Tafseer of The Spoils of War · Al-Anfaal · 8:16
And whoever turns his back to them on such a day, unless swerving [as a strategy] for war or joining [another] company, has certainly returned with anger [upon him] from Allah, and his refuge is Hell - and wretched is the destination.
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.
"and whoever on that day turns his back to them", He says: and whoever among you turns his back to them; (except as a maneuver for battle), He says: except for the one who withdraws as a stratagem of war in the fight against his enemy, seeking out a weak point that he may strike, in order then to attack him; (or joins a troop), or: except that he turns his back to them while joining a troop, He says: betaking himself to the ranks of the believers who withdraw with him in order to return together with him against them to fight them, and who return with him together against them.
* * *
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
15795 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Khālid al-Aḥmar related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: (except as a maneuver for battle or joins a troop), he said: "the one maneuvering" is the one who advances ahead of his fellow fighters to spy an unguarded moment of the enemy and to strike it. He said: and "the one who joins" is the one fleeing to the Prophet ﷺ and his companions. And likewise whoever today flees to his commander or his fellow fighters. Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said: this is merely a threat from Allah to the companions of Muḥammad ﷺ, that they should not flee. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companions were their troop (fiʾa).
15796 — 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: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them, except as a maneuver for battle or joins a troop), as for "the one maneuvering," he says: except for the one who withdraws with the intention of returning; (or joins a troop), he said: "the one who joins," namely to the imam and his army, if he attacks but has no strength against them; and the people are not excused, even though they be numerous, for turning away from the imam.
* * *
The scholars differed concerning the ruling of the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them, except as a maneuver for battle or joins a troop, he has incurred wrath from Allah and his abode is Hell (jahannam)) — does this apply specifically to the people of Badr, or to the believers in general?
Some said: it applies specifically to the people of Badr, because it was not permitted for them to leave the Messenger of Allah ﷺ alone with his enemy and to flee from him; but today fleeing is permitted to them.
* Mention of who said that:
15797 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Abū Naḍra concerning the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: that was the day of Badr, and it was not permitted to them to withdraw, and had anyone withdrawn, he would only have withdrawn to me — Abū Mūsā said: he means: to the polytheists.
15798 — Isḥāq ibn Shāhīn related to us, saying: Khālid related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd, on the authority of Abū Naḍra, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, concerning the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), then he mentioned something similar — except that he said: and had they withdrawn, they would have withdrawn to the polytheists, and on that day there was no Muslim on earth except them.
15799 — Ḥumayd ibn Masʿada related to us, saying: Bishr ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Abū Naḍra, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, he said: it was revealed on the day of Badr: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them).
15800 — Ibn al-Muthannā and ʿAlī ibn Muslim al-Ṭūsī related to me — Ibn al-Muthannā said: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad related to me; and ʿAlī said: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad related to us — he said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd, that is, Ibn Abī Hind, on the authority of Abū Naḍra, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: the day of Badr. Abū Mūsā said: I was told that in the book of Ghundar this report stands: on the authority of Dāwūd, on the authority of al-Shaʿbī, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd.
15801 — Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭūsī related to us, saying: ʿAlī ibn ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind, on the authority of Abū Naḍra, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, he said: this applied only to the day of Badr; there was for the Muslims no troop except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. But after that the Muslims are among themselves, the one a troop for the other.
15802 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Abū Naḍra: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: this was revealed concerning the people of Badr.
15803 — Yaʿqūb related to us, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿAwn, he said: I wrote to Nāfiʿ and asked him about His word: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), did that apply to that day, or to what came after? He said: and he wrote back to me: "That applied only to the day of Badr."
15804 — ʿAlī ibn Sahl related to us, saying: Zayd related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, he said: the prohibition of flight applied only to the day of Badr, because they had no place of refuge to which they could flee. But today there is no flight.
15805 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: this applied specifically to the day of Badr; flight from the battle (al-zaḥf) is not among the grave sins.
15806 — ... he said: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of a man, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: this applied specifically to the day of Badr.
