Tafseer of The Spoils of War · Al-Anfaal · 8:1
They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the bounties [of war]. Say, "The [decision concerning] bounties is for Allah and the Messenger." So fear Allah and amend that which is between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you should be believers.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
They ask you about the spoils of war (al-anfāl). Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger.
The discourse on the exegesis of the sūra in which the spoils of war (al-anfāl) are mentioned: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war . The exegetes differed concerning the meaning of al-anfāl which Allah mentions in this place. Some said: it is the war-booty goods (ghanāʾim). They said: the meaning of the words is: your companions ask you, O Muḥammad, about the booty which you and your companions obtained on the day of Badr — to whom does it belong? Then say: it belongs to Allah and to His Messenger. Mention of who said that:
12136 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to me, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Suwayd ibn ʿAmr related to us, on the authority of Ḥammād ibn Zayd, on the authority of ʿIkrima: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: al-anfāl: the booty.
12137 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, his word: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: al-anfāl: the booty.
* — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: al-anfāl: the booty (al-maghnam).
12138 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Khālid al-Aḥmar related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: the booty.
* — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh saying: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk saying concerning his word: al-anfāl he said: he means the booty.
12139 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his word: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: al-anfāl: the booty.
* — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: They ask you about the spoils of war al-anfāl: the booty.
12140 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his word: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: al-anfāl: the booty.
12141 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: al-anfāl: the booty.
12142 — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: the booty.
Others said: it is the spoils of the raiding parties (al-sarāyā). Mention of who said that:
12143 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: ʿAlī ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Ḥayy related to us, saying: it was transmitted to me concerning his word: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: the raiding parties (al-sarāyā).
Others said: al-anfāl is that which deserts from the polytheists (mushrikīn) to the Muslims, of slave, mount and the like. Mention of who said that:
12144 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Jābir ibn Nūḥ related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Malik, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, concerning his word: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger he said: it is that which without battle deserts from the polytheists to the Muslims, of mount, slave or chattel; that belongs to the Prophet ﷺ, who deals with it as he wishes.
* — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ibn Numayr related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Malik, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: it is that which without battle deserts from the polytheists to the Muslims, of male slave, female slave, chattel or booty; that belongs to the Prophet ﷺ, who deals with it as he wishes.
12145 — He said: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, that Ibn ʿAbbās was questioned about al-anfāl, and he said: the captured armor (al-salab) and the horse.
12146 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — and it is said: al-anfāl is that which is taken of the chattel that remains after the booty has been divided; that is spoils for Allah and His Messenger.
12147 — Al-Qāsim related to me, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: ʿUthmān ibn Abī Sulaymān informed me, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Shihāb, that a man said to Ibn ʿAbbās: what is al-anfāl? He said: the horse, the coat of mail and the lance.
12148 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wārith ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: ʿAṭāʾ said: al-anfāl: the deserted horse, the coat of mail and the garment.
12149 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: they used to grant to the man the horse of the man and his captured armor as an extra-share (nafl).
12150 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Mālik ibn Anas informed me, on the authority of Ibn Shihāb, on the authority of al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad, he said: I heard a man questioning Ibn ʿAbbās about al-anfāl, and Ibn ʿAbbās said: the horse belongs to the extra-share (nafl), and the captured armor belongs to the extra-share. Then the man repeated his question, and Ibn ʿAbbās again said the same. Thereupon the man said: the spoils of war (al-anfāl) of which Allah speaks in His Book — what is that? Al-Qāsim said: he kept questioning him until he almost embarrassed him, and Ibn ʿAbbās said: do you know what this resembles? It resembles Ṣabīgh, whom ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb — may Allah be pleased with him — beat.
* — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, on the authority of al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad, he said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: when ʿUmar — may Allah be pleased with him — was questioned about something, he would say: I neither command it to you nor forbid it to you. Then Ibn ʿAbbās said: by Allah, Allah sent His Prophet ﷺ only as a warner, a commander, a permitter of the permitted and a forbidder of the forbidden. Al-Qāsim said: a man was directed to Ibn ʿAbbās who questioned him about al-anfāl, and Ibn ʿAbbās said: they used to grant to the man the horse of the man and his weapon as an extra-share. The man repeated it to him, and he said the same to him; then he repeated it again until he angered him, and Ibn ʿAbbās said: do you know what this resembles? It resembles Ṣabīgh, whom ʿUmar beat until the blood flowed over his heels — or over his feet. The man said: as for you, Allah has taken vengeance on you for ʿUmar.
* — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Malik, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: they ask you about that which deserts from the polytheists without battle to the Muslims, of mount or slave; that is spoils for the Prophet ﷺ.
Others said: al-nafl is the fifth (al-khums) which Allah has appointed for those entitled to the fifth. Mention of who said that:
12151 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wārith ibn Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: it is the fifth. The emigrants (al-muhājirūn) said: has this fifth not been lifted from us? Does it not proceed from us? Thereupon Allah said: it belongs to Allah and the Messenger.
12152 — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: ʿAbbād ibn al-ʿAwwām related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥajjāj, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: that they questioned the Prophet ﷺ about the fifth after the four-fifths, whereupon was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war .
Abū Jaʿfar said: the most correct of these statements concerning the meaning of al-anfāl is the statement of him who says: they are additions which the imam grants to a part of the army or to all of them — whether from the captured armor, over and above their rights from the division, or from that which accrues to him as nafl or through one of the causes thereof — as encouragement for him and as an incitement of whoever is with him in his army toward that in which lies their welfare and the welfare of the Muslims, or the welfare of one of the two parties. Under this also falls what Ibn ʿAbbās said, namely that it is the horse, the coat of mail and the like; and under this also falls what ʿAṭāʾ said, namely that it is that which returns from the polytheists to the Muslims, of slave or horse — for that is a matter that pertains to the imam, when that which has fallen to them was not obtained by victory and overpowering: he acts according to what lies in the welfare of the people of Islam. And under this can also fall that which the army has conquered by overpowering. We have only called this the most correct of the statements because al-nafl, in the language of the Arabs, is nothing other than the addition upon something. One says of it: «naffaltuka kadhā» and «anfaltuka» — when one adds something to you; and al-anfāl is the plural of nafl. To this belongs the saying of Labīd ibn Rabīʿa:
Verily, the fear of God toward our Lord is the best addition (nafl) / and by Allah's leave are my slowness and my haste.
Now since the meaning is that which we have mentioned, it holds: every one of the warriors of the army to whom something is added above his share from the booty — if that is on account of a trial he has endured or on account of a service he has rendered to the Muslims, by the ruler's granting him the extra-share thereof — his ruling is for him as the captured armor which the killer takes as booty: there is granted to him as extra-share what is added of it; for the addition, even if it is in some cases rightfully earned, does not belong to the booty over which the division takes place. Likewise, everything that is given as a gift (raḍkh) to whoever has no share in the booty is a nafl, for although it was obtained by overpowering, it does not belong to that upon which the division fell. The distinction, then, since the matter is as we have described, between the booty (al-ghanīma) and the extra-share (al-nafl), is: the booty is that which Allah has caused to accrue to the Muslims of the goods of the polytheists through victory and overpowering — whether or not an extra-share has been granted to anyone from it; and the extra-share is that which is given to the man on account of trial and service to the army, outside the division. And since that is the meaning of al-nafl, the exegesis of the words is: your companions ask you, O Muḥammad, about the surplus of the goods over which the division takes place, from the booty of the unbelievers of Quraysh who were killed at Badr — to whom does that belong? Say to them, O Muḥammad: it belongs to Allah and to His Messenger, not to you; he places it where he wishes.
There was disagreement concerning the occasion for which this verse was revealed. Some said: it was revealed concerning the booty of Badr; for the Prophet ﷺ had promised an extra-share to some groups on account of a trial, and some groups endured the trial while others remained behind with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and they fell into dispute about it after the end of the battle. Then Allah revealed this verse to His Messenger, instructing them that what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did with it was binding and permissible. Mention of who said that:
12153 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind relating, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever goes to such-and-such place, for him is such-and-such; or whoever does such-and-such, for him is such-and-such." Then the youths hastened toward it, while the old men remained at the banners. When Allah had granted them the victory, they came asking for what the Prophet ﷺ had promised them, but the old men said to them: do not go off with it apart from us in the division! Thereupon Allah revealed to him the verse: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you .
