Tafseer of The Spoils of War · Al-Anfaal · 8:72
Indeed, those who have believed and emigrated and fought with their wealth and lives in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided - they are allies of one another. But those who believed and did not emigrate - for you there is no guardianship of them until they emigrate. And if they seek help of you for the religion, then you must help, except against a people between yourselves and whom is a treaty. And Allah is Seeing of what you do.
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.
The explanation of His word: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَئِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ("Indeed, those who believed and emigrated and strove with their possessions and their lives in the way of Allah, and those who gave shelter and rendered aid — these are allies of one another.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, says: Indeed, those who held Allah and His Messenger to be truthful = "and emigrated (hājarū)," that is to say: they left their people, their tribe, and their dwelling places, that is to say: they abandoned them and departed away from them, and their people and their tribe cast them out = (and strove in the way of Allah), He says: they exerted themselves to the utmost by casting their souls into fatigue and hardship in the war against the enemies of Allah among the unbelievers = (in the way of Allah), He says: in the religion of Allah, which He has made a path to His mercy and to deliverance from His punishment = (and those who gave shelter and rendered aid), He says: and those who gave shelter to the Messenger of Allah and to the emigrants (muhājirūn) who were with him, that is to say: that they made for them a place of refuge (maʾwā) to which they could betake themselves, and that is the abode and the dwelling, He says: they gave them shelter and made of their own houses dwellings for them, when their people had driven them out of their houses = (and rendered aid), He says: and they helped them against their enemies and against the enemies of Allah among the polytheists (mushrikīn) = (these are allies of one another), He says: these two groups, namely the emigrants (muhājirūn) and the helpers (anṣār), are helpers and supporters of one another against all others among the polytheists, and their hands are one against whoever is an unbeliever toward Allah, and they are brothers of one another to the exclusion of their unbelieving kindred.
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And it has been said: by this was only meant that they have a greater right to one another's inheritance, and that Allah made them inherit from one another by virtue of the emigration (hijra) and the rendering of aid (nuṣra), to the exclusion of blood relationship and family ties, and that Allah afterward abrogated this with His word: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah") [Surah Al-Anfāl: 75 and Surah Al-Aḥzāb: 6].
* Mention of who said that:
16331 – 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, concerning His word: (Indeed, those who believed and emigrated and strove with their possessions and their lives in the way of Allah, and those who gave shelter and rendered aid — these are allies of one another), this means: in inheritance (mīrāth); He made the inheritance the right of the emigrants and the helpers, to the exclusion of the blood relatives. Allah said: وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يُهَاجِرُوا مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ وَلايَتِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُوا ("And those who believed but did not emigrate — you have no claim whatsoever to their alliance until they emigrate"), He says: you have no claim whatsoever to their inheritance. And men acted accordingly until Allah sent down this verse: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah") [Surah Al-Anfāl: 75 and Surah Al-Aḥzāb: 6], concerning inheritance, and so the foregoing was abrogated and the inheritance fell to the blood relatives.
16332 – 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, concerning His word: (Indeed, those who believed and emigrated and strove with their possessions and their lives in the way of Allah), He says: there is no emigration (hijra) after the Conquest; thereafter there is only martyrdom = (and those who gave shelter and rendered aid — these are allies of one another), up to His word: حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُوا ("until they emigrate"). And that is because the believers in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, were in three positions: among them was the believing emigrant, separated from his people by the emigration, who moved to a believing people in their dwelling places, their lands, and their possessions = and they (gave shelter and rendered aid), and they openly proclaimed what the people of the emigration proclaimed, and they drew the swords against whoever denied and rejected. These two are believers, whom Allah made allies of one another, and they inherited mutually from one another: when the believing emigrant died, the helper (anṣārī) inherited from him by virtue of the alliance in religion. But the one who believed and did not emigrate did not inherit, because he did not emigrate and did not render aid. Thus Allah relieved the believing emigrants of their inheritance, and that is the alliance (walāya) concerning which Allah said: مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ وَلايَتِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُوا ("you have no claim whatsoever to their alliance until they emigrate"). And it was an obligation upon the believers who gave shelter and rendered aid, when these called upon their help in religion, to help them if they fought, unless they called for help against a people between whom and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a treaty existed; then there was no help for them against that people, but only against the enemy with whom there was no treaty. Then Allah afterward sent down that everyone with blood relationship was to be joined to his blood relative, among the believers who had emigrated and among those who believed but did not emigrate. Thus He appointed for every person among the believers a fixed share with His word: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah; indeed, Allah is All-Knowing of all things") [Surah Al-Anfāl: 75], and with His word: وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ("And the believing men and the believing women are allies of one another") [Surah At-Tawba: 71].
