'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah Al-Anfal

It is entirely Medinan, so said most people. And Muqatil said: It is Medinan except for one verse, which is His saying, the Exalted: "And when those who disbelieved plotted against you" [Al-Anfal: 30], the entire verse. This verse was revealed regarding a story that occurred in Mecca, and it is possible that the verse was revealed in that context in Medina. There is no disagreement regarding this surah that it was revealed on the day of Badr and concerning the matter of its spoils.

His saying, the Exalted:

"They ask you about the spoils of war. Say, 'The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger, so fear Allah and set things right among yourselves and obey Allah and His Messenger if you are believers'".

Anfal and Nafl and Nafila in the speech of the Arabs mean an increase over what is obligatory. The spoils of war are called Anfal because they are an increase over fulfilling jihad and protecting the religion and calling to Allah, the Exalted. From this is the saying of Labid:

"Indeed, the piety of our Lord is the best of spoils..."

Meaning, the best of gains. And the saying of Antarah:

"Indeed, when the battle reddens, we water the spears... and we refrain at the distribution of the spoils."

And the question in the speech of the Arabs comes to necessitate a meaning in the mind of the questioned. It may come to necessitate money or something similar. Most in this verse is that the question is about the ruling of the spoils, so it is of the first type. A group said that they only asked him about the spoils themselves to give them to them, and they supported this by the recitation of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Ali ibn Al-Husayn, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali, Zayd ibn Ali, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, Talhah ibn Musarif, Ikrimah, Al-Dahhak, and Ata: "They ask you about the spoils." They said regarding the recitation of whoever read "about" that it is in the meaning of "from", so this is the second type of question.

People differed regarding the intended meaning of the spoils in this verse. Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Mujahid, Al-Dahhak, Qatadah, Ata, and Ibn Zayd said: They are the spoils in general. They said that the reason for the verse is what occurred on the day of Badr, which is that the companions of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, divided into three groups on the day of Badr: One group remained with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in the shelter that was made for him and protected him and comforted him; another group surrounded the enemy's camp and their spoils when they were exposed; and a third group followed the enemy, killing and capturing them. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said in the book of Al-Tabari: The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, had urged the people before that, saying: "Whoever kills a person or captures a captive, for him is such and such." So the young men rushed forward while the old men remained at the banners. When the battle was over and the people gathered, each group saw the virtue for itself and said: 'We are more deserving of the spoils.' Their morals deteriorated in that regard, so the verse was revealed that the spoils are for Allah and the Messenger, so they should stop. Then the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, divided it equally.

Al-Tabari and others narrated, "From Abu Umamah al-Bahili, who said: I asked Ubadah ibn al-Samit about Al-Anfal, and he said: It was revealed to us - the people of Badr - when we disagreed and our morals deteriorated. Allah took it from our hands and made it to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and he divided it among us."

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: He means by saying 'by which' that there was in that piety towards Allah and obedience to His Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, and reconciliation among the people.

Among what also occurred on the day of Badr, it was said that it is a reason for what Al-Tabari narrated, "From Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, who said: When it was the day of Badr, my brother Umair was killed, and I killed Sa'id ibn al-As and took his sword, which was called Dhul-Kathifah. I brought it to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and said: O Messenger of Allah, this sword has avenged me against the polytheists, so give it to me. He said: 'This is neither for me nor for you, so throw it in the spoils.' So I threw it, and I returned with what only Allah knows of the killing of my brother and taking my spoils. He said: I did not go far until Surah Al-Anfal was revealed to him, and he said: 'Go and take your sword, for you asked me for the sword, and it is not mine, and it has become mine, so it is for you.'"

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In some narrations of this hadith, "Sa'd said: When he said to me: 'Throw it in the spoils': I feared that you would give it to someone who has not been tested like me. He said: And the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was behind me. I said: I fear that something has been revealed about me. He said: 'The sword has become mine,' and he gave it to me, and it was revealed: ﴿They ask you about the spoils﴾."

Al-Tabari also narrated, "From Abu Usaid Malik ibn Rabi'ah, who said: I found the sword of Ibn A'id on the day of Badr, and it was called Al-Marzaban. When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, commanded that they return what was in their hands of the spoils, I came with it and threw it into the spoils. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, did not prevent anything that was asked of him. Al-Arqam al-Makhzumi saw it and asked the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and he gave it to him."