* — Al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: when it was the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever does such-and-such, for him is such-and-such." He said: then the young men hastened to it, while the old men remained beneath the banners. When there was booty, they came asking for what had been promised to them, and the old men said: do not appropriate it for yourselves above us, for we were your rearguard and we stood beneath the banners, and had you been defeated, you would have withdrawn to us! Then they fell into dispute, and Allah revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger, so fear Allah and set right the relations between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers .
* — Isḥāq ibn Shāhīn related to me, saying: Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: when it was the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever does such-and-such, for him is such-and-such as extra-share." He said: then the youths came forward, while the old men held fast to the banners and did not budge. When the victory was granted to him, the old men said: we were your rearguard, and had you been defeated you would have withdrawn to us; do not make off with the booty apart from us! But the youths refused and said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ granted it to us. Then Allah revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger . He said: and that was better for them, and likewise also: obey me, for I know.
12154 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning this verse: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger he said: when it was the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever does such-and-such, for him is such-and-such as extra-share." Then young men set out and went to perform it. When it was time for the division, the old men said: we are the bearers of the banners, and we were your rearguard! Thereupon Allah revealed concerning that: Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger, so fear Allah and set right the relations between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers .
12155 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb al-Zubayrī related to us, saying: al-Mughīra ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Sulaymān ibn Mūsā, on the authority of Makḥūl, the freedman of Hudhayl, on the authority of Abū Sallām, on the authority of Abū Umāma al-Bāhilī, on the authority of ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit, he said: Allah revealed, when the people on the day of Badr fell into dispute about the booty: They ask you about the spoils of war up to His word: if you are believers . Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ divided it equally among them.
* — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥārith and others of our companions related to me, on the authority of Sulaymān ibn Mūsā al-Asadī, on the authority of Makḥūl, on the authority of Abū Umāma al-Bāhilī, he said: I questioned ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit about al-anfāl, and he said: concerning us, the company of the people of Badr, it was revealed when we fell into dispute about the extra-share and our conduct therein became bad; then Allah took it out of our hands and gave it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ divided it equally among the Muslims — he means: in equality. Therein lay the fear of Allah, obedience to His Messenger ﷺ and the setting right of the mutual relations.
Others said: this verse was revealed only because one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked him for something from the booty before its division, and he did not give it to him, since it was the common property of the army; then Allah granted all of that to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Mention of who said that:
12156 — Ismāʿīl ibn Mūsā al-Suddī related to me, saying: Abū al-Aḥwaṣ related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd, on the authority of Saʿd, he said: I came on the day of Badr to the Prophet ﷺ with a sword and said: O Messenger of Allah, with this sword Allah has given satisfaction against the polytheists! And I asked him for it. He said: "This is not for me and not for you." He said: when I turned away, I thought: I fear that he will give it to one who has not endured the trial that I have endured. And lo, there was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ behind me, and I thought: I fear that something has been revealed! He said: "Verily, the sword has now become mine." He said: and he gave it to me, and there was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war .
12157 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Abū Bakr related to us, saying: ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd, on the authority of Saʿd ibn Mālik, he said: when it was the day of Badr, I came with a sword. He said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, Allah has healed my breast of the polytheists — or something of the kind — so grant me this sword! He said to me: "This is not for me and not for you." Then I turned back and said: perhaps he will give this to one who has not endured the trial that I have endured! Then the Messenger came to me, and I said: something has occurred. When I came to him, he said: "O Saʿd, verily you asked me for the sword while it was not mine, and now it has become mine, so it is for you." And there was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger .
* — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of Simāk ibn Ḥarb, on the authority of Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd, on the authority of his father, he said: I took as booty on the day of Badr a sword which pleased me, and I said: O Messenger of Allah, grant it to me! Then Allah revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger .
