Surah Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War)

Verse 1

Notes on the Surah:

• It is a Medinan Surah, except for verses 30 through 36, which are Meccan.
• It has 75 verses.
• It was revealed after Surah Al-Baqarah.

Al-Anfal: (1) They ask you about the spoils of war...

Know that His saying: {And they ask you about the spoils of war (al-anfāl)} necessitates an inquiry into five matters:

1. The questioner.
2. The one being questioned.
3. The true meaning of al-anfāl.
4. The specific ruling being inquired about.
5. How the exegetes have interpreted al-anfāl.

The phrase {They ask you about the spoils of war} informs about those whose identity was not previously mentioned. This is appropriate here because, at the time of revelation, the questioners regarding this matter were known and specific, so the term referred to them. Undoubtedly, they were a group of the Companions who had a vested interest in the spoils and al-anfāl.

Undoubtedly, the one being questioned was the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Al-Zuhri said: An-nafl (singular of al-anfāl) and an-nāfilah refer to what is an addition beyond the original basis. Spoils of war were named anfāl because the Muslims were favored with them over other nations for whom spoils were not lawful. Voluntary prayer (ṣalāt at-taṭawwuʿ) is called nāfilah because it is an addition to the obligatory prayer, which is the original basis. Allah Almighty also said: {And We granted him Isaac and Jacob as a gift (nāfilatan)} (Al-Anbiya: 72), meaning as an addition to what he asked for.

There are two perspectives on this:

First Perspective: Although the wording of the question is vague, the specificity of the answer indicates that the question concerned that specific matter. This is analogous to His saying: {And they ask you about menstruation} (Al-Baqarah: 222) and {in this world and the Hereafter} (Al-Baqarah: 220) regarding orphans. From the answer about menstruation—{Say: It is an impurity, so keep away from women during menstruation} (Al-Baqarah: 222)—we know the question concerned the ruling on intimacy during menstruation. Regarding orphans, the answer {Say: Making things right for them is better. And if you mix with them, they are your brothers} (Al-Baqarah: 220) indicates the question concerned the management of their wealth and social interaction, such as eating together. Similarly, when He said: {And they ask you about the Spirit (ar-rūḥ)} (Al-Isra: 85), there was nothing indicating the specific ruling sought, but the answer {Say: The Spirit is of the command of my Lord} indicates the question was about whether the Spirit was created (new) or eternal (pre-existing). Likewise, here, since the answer to the question about al-anfāl was: {Say: The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger}, this indicates they were asking about the distribution of al-anfāl and who was entitled to them.

Second Perspective: His saying {They ask you about the spoils of war} means "concerning al-anfāl." This question is interpreted as a request for something, based on reports that they would say, "O Messenger of Allah, give me such-and-such, give me such-and-such." This interpretation, held by 'Ikrimah, is not unlikely, as the preposition ʿan (about) can sometimes stand in place of min (from/of). Abdullah read it as: {They ask you for the spoils of war}.

The anfāl they asked about imply that contention and rivalry had already occurred among them regarding these matters. This is supported by three points:

1. His saying: {Say: The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger} indicates the purpose of mentioning this was to forbid the people from disputing and quarreling.
2. His saying: {So fear Allah and set right that which is between you} indicates they only asked after a dispute had broken out among them.
3. His saying: {And obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers} points to this.

Knowing this, we consider two possibilities for what al-anfāl means:

Possibility 1: Al-anfāl means the spoils of war (booty taken by force from the disbelievers). There are several views supporting this:

1. The Prophet (PBUH) distributed the spoils of Badr among those present and also among some who were absent: three of the Muhajirun and five of the Ansar. The absent Muhajirun were 'Uthman (whom the Prophet kept with his sick daughter), Talhah, and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (whom the Prophet had sent to scout the caravan). The absent Ansar included Abu Lubabah (whom the Prophet left in charge of Medina), 'Asim (left in charge of 'Aliyah), Al-Harith ibn Hatib (whom the Prophet sent back from Ar-Rawha' due to something he heard about him), Al-Harith ibn As-Simmah (who was afflicted with illness at Ar-Rawha'), and Khawwat ibn Jubayr. The Prophet assigned them a share in the spoils, equal to those present, which caused dispute. This verse was revealed because of it.
2. It is narrated that on the Day of Badr, the young men did the fighting and capturing, while the elders remained with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in formation. The young men claimed: "The spoils are ours because we killed and routed the enemy." The elders replied: "We were your support; had you been routed, you would have retreated to us, so do not take the spoils without us." Contention arose for this reason, and the verse was revealed.
3. Al-Zajjaj said al-anfāl are the spoils. They asked about them because spoils were forbidden to previous nations. This view is weak because, under this assumption, the purpose of the question would only be to seek Allah's ruling, but we have already demonstrated with evidence that this question was preceded by dispute and contention.

