Al-Anfal: (70) O Prophet...

"O Prophet, say to those in your hands"—that is, in your possession and under your control, as if your hands were grasping them—"of the captives"—those from whom you took ransom. Abu ‘Amr and Abu Ja‘far read it as al-asara.

"If Allah knows any good in your hearts"—meaning faith and sincerity, as Ibn ‘Abbas said—"He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you"—of the ransom. According to a narration by Ibn Sa‘d and Ibn ‘Asakir, this verse was revealed concerning all the captives of Badr. The ransom of al-‘Abbas among them was forty uqiyas, and the ransom of the others was twenty uqiyas. Muhammad ibn Sirin narrated that their ransom was one hundred uqiyas, and an uqiya is forty dirhams and six dinars.

It is reported in a narration that it was revealed concerning al-‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him. It is reported that he said: "I was a Muslim, but they forced me." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: "If what you say is true, Allah will reward you for it. As for your outward affair, it was against us, so ransom yourself and your two nephews, Nawfal ibn al-Harith and ‘Aqil ibn Abi Talib, and your ally, ‘Utbah ibn ‘Amr." I said: "I do not have that, O Messenger of Allah." He, upon him be peace and prayer, said: "Where is the [wealth] that you buried with Umm al-Fadl? You said to her: 'I do not know what will befall me in this journey of mine, so if something happens to me, it is for you, and for ‘Abdullah, ‘Ubaydullah, and Qutham.'" I asked: "How did you know that?" He, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: "My Lord informed me." At that, al-‘Abbas said: "I bear witness that you are truthful, and that there is no god but Allah, and that you are the Messenger of Allah. No one knew of that but Allah." I had indeed entrusted it to her in the darkness of the night.

It is reported that he, may Allah be pleased with him, said after a while: "Allah has replaced it for me with something better than that. I now have twenty slaves, the least of whom earns twenty thousand. He also granted me the Zamzam [well], and I would not trade it for all the wealth of the people of Mecca, and I await forgiveness from your Lord." This is based on the interpretation of His saying, the Almighty: "And He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." This is a promise of forgiveness, emphasized by the parenthetical insertion. It is reported that wealth from Bahrain—eighty thousand—was brought to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. He performed ablution and did not pray until he had distributed it all, and he commanded al-‘Abbas to take from it, so he took what he could carry. He, may Allah be pleased with him, would say: "This is better than what was taken from me, and I hope for forgiveness."

The apparent meaning is that the verse is general for all captives, as the plural form necessitates. The narration that it was revealed specifically concerning al-‘Abbas does not contradict this, according to the principle that the consideration is for the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause. Al-A‘mash read it as yuthibkum khayran (He will reward you with better), and al-Hasan and Shaybah read mimma ukhidha minkum (from what was taken from you) in the active voice.