* — Ibn al-Muthannā and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us; Ibn al-Muthannā said: Muʿāwiya related to me, and Ibn Wakīʿ said: Abū Muʿāwiya related to us, saying: al-Shaybānī related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh, on the authority of Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, he said: when it was the day of Badr, my brother ʿUmayr was killed, and I killed Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ and took his sword, which was called Dhū al-Kutayfa, and I came with it to the Prophet ﷺ. He said: "Go, and cast it onto the common heap (al-qabaḍ)!" Then I cast it down and turned back, while there was in me what none but Allah knows, on account of the death of my brother and the taking of my captured armor. He said: I had scarcely gone a distance when the sūra al-Anfāl was revealed to him, and he said: "Go, and take your sword." And the wording of the report is that of Ibn al-Muthannā.
12158 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Yūnus ibn Bukayr related to us; and Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us — both on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Bakr related to me, on the authority of Qays ibn Sāʿida, he said: I heard Abū Usayd ibn Mālik ibn Rabīʿa saying: I took as booty on the day of Badr the sword of Ibn ʿĀʾidh, and the sword was called al-Marzubān. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded that they should return what they held of the extra-share, I came with it and cast it onto the booty. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to refuse nothing he was asked for, and al-Arqam ibn Abī al-Arqam al-Makhzūmī saw it and asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for it, and he gave it to him.
12159 — Yaḥyā ibn Jaʿfar related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr related to us, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn ʿImrān, on the authority of his grandfather ʿUthmān ibn al-Arqam, on the authority of his uncle, on the authority of his grandfather, he said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said on the day of Badr: "Return what was of the spoils of war!" Then Abū Usayd al-Sāʿidī laid down the sword of Ibn ʿĀʾidh, al-Marzubān, and al-Arqam recognized it and said: grant it to me, O Messenger of Allah! He said: and he gave it to him.
12160 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Simāk ibn Ḥarb, on the authority of Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd, on the authority of his father, he said: I took a sword as booty. He said: then he brought it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: O Messenger of Allah, grant it to me as extra-share! He said: "Lay it down!" Then he stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, grant it to me as extra-share! He said: "Lay it down!" He said: then he stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, grant it to me as extra-share! Am I to be placed as one who has rendered no service? Then the Prophet ﷺ said: "Lay it back where you took it from!" Thereupon this verse was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger .
* — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd, on the authority of Saʿd, he said: I took a sword from the booty and said: O Messenger of Allah, grant me this! Then was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war .
12161 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm ibn Muhājir, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his word: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: Saʿd said: I had taken the sword of Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ ibn Umayya, and I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: give me this sword, O Messenger of Allah! But he was silent, and then was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war up to His word: if you are believers . He said: then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave it to me.
Others said: rather it was revealed because the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked for the division of the booty among them on the day of Badr, whereupon Allah instructed them that it belonged to Allah and to His Messenger, not to them, and that they had no share in it. They said: the meaning of «ʿan» (about) in this place is «min» (from/of), and the meaning of the words is only: they ask you for the spoils of war. And they said: Ibn Masʿūd used to read it as: "They ask you the spoils of war" — in accordance with this exegesis. Mention of who said that:
12162 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muʾammal related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, he said: the companions of ʿAbd Allāh used to read it: "They ask you the spoils of war."
12163 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, he said: it is in the reading of Ibn Masʿūd: "They ask you the spoils of war." Mention of who said that:
12164 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his word: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger he said: al-anfāl: the booty was exclusively for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, no one had any share in it; whatever the raiding parties of the Muslims took as booty, they brought to him, and whoever withheld of it a needle or a thread was guilty of misappropriation of booty (ghulūl). Then they asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to give them something of it, and Allah said: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war is Mine; I have granted it to My Messenger, you have no share in it. So fear Allah and set right the relations between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers . Thereafter Allah revealed: And know that of whatever you take as booty, a fifth belongs to Allah and to the Messenger (8:41). Then he divided that fifth for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and for those who are mentioned in the verse.