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: From the collection of these reports, it appears that the souls of the people of Badr were in conflict, and there occurred in them what occurs in the souls of humans from the desire for preference, especially from those who excelled. So Allah, the Exalted, revealed the verse, and the Muslims were pleased and submitted, and Allah reconciled between them and returned their spoils to them. Some of the people of this interpretation, 'Ikrimah and Mujahid, said: This ruling was from Allah to quell the discord, then it was abrogated by His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And know that whatever you obtain of war booty﴾ [Al-Anfal: 41] the verse. Ibn Zayd said: There is no abrogation in the verse, but it was informed that the spoils belong to Allah as they are His property and provision, and to the Messenger as he clarifies the rulings of Allah and proclaims them so that submission occurs in them from the people, and the ruling of division is revealed during that time. There is no doubt that the spoils and everything else and the world in its entirety belong to Allah and to the Messenger.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

Ibn Abbas also said: The spoils in the verse are what the leader gives to those he sees from a sword or a horse or similar things. This is also good with the verse and with what we have mentioned from the reports of the Day of Badr. Ali ibn Salih ibn Hayy and Al-Hasan, in what Al-Mahdawi narrated, said: The spoils in the verse are what the raiding parties bring specifically.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This saying is far from the verse and does not align with the mentioned causes. Rather, it comes outside of the Day of Badr. Mujahid said: The spoils in the verse are the fifth. The Emigrants said: This fifth did not come from us. Allah, the Exalted, said: It is for Allah and for the Messenger. This is also a saying that has little relevance to the verse.

Ibn Abbas and Ata also said: The spoils in the verse are what is taken from the wealth of the polytheists to the Muslims, like the stray horse and the runaway slave. It is for the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to do with it as he wishes. Ibn Abbas also said: The spoils in the verse are what is obtained from the wealth of the polytheists after the division of the spoils; it is for Allah and His Messenger.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: These two sayings do not take the verse out of the causes that were narrated on the Day of Badr, nor does the verse specifically pertain to the Day of Badr in this regard. It seems that these two statements are about what the army gained without fighting and after the war was completed and fear had subsided. The most appropriate and clear of these sayings is the first one, which has been supported by the narratives regarding its causes, and it corresponds to the time in which the verse was revealed. Al-Naqqash narrated from Al-Shabi that he said: The spoils are the captives.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is merely by way of example, meaning everything that is gained.

It is good in interpreting this verse to mention something of the disagreement among scholars regarding the spoils given by the leader to those he sees from the people of valor and wealth, and what is permissible of that and what is not, and what they have in the spoils of disagreement. A group said: There is no spoils after the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. The majority said: The spoils remain until the Day of Resurrection. The leader of the army gives spoils to whom he sees, but according to his discretion and the interest of the Muslims, to encourage people towards valor and to motivate them to fight the enemy and strive in war. Then they disagreed. Ibn Al-Qasim reported from Malik in the 'Mudawwana': The leader only gives from the fifth, not from the totality of the spoils, and he gives at the beginning of the spoils and at the end of it according to his discretion. A group said: The leader only gives before the fighting, but once the spoils are gathered, there is no spoils.

And this is only based on this saying, that the imam says: Whoever kills a killed one, for him is such and such, or he says to a raiding party: If you reach such a place, then for you is such and such. Al-Shafi'i and Ibn Hanbal said: There is no naf'l except after the booty before the fifth is taken. Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said: The imam may grant naf'l whenever he wishes before the fifth. Anas ibn Malik, Rija' ibn Haywah, Makhul, al-Qasim, and a group among them, including al-Awza'i, Ahmad, Ishaq, and Adi ibn Adi said: There is no naf'l except after the fifth is taken out, then the imam grants naf'l from the four-fifths, then the remaining is divided among the people. Ibn al-Musayyib said: The imam grants naf'l only from the fifth of the fifth. Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is not permissible for the commander to say: Whoever destroys such from the fort, for him is such, and whoever reaches such, for him is such, nor do I like for anyone to shed blood for such a thing. Sihnun said: If that is decreed, it is binding upon him, for it is a pledge. Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is not permissible for the imam to say to a raiding party: What you have taken, for you is a third of it. Sihnun said: He means from the beginning, and if it is decreed, it proceeds and they have their shares in the remaining. Sihnun said: If the imam says to a raiding party: What you have taken, there is no fifth upon you in it, this is not permissible. If it is decreed, I would reject it because this is an unusual ruling that is not permissible and cannot be enacted. It is recommended, according to the school of Malik, that if the imam grants naf'l, he should grant what is apparent, such as a turban, a horse, and a sword. Some scholars have prohibited the imam from granting gold, silver, pearls, or similar items. Some of them said: Naf'l is permissible from everything.