16333 – 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, who said: The three verses are the closing verses of Al-Anfāl; in them is mentioned the alliance that existed, instituted by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, between the Muslim emigrants and the helpers concerning inheritance. Then that was abrogated by the last of it: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah; indeed, Allah is All-Knowing of all things").
16334 – Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Kathīr, concerning His word: (Indeed, those who believed and emigrated and strove), up to His word: بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ("sees all that you do"), he said: it reached us that this concerned inheritance: the believers who had emigrated and the believers who had not emigrated did not inherit from one another. He said: then there was sent down afterward: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah; indeed, Allah is All-Knowing of all things"), and so they inherited from one another even though they had not emigrated = Ibn Jurayj said: Mujāhid said: the closing verses of "Al-Anfāl," the three verses, in them is mentioned the alliance that existed, instituted by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, between the Muslim emigrants and the helpers concerning inheritance; then that was abrogated by the last of it: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah").
16335 – Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا ("And those who believed and emigrated and strove in the way of Allah, and those who gave shelter and rendered aid"), up to His word: مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ وَلايَتِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُوا ("you have no claim whatsoever to their alliance until they emigrate"), he said: the Muslims continued for a time to inherit from one another by virtue of the emigration, and the Muslim bedouin inherited nothing from the emigrant. Then that was afterward abrogated, and Allah added: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ إِلا أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِكُمْ مَعْرُوفًا ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah, among the believers and the emigrants, unless you do a good deed toward your allies") [Surah Al-Aḥzāb: 6], that is to say: among the people of polytheism (shirk); thus the bequest (waṣiyya) was permitted, but they have no inheritance. And the inheritances henceforth came about according to religious community (milla): the Muslims inherited from one another, from the emigrants and the believers, and the people of two different religious communities did not inherit from one another.
16336 – Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan, on the authority of Yazīd, on the authority of ʿIkrima and Al-Ḥasan; both said: (Indeed, those who believed and emigrated and strove in the way of Allah), up to His word: مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ وَلايَتِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُوا ("you have no claim whatsoever to their alliance until they emigrate"): the bedouin did not inherit from the emigrant, and the emigrant did not inherit from him. Then He abrogated this and said: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah; indeed, Allah is All-Knowing of all things").
16337 – Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of As-Suddī: (Indeed, those who believed and emigrated and strove with their possessions and their lives in the way of Allah, and those who gave shelter and rendered aid — these are allies of one another), concerning inheritance = وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يُهَاجِرُوا ("And those who believed but did not emigrate"), these are these bedouins = مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ وَلايَتِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ("you have no claim whatsoever to their alliance"), concerning inheritance = وَإِنِ اسْتَنْصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ ("And if they ask you for help in religion"), He says: because they are Muslims = فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ إِلا عَلَى قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ مِيثَاقٌ * وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ("then the help is your obligation, except against a people between whom and you a treaty exists. And those who are unbelievers are allies of one another"), concerning inheritance = وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْ بَعْدُ وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا مَعَكُمْ فَأُولَئِكَ مِنْكُمْ ("And those who believed afterward and emigrated and strove with you, these belong to you"). Then the ordinances of fixed shares (farāʾiḍ) and the inheritances abrogated this = وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ ("And the blood relatives"), who inherited from one another by virtue of the emigration = بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ ("have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah"), and so the bedouins and the emigrants inherited from one another.
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The explanation of His word: وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يُهَاجِرُوا مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ وَلايَتِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُوا وَإِنِ اسْتَنْصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ إِلا عَلَى قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ مِيثَاقٌ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ("And those who believed but did not emigrate — you have no claim whatsoever to their alliance until they emigrate. And if they ask you for help in religion, then the help is your obligation, except against a people between whom and you a treaty exists. And Allah sees all that you do.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, means by His word: (And those who believed), those who held Allah and His Messenger to be truthful = (but did not emigrate) from their unbelieving people and did not leave the regions of unbelief for the region of Islam = (you have no) — O you who believe in Allah and His Messenger, you emigrants who left your polytheistic people and the region of war = (claim to their alliance), that is to say: to their rendering of aid and their inheritance.
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And I have already mentioned the statement of some who said: "the meaning of walāya here is inheritance," and I shall, if Allah wills, mention hereafter what occurs to me of that.
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= (any claim, until they emigrate) from their people and their dwelling places, from the region of war to the region of Islam = (And if they ask you for help in religion), He says: if these folk who believed but did not emigrate call upon your help = (in religion), that is to say: because they belong to the people of your religion, against your enemies and their enemies among the polytheists, then upon you — O you believers among the emigrants and the helpers — is (the help) an obligation = (except) that they call upon your help = (against a people between whom and you a treaty exists), that is to say: an agreement that you have mutually confirmed, that the one will not fight the other = (And Allah sees all that you do), He says: and Allah sees all that you do concerning what He has commanded you and forbidden you — regarding the alliance that you owe to one another, O you emigrants and helpers, and regarding the withholding of alliance from whoever believed but did not emigrate, and your help to them when they call upon your assistance in religion, and all else of Allah's obligations that He imposed upon you = (sees), He sees it and beholds it, and nothing of that nor anything else remains hidden from Him.
16338 – Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: (you have no claim whatsoever to their alliance until they emigrate), he said: the Muslims inherited from one another by virtue of the emigration, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, established brotherhood among them, so that they inherited from one another by virtue of Islam and the emigration. And the man embraced Islam but did not emigrate; he did not inherit from his brother. Then that was abrogated by His word: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ ("And the blood relatives have a greater right to one another in the Book of Allah, among the believers and the emigrants") [Surah Al-Aḥzāb: 6].
16339 – Muḥammad related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Az-Zuhrī: that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took the pledge from a man who entered Islam and said: "You perform the ritual prayer (ṣalāh), you give the obligatory alms (zakāh), you perform the pilgrimage to the House (ḥajj), you fast Ramaḍān, and indeed, you shall not see the fire of any polytheist without being in a state of war with him."
16340 – 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, concerning His word: (And if they ask you for help in religion), this means: if the Muslim bedouins call upon your help — O you emigrants and helpers — against their enemy, then it is an obligation upon you to help them, except against a people between whom and you a treaty exists.
16341 – Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Ibn ʿAbbās said: the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, left the people on the day that he died in four positions: a believing emigrant, the helpers, and a believing bedouin who had not emigrated — if the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, called upon his help, he helped him, and if he left him be, then that was his leave; and if this one asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for help in religion, it was an obligation upon him to help him — that is His word: (And if they ask you for help in religion, then the help is your obligation) = and the fourth: the Followers (tābiʿūn) in goodness.
16342 – It was related to me on the authority of Al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say, saying: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا ("Indeed, those who believed and emigrated"), to the end of the surah, he said: the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died and left the people in four positions: a believing emigrant, a Muslim bedouin, those who gave shelter and rendered aid, and the Followers in goodness.