12165 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: it was revealed concerning the emigrants and the helpers (al-anṣār) who were present at Badr. He said: and they fell into dispute and were divided into three. He said: then was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger , and Allah made His Messenger lord over it, and he divided it as Allah showed him.
12166 — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: ʿAbbād ibn al-ʿAwwām related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥajjāj, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather: that the people asked the Prophet ﷺ for the booty on the day of Badr, whereupon was revealed: They ask you about the spoils of war .
12167 — He said: ʿAbbād ibn al-ʿAwwām related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: they ask you to grant them an extra-share.
12168 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Ḥammād ibn Zayd related to us, saying: Ayyūb related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning his word: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: they ask you for the spoils of war.
Abū Jaʿfar said: the most correct of the statements concerning that is that one says: Allah, exalted is He, informs in this verse about a people who asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for the spoils of war, that he should give it to them; then Allah instructed them that it belongs to Allah and that He has granted it to His Messenger. And since that is the meaning, it is permissible that its revelation took place on account of the dispute of the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, and it is permissible that it took place on account of the request of him who asked him for the sword which we mentioned from Saʿd that he asked him for, and it is permissible that it took place on account of the request of him who asked him to divide it among the army.
There was disagreement about it: is it abrogated (mansūkh) or not abrogated? Some said: it is abrogated, and they said: it is abrogated by His word: And know that of whatever you take as booty, a fifth belongs to Allah and to the Messenger (8:41), the verse. Mention of who said that:
12169 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of Mujāhid and ʿIkrima, both said: the spoils of war were for Allah and the Messenger, and they were abrogated by: And know that of whatever you take as booty, a fifth belongs to Allah and to the Messenger (8:41).
12170 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ took a sword as booty on the day of Badr, and a dispute arose over it between him and some people who were with him; they asked the Prophet ﷺ for it, and the Prophet ﷺ took it from them. Then Allah said: They ask you about the spoils of war, say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger , the verse. Thus the booty on that day was exclusively for the Prophet ﷺ, and Allah abrogated that with the fifth.
12171 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: Sulaym, the freedman of Umm Muḥammad, informed me, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his word: They ask you about the spoils of war he said: it was abrogated by: And know that of whatever you take as booty, a fifth belongs to Allah (8:41).
* — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of Mujāhid and ʿIkrima — or ʿIkrima and ʿĀmir — both said: the spoils of war were abrogated by: And know that of whatever you take as booty, a fifth belongs to Allah (8:41).
Others said: it is firmly binding (muḥkama) and not abrogated. Its meaning is only: say, the spoils of war belong to Allah — and they belong without doubt to Allah, together with the world and all that is in it and the Hereafter — and to the Messenger, who places it in the places where Allah has commanded him to place it. Mention of who said that:
12172 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning his word: They ask you about the spoils of war — and he read on until he reached: if you are believers — so submit yourselves to Allah and to His Messenger: the two of them judge concerning it as they wish and place it where they wish. They said: yes. Then after the forty came: And know that of whatever you take as booty, a fifth belongs to Allah and to the Messenger (8:41), the verse — and for you are four-fifths. And the Prophet ﷺ said on the day of Khaybar: "And this fifth is returned to your poor; Allah and His Messenger deal with that fifth as they choose and place it where they choose." Then Allah informed us of what is obligatory of it, and thereafter he read the verse: to the kinsman, the orphans, the needy and the wayfarer, so that it be not a thing circulating among the rich of you (59:7).
Abū Jaʿfar said: the correct word concerning that is that one says: Allah, praised be His praise, informed that He has granted the spoils of war to His Prophet ﷺ, so that he may grant an extra-share to whomever he wishes. Thus he granted the killer the captured armor, and he appointed for the army on the outward march a fourth and on the return march a third after the fifth, and he granted a people, after their shares, a camel each in some expeditions. Thus Allah, exalted be His mention, placed the ruling concerning the spoils of war in the hands of His Prophet ﷺ, so that he may grant an extra-share according to what he deems good wherein lies the welfare of the Muslims; and it is incumbent upon the imams after him to follow his practice (sunna) therein. In the verse there is no proof that its ruling is abrogated, on account of the possibility that it bears the meaning which I have described; and it is not permissible to judge concerning a ruling with which the Qurʾān descended that it is abrogated, except on the basis of a proof to which one must submit. We have shown in more than one place in our books that there is no abrogated verse except that whose ruling has been nullified by a later ruling that contradicts it and lifts it in all its meanings, or concerning which there comes a report imposing a binding proof that the one abrogates the other.