15807 — ... he said: Rawḥ ibn ʿUbāda related to us, on the authority of Ḥabīb ibn al-Shahīd, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: it was revealed concerning the people of Badr.
15808 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: that was the day of Badr.
15809 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of al-Mubārak ibn Faḍāla, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: that was the day of Badr. But today, if he joins a troop or a city — I think he said: then there is no objection to it.
15810 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Qabīṣa ibn ʿUqba related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿAwn, he said: I wrote to Nāfiʿ: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: this applied only to the day of Badr.
15811 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd ibn Naṣr related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Ibn Lahīʿa, he said: Yazīd ibn Abī Ḥabīb related to me, saying: Allah made the Fire (al-nār) obligatory for whoever fled on the day of Badr. He said: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them, except as a maneuver for battle or joins a troop, he has incurred wrath from Allah). And when afterwards the day of Uḥud came, He said: إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ ("Satan only made them slip because of some of what they had done, and Allah has certainly pardoned them") [Surah Āl ʿImrān: 155]. Then came Ḥunayn, seven years after that, and He said: ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُمْ مُدْبِرِينَ ("Then you turned away, turning your backs") [Surah al-Tawba: 25]: ثُمَّ يَتُوبُ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ ("Then Allah accepts repentance after that from whom He wills") [Surah al-Tawba: 27].
15812 — Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, saying: Ibn ʿAwn related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad, that ʿUmar — may the mercy of Allah be upon him — was reached by the report of the death of Abū ʿUbayd, whereupon he said: had he but withdrawn to me! I would truly have been a troop for him!
15813 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Jarīr ibn Ḥāzim, he said: Qays ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: I asked ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ about His word: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them), he said: this is abrogated (mansūkha) by the verse in al-Anfāl: الآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا فَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ("Now Allah has lightened it for you, and He knows that there is weakness in you; so if there are a hundred steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred") [Surah al-Anfāl: 66]. He said: and it is not permitted for a people to flee from double their number. He said: and that verse abrogated this, except for this number.
15814 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Sulaymān al-Taymī, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān, he said: when Abū ʿUbayd was killed, the report reached ʿUmar, whereupon he said: O people, I am your troop.
15815 — ... he said: Ibn al-Mubārak, on the authority of Maʿmar, Sufyān al-Thawrī and Ibn ʿUyayna, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: ʿUmar — may Allah be pleased with him — said: I am the troop of every Muslim.
* * *
Others said: no, the ruling of this verse is general and applies to everyone who turns his back to the enemy while fleeing.
* Mention of who said that:
15816 — 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, he said: the greatest of the grave sins are the ascribing of partners to Allah (shirk) and flight from the battle, because Allah, mighty and exalted is He, says: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them ... he has incurred wrath from Allah, and his abode is Hell, and what an evil destination).
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: the most correct, in my view, of the two interpretations of this verse is the statement of those who said: its ruling is in force (muḥkam), and it was revealed concerning the people of Badr, while its ruling is established for all believers; and that Allah has forbidden the believers, when they meet the enemy, to turn their backs to them in flight, except as a stratagem of war, or to join a troop of the believers wherever it may be in the land of Islam; and that whoever turns his back to them after having advanced to the battle, fleeing and without the intention of one of the two cases that Allah has permitted as grounds for turning away, has incurred Allah's threat, unless He favors him with His forgiveness.
And we have only said that it is in force and not abrogated, because of what we have set forth in more than one place in this book of ours and elsewhere: that it is not permissible to judge the ruling of a verse to be abrogated, while apart from abrogation it admits of another interpretation, except on the basis of a proof to which one must submit — either a report that cuts off all excuse, or a proof of the intellect. And there is no proof of either of these two kinds that indicates the abrogation of the ruling of the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: (and whoever on that day turns his back to them, except as a maneuver for battle or joins a troop).
* * *
As for His word: (he has incurred wrath from Allah), He says: he has returned with wrath from Allah; (and his abode is Hell), He says: and his destination to which he betakes himself upon his return on the Day of Resurrection is Hell (jahannam); "and what an evil destination," He says: and how evil is the place to which that destination leads him.
