficial in following: "So fear Allah and rectify your mutual relations" [Al-Anfal: 1] the verse. Then they were reminded of what they should adhere to, so He, exalted is He, said: "Indeed, the believers" [Al-Anfal: 2] - up to His saying: "increased them in faith" [Al-Anfal: 2]. Then they were reminded that the worldly possessions, whether spoils or otherwise, should not be relied upon by the believer in a way that leads to harm from polytheism or turning to other than Allah, glorified is He, by His saying: "And upon their Lord they rely" [Al-Anfal: 2]. Then they were reminded of what He described the righteous with regarding prayer and spending. Then He said: "Those are the true believers" [Al-Anfal: 4] indicating that whoever falls short in these conditions and does not fulfill them in their completeness does not exit from faith, but rather descends from the degree of perfection according to his shortcoming. And in this is an indication of their excuse in their words regarding the spoils and that they were in their pursuit in a state of correctness and a drink from adherence and following. However, the highest degrees are what has been clarified to them and granted to them, and that is perfection and success. Then He, glorified is He, alerted them to the manner of their affair in going out to Badr and their wish that what is not of strength would be for them, while He, glorified is He, shows them the good outcome in what He has chosen for them. For they had wished to meet the caravan and chose that over meeting the enemy, and they did not know what was beyond that.

And Allah intends to establish the truth by His words and to cut off the roots of the disbelievers. This is in what He has recounted to them of His mercy, the comprehensiveness of His kindness, His blessings, the expansion of their souls, and He has alerted them to what affirms their certainty and increases their faith. Then He informed them that all good is in piety, so He said: 'O you who have believed, if you fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion' [Al-Anfal: 29]. This criterion is what Iblis and Bil'am were deprived of. From them was what preceded in following desires that cut them off from mercy. The verse includes the attainment of the good of this world and the Hereafter by the blessing of piety. Then both goods are summarized in His saying: 'And Allah is the Possessor of great bounty' [Al-Anfal: 29] after detailing what the believers hasten to from the criterion, expiation, and forgiveness. The mention of the specific good of this world did not occur, despite the verse necessitating it, as a means of glorifying the believer in the position of granting the criterion and expiating sins, and forgiveness from mentioning the fleeting pleasures of this world, which are mere amusement and play. Thus, the mention of its transient pleasures was not detailed alongside what does not correspond to it or resemble it.

'And indeed, the Hereafter is the true life' [Al-Ankabut: 64]. Then the verses joined together. Another aspect is that when He, the Exalted, said: 'And when the Qur'an is recited, listen to it' [Al-A'raf: 204], He clarified to them the manner of this listening and what the believer is characterized by from its types. He said: 'Indeed, the believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned' [Al-Anfal: 2]. These did not merely hear with their ears, nor did they have ears that do not hear or hearts that do not understand. If they were like that, fear and dread would not have seized them, and the verses would not have increased them in faith. Therefore, the hearing of the believer is like this: 'And do not be like those who said, 'We have heard,' while they do not hear' [Al-Anfal: 21]. Since these only came upon them from following their desires and standing with their interests and lusts, 'They take a portion of this worldly life' [Al-A'raf: 169], 'But he clung to the earth and followed his desire' [Al-A'raf: 176]. This was precisely the affliction of Iblis; he saw more for himself and believed it to be true, then followed this desire when he said: 'I will never prostrate to a human whom You created from clay, like that of pottery' [Al-Hijr: 33]. Since following desires is fundamentally the root of misguidance and straying from the straight path, He commanded the believers to cut off the door of desires and to submit in what they are attached to, even if it is not mere desire, but it is a potential for ease in following desires. Thus, the surah began with their questioning about the spoils and they were informed that they belong to Allah and His Messenger, who decides in them as He wills.