As for the spoils, Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The spoils from the booty are divided among all the army unless the imam stipulates otherwise, and this was said by others. Al-Layth, al-Awza'i, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, Abu Thawr, Abu Ubaid, and Ibn al-Mundhir said: The spoils are the right of the fighter by the ruling of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. Al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, Abu Ubaid, and Ibn al-Mundhir said: Whether the imam said it or did not say it. Malik said: If the imam says: 'Whoever kills a killed one, for him is his spoils,' then that is binding, but it is according to the imam's diligence and due to the circumstances and pressures and the calling for help. Al-Shafi'i and Ibn Hanbal said: The spoils are taken from the booty, then they are divided after that, and the spoils are given to the killers. Ishaq ibn Rahawayh said: If the spoils are little, it is for the killer, and if it is much, it is divided. Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, did this with al-Bara' ibn Malik when he faced the Marzbān and killed him, and the value of his armor and his bracelets was thirty thousand. He divided that, and a hadith has been narrated in this regard from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, which is the hadith of Awf ibn Malik in the Musannaf of Abu Dawood. Makhul said: The spoils are a gain and it includes the fifth. A similar narration has been reported from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

He means by saying: The fifth is taken from the killer alone. The majority of jurists said: The killer is not given the spoils unless he establishes proof of his killing. Most of them said: One witness is sufficient according to the hadith of Abu Qatadah. Al-Awzai said: He is given it based solely on his claim.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is weak.

Al-Shafi'i said: The killer is not given anything unless his victim was advancing, challenging, and sacrificing himself. As for one who killed while fleeing, no. Abu Thawr and Ibn al-Mundhir, the companion of 'Al-Ashraf', said: The killer is entitled to the spoils whether the victim was fleeing or not.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is more correct due to the hadith of Salamah ibn al-Akwa' in following Rabi'ah of the disbelievers in the Battle of Hunayn and taking hold of his camel's reins and killing him while he was fleeing. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, gave him his spoils. Ibn Hanbal said: The spoils belong to the killer only in a duel.

They disagreed about the spoils. As for weapons and everything needed for fighting, I do not recall any disagreement that it is part of the spoils. His horse, if he fought on it and was thrown off, is also included. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said regarding the horse: It is not part of the spoils. Likewise, if there were dinars or jewels or the like in his purse or belt, I do not recall any disagreement that it is not part of the spoils. There was disagreement regarding what is adorned for war and is intimidating, such as crowns, bracelets, earrings, and belts heavy with gold and stones. Al-Awzai said: All of that is part of the spoils. A group said: It is not part of the spoils. This is narrated from Sihnun, may Allah have mercy on him, except for the belt, for he considers it part of the spoils. Ibn Habib said in 'Al-Wadihah': The bracelets are part of the spoils. Al-Shafi'i hesitated whether all of these are part of the spoils or not.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: If the imam says: 'Whoever kills a person, for him are his spoils,' and a dhimmi kills a person, it is well-known that he has nothing. According to the saying of Ashhab: 'The people of dhimmah are entitled to a share of the spoils,' it is necessary that he be given the spoils. If the imam kills a person with his own hand after this statement, then he is entitled to the spoils.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: As for the spoils, they were exclusively for the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: ﴿So fear Allah﴾ means in the speech: make a protection between you and what is to be feared. And His saying: ﴿And make peace between yourselves﴾ is a clear statement that there is a disagreement among them. The souls have inclined towards contention. And (ذات) - in this context - refers to the essence of the thing and its reality. What is understood from (بينكم) is a meaning that encompasses all connections, bonds, and affections. The essence of that is what is commanded to be reconciled, meaning: its self and its reality. So Allah, exalted and majestic is He, urged the rectification of those parts. If those parts are rectified, the rectification of what encompasses them, which is the relationship they have, will occur. The term 'ذات' can also be used to denote what is attached to it, even if it is not its essence or self. This is evident in His saying, exalted is He: (Knowing the essence of the breasts), and (ذات الشوكة) as it is here feminine in their saying: 'The wolf is envious of its belly', and the saying of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him: 'He is only the one with the belly of the daughter of Khawlah.' It is possible that 'ذات البين' refers to this. The term 'ذات' can also be used in another meaning, although it is close to this, which is their saying: 'I did such and such on a certain day.' And from this is the saying of the poet:

The dog does not bark in it except for one ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ the one of the dinner and its snakes do not spread.

And al-Tabari mentioned from some of them that he said: ﴿ذات بينكم﴾ refers to the state that is between you, just as 'ذات العشاء' refers to the time in which the dinner occurs.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And al-Tabari preferred this, and it is a clear statement of distinction. And al-Zajjaj said: the 'بين' here refers to connection, and similar to it is His saying, exalted and majestic is He: ﴿Indeed, the connection has been severed between you﴾ [Al-An'am: 94].

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And in all of this, there is consideration. And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And obey Allah and His Messenger﴾ is a general term, and its reason is the command to stop when the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, executes it regarding the spoils of war. And His saying: ﴿If you are believers﴾ means: complete in faith, as you say to a man: 'If you are a man, do such and such', meaning: if you are complete in manhood. And the response to the condition in His previous saying (and obey) is understood. The position of Abu al-Abbas is that the response is omitted and is delayed, indicated by the previous statement, its estimation being: If you are believers, obey. And his position in this is that the response does not precede the condition.