It is mentioned from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab that he denied that an extra-share may be granted to anyone after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, as his exegesis of Allah's word: Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger .
12173 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbda ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr, he said: Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab sent his servant to a people who questioned him about something, and he said: you have sent to me to question me about al-anfāl — well then, there is no extra-share after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
We have already set forth that it is for the imams to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in his practice in their expeditions, and that they may grant an extra-share in the manner in which he granted it, when granting the extra-share is a welfare for the Muslims.
So fear Allah and set right the relations between you.
The discourse on the exegesis of Allah's word: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers . He, exalted be His mention, says: so fear Allah, O people, and have piety toward Him by obeying Him and avoiding disobedience to Him, and set right the state between you. The exegetes differed concerning what is meant by His word: and set right the relations between you . Some said: it is a command from Allah to those who took the booty on the day of Badr and witnessed the battle with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that, when they fall into dispute about the booty, they should return what they obtained of it, the one to the other. Mention of who said that:
12174 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you he said: the Prophet of Allah used to grant to the man of the believers the captured armor of the man of the unbelievers when he killed him; thereafter Allah revealed: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you , He commanded them that the one should return to the other.
12175 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: it was transmitted to me that the Prophet ﷺ used to grant to the man an extra-share according to the measure of his effort and his service, according to what he deemed good, until it was the day of Badr and the people filled their hands with booty. Then the weak among the people said: the strong have made off with the booty! They mentioned that to the Prophet ﷺ, and then was revealed: Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger, so fear Allah and set right the relations between you , so that the strong should return to the weak.
Others said: this is an admonition from Allah to the people and a prohibition for them against the dispute in which they were concerning the matter of the booty and other matters. Mention of who said that:
12176 — Muḥammad ibn ʿUmāra related to me, saying: Khālid ibn Yazīd related to us; and Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us — both said: Abū Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of Fuḍayl, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning Allah's word: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you he said: an admonition to them.
12177 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Qāsim related to us, saying: ʿAbbād ibn al-ʿAwwām related to us, on the authority of Sufyān ibn Ḥusayn, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you he said: this is an admonition from Allah to the believers, that they should have piety and set right the relations between them. ʿAbbād said: Sufyān said: this was when they fell into dispute about the booty on the day of Badr.
12178 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you that is to say: do not revile one another.
The linguists differed concerning the reason for making «al-bayn» (the relation) feminine. Some grammarians of Basra said: he added «dhāt» to «al-bayn» and made it a «dhāt» (feminine form), because to some things a feminine name is given and to others a masculine, like «al-dār» (the house) and «al-ḥāʾiṭ» (the wall): one makes «al-dār» feminine and «al-ḥāʾiṭ» masculine. Others said: by his word ḏāt baynikum he meant only the state that concerns the relation, and he said: and likewise is «dhāt al-ʿishāʾ» (the hour of the evening meal) — he means the hour in which the evening meal takes place. He said: and they did not place a masculine form for a feminine nor a feminine for a masculine, except for a meaning. Abū Jaʿfar said: this statement is the correct of the two statements, for the ground which I have mentioned for it.
And obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers.
As for His word: and obey Allah and His Messenger , its meaning is: and submit yourselves, O people who ask for the spoils of war, to the command of Allah and the command of His Messenger concerning that which Allah has caused to accrue to you, for He has set forth to you its ways and paths. if you are believers He says: if you hold the Messenger of Allah to be truthful in that which he has brought you from your Lord. As:
12179 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: So fear Allah and set right the relations between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers so submit yourselves to Allah and to His Messenger: the two of them judge concerning it as they wish and place it where they wish.