﴿So fear Allah﴾ [Al-Anfal: 1] and beware of the desires that have destroyed those whose mention has been narrated to you. ﴿And set right that which is between you﴾ [Al-Anfal: 1] by resolving disputes, and submit to Allah and His Messenger, otherwise you will not be hearing, and you have been commanded to hear the listening by which mercy is hoped. Its explanation is in His saying: ﴿Indeed, the believers﴾ [Al-Anfal: 2] - the verses. Another aspect is that the stories of the Children of Israel were followed by the admonition to the believers, especially regarding piety, and according to what is predominant in what is mentioned about the matter of the Children of Israel. In Al-Baqarah, their stories were followed by His saying: ﴿O you who have believed, do not say 'Ra'ina' but say 'Unzurna' and listen﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 104]. And since their stories began with the mention of their preference: "O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds," the address to this nation began with what indicates their preference. Consider the difference between: "O Children of Israel" and: "O you who have believed." And He commanded those to believe: ﴿And believe in what I have sent down﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 41]. And He commanded these to an act of worship that is precautionary, so it was said: ﴿And say 'Unzurna' and listen﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 104]. Then Al-Baqarah was followed by Al-Imran, which began with the explanation of the clear and the ambiguous, which came to the Children of Israel in many of their transgressions. And when Surah Al-Imran included their mention of what was stated in it, it was followed by His saying: ﴿O you who have believed, if you obey a faction of those who were given the Scripture, they will turn you back after your belief as disbelievers﴾ [Al-Imran: 100]. Then the Surah was followed by His saying: ﴿O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul﴾ [An-Nisa: 1]. And He shifted from addressing by the name of faith for appropriateness, and that is because Surah Al-Imran was specified from the transgressions of the Children of Israel with crimes such as their saying about the disbelievers: ﴿These are more rightly guided than the believers﴾ [An-Nisa: 51]. This is a falsehood, and among their statements is: ﴿Allah is poor and we are rich﴾ [Al-Imran: 181] to what has occurred between these verses that indicate their deliberate crimes. So He shifted from: "O you who have believed" to: ﴿O mankind﴾ [An-Nisa: 1] to be more impactful in arrangement and clearer in relation to what has been mentioned. And when Surah An-Nisa included His saying: ﴿So, due to the wrongdoing of those who were Jews, We prohibited them good things﴾ [An-Nisa: 160] - to His saying: ﴿And their consuming of the people's wealth unjustly﴾ [An-Nisa: 161], it was followed by His saying: ﴿O you who have believed, fulfill [your] obligations﴾ [Al-Ma'idah: 1]. Then He mentioned to them what has been made lawful for them and what has been prohibited for them so that they may beware of what those have fallen into. Thus, when Surah Al-A'raf included their stories in general, and clarified their transgressions, and built it on following desires and pursuing objectives, these were commanded to avoid that and distance themselves from anything resembling it altogether. It was said at the end of the Surah: ﴿Indeed, those who fear [Allah] - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember﴾ [Al-A'raf: 201]. Then the next Surah began by diverting them from what they have a connection to and cling to, which establishes their excuse legally in what was from them. It was said to them: Leaving this is more knowledgeable and further from following desires. So submit in that ruling to Allah and His Messenger and fear Allah. Then the context intertwined and the verses connected, and the connection of Al-Anfal to Al-A'raf has become clear from various aspects. And all praise is due to Allah. The end.

And when the Most High informed of what is the truth, that their desire and wish were indeed directed towards the caravan and not towards the battle, it became clear that they had no role in what occurred. If they had, it would have been according to what they wanted. So, they have no share in the spoils except what Allah divides for them. This is because the judgment is for His intention, not for the intention of others. So, the Most High said, adding to: ﴿And you wish﴾ ﴿And Allah intends﴾, meaning: by what He has of might, greatness, and knowledge, ﴿to establish the truth﴾, meaning: to affirm in the world of testimony what is established with Him in the unseen. Here, it refers to striking the ones with thorns ﴿with His words﴾, meaning: that which He revealed to His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that they would be defeated, killed, and captured, and that this is the downfall of so-and-so and this is the downfall of so-and-so, to elevate His religion and make His command prevail over all matters.

﴿And cut off the last﴾, meaning: the end of ﴿the disbelievers﴾, meaning: as the first of them is cut off, meaning: He will root them out so that no one remains among them who opposes the people of his party. He is managing your affair as He intends. Therefore, He chose for you the one with determination and thorns so that what He promised you of elevating the religion and suppressing the corruptors would be achieved by cutting off their last.