For whom were spoils of war lawful in previous nations?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Deposits
Primary text
Spoils of war (Ghanā'im) were not lawful for previous nations. Allah made them lawful for this Ummah out of mercy, compassion, and as an honor for the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that he was given five things that no prophet before him received, one of which was the lawfulness of spoils of war (Muttafaqun 'Alayh). Previously, in the earliest days of Islam, the spoils belonged entirely to the Messenger of Allah, based on the verse {They ask you about the spoils of war. Say, 'The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger'} (Quran 8:1).
Supporting text
Subsequently, four-fifths of the spoils became lawful for the combatants, and one-fifth was allocated for others, evidenced by the verse {And know that whatever you take of a thing - indeed, for Allah is one-fifth of it} (Quran 8:41), which implies the remainder belongs to them. This distribution is analogous to the inheritance rule where stating the mother's share implies the remainder goes to the father.