Tafseer of The Spoils of War · Al-Anfaal · 8:75
And those who believed after [the initial emigration] and emigrated and fought with you - they are of you. But those of [blood] relationship are more entitled [to inheritance] in the decree of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things.
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 statement: وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْ بَعْدُ وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا مَعَكُمْ فَأُولَئِكَ مِنْكُمْ ("And those who believed afterward and emigrated and waged jihād together with you — they are of you.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: "And those who believed" — in Allah and His Messenger — after my exposition of what I have expounded concerning the mutual bond of friendship (walāya) of the Emigrants (muhājirūn) and the Helpers (anṣār) among themselves, and the severance of their bond of friendship with whoever believed but did not emigrate until he emigrates =(and emigrated), from the land of unbelief to the land of Islam =(and waged jihād together with you), O believers =(they are of you), in the bond of friendship: for them, in relation to you, applies in respect of right and assistance in the religion and in respect of mutual inheritance the same as what applies for them toward you, and what applies for some of you toward others, (45) as in:-
16352 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: Then He brought the inheritances back to the blood relatives, for whoever converted after the bond of friendship of the Emigrants and the Helpers, to the exclusion of them, back to the blood relationships that existed between them, (46) and He said: (And those who believed afterward and emigrated and waged jihād together with you — they are of you. And the blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah), that is to say: in inheritance (47) = إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ("Verily, Allah is of all things All-Knowing"). (48)
* * *
The explanation of His statement: وَأُولُو الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ (75) ("And the blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah. Verily, Allah is of all things All-Knowing." (8:75))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: and those who are bound to one another by blood kinship =(they are nearer to one another), in inheritance, when they belong to those for whom Allah has apportioned a share and portion of it, rather than the ally (by oath-bond) and the patron =(in the Book of Allah), He says: in the decree of Allah which He has written in the Preserved Tablet (al-lawḥ al-maḥfūẓ) and in the prior decree (49) =(verily, Allah is of all things All-Knowing), He says: verily, Allah is knowing of what is in the welfare of His servants, in His making one inherit from another on the basis of kinship and lineage, rather than on the basis of the alliance by compact, and in all other matters; nothing of that remains hidden from Him. (50)
* * *
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
16353 - Aḥmad ibn al-Miqdām related to us, saying: al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: my father related to us, saying: Qatāda related to us that he said: The bedouin did not inherit from the Emigrant, until Allah revealed: (And the blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah).
16354 - Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muʿādh ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Ibn ʿAwn related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā ibn al-Ḥārith: that his brother Shurayḥ ibn al-Ḥārith had a slave-woman (surriyya, concubine slave-woman), who bore him a daughter. When the girl grew up, she was given in marriage and bore a boy, after which the slave-woman died. Shurayḥ ibn al-Ḥārith and the boy brought a dispute before Shurayḥ the judge over her inheritance. Shurayḥ ibn al-Ḥārith said: he has no share of inheritance in the Book of Allah! He said: then Shurayḥ assigned the inheritance to the boy. He said: (And the blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah). Thereupon Maysara ibn Yazīd rode to Ibn al-Zubayr and informed him of Shurayḥ's judgment and his ruling. Ibn al-Zubayr then wrote to Shurayḥ: "Verily, Maysara has informed me that you have judged thus and so," and you said: (And the blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah), whereas it is not so. This verse was revealed only because a man used to make a compact with another man, saying: "you inherit from me and I inherit from you," whereupon it was revealed: (And the blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah). He brought the letter to Shurayḥ, whereupon Shurayḥ said: The fish of her belly have set her free! (51) And he refused to retract his judgment. (52)
16355 - Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿAwn, who said: ʿĪsā ibn al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: Shurayḥ ibn al-Ḥārith had a slave-woman (surriyya) — and he mentioned something similar = except that in his narration he said: the man used to make a compact with another man, saying: "you inherit from me and I inherit from you," and when it was revealed, that was abandoned. (53)
End of the explanation of "Sūrat al-Anfāl."
And all praise is due to Allah alone, and may Allah bestow blessings upon our master Muḥammad and his family.