Possibility 2: Al-anfāl means something other than the spoils. Under this assumption, there are also several interpretations for al-anfāl:

1. Ibn 'Abbas, in some narrations, said: Al-anfāl refers to what defected from the polytheists to the Muslims without fighting—be it an animal, a slave, or property. This belonged to the Prophet (PBUH) to dispose of as he wished.
2. Al-anfāl are the one-fifth share (al-khums) that Allah reserves for the people of the share, according to Mujahid. He said the people asked about the khums, and the verse was revealed.
3. Al-anfāl are the salab (the personal belongings of a slain enemy warrior), which were given to a fighter in addition to his share of the spoils as an incentive for fighting. This is like when a leader says, "Whoever kills an enemy warrior, his salab belongs to him," or tells a raiding party, "Whatever you seize is yours," or "Half, a third, or a quarter of it is yours." The salab is not subject to the one-fifth division. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas narrated that his brother 'Umayr was killed on the Day of Badr, and Sa'd killed Sa'd ibn Al-'Asi and took his sword. He liked it and brought it to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), saying, "Allah has satisfied my heart regarding the polytheists; bestow this sword upon me." The Prophet replied, "This is neither for me nor for you. Throw it back where you placed the spoils." Sa'd threw it back, feeling the loss of his brother and his salab. He had barely gone a short distance when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came to him, having just received the revelation of Surah Al-Anfal, and said, "O Sa'd, you asked me for a sword that I do not possess. It has now become mine, so take it." The judge (Al-Qadi) stated that all these views are plausible under the verse, and there is no evidence to prefer one over the others. If authentic reports specify one meaning, that is followed; otherwise, all are possible. Just as each one is permissible, intending all of them is also permissible, as there is no contradiction between them. The closest interpretation is that it refers to what the Prophet (PBUH) had the authority to grant as nafl (a gift/bonus) from the total spoils, either before or after collection, as a means to encourage Jihad and strengthen spirits, such as when he would grant nafl to someone at the beginning of the battle to encourage greater effort, or upon retreat, or by giving the salab of a slain enemy, or by giving a token gift (raddh) to some attendees, or by granting from the one-fifth share that the Prophet (PBUH) was entitled to. Under this interpretation, His saying {Say: The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger} means the portion exceeding what the fighters were already entitled to.

This involves two inquiries:

First Inquiry: It means that the ruling concerning them is exclusively for Allah and the Messenger. Allah commands the Prophet to distribute them according to His wisdom; the distribution is not delegated to anyone's personal opinion.

Second Inquiry: Mujahid, 'Ikrimah, and As-Suddi said that this verse is abrogated by the verse: {For Allah is one-fifth of it, and for the Messenger...}. They argue that {Say: The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger} implies that all the spoils belong to the Messenger, which Allah then abrogated with the verses concerning the one-fifth share. This is also reported as a view of Ibn 'Abbas in some narrations.

Rebuttal to this view:

1. The meaning of {Say: The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger} is that the ruling concerning them belongs to Allah and the Messenger. This meaning remains, so it cannot be abrogated. Furthermore, Allah ruled that four-fifths of the spoils belong to the fighters.
2. The verse of the one-fifth share indicates that the spoils belong to the fighters. In this context, al-anfāl is interpreted not as the general spoils, but as the salab (personal effects of the slain), which the Messenger (PBUH) would grant to certain people for a specific benefit.

This involves two inquiries:

First Inquiry: It means: Fear Allah's punishment and do not commit disobedience to Allah. Abandon the dispute and contention regarding these matters, and be content with what the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has decreed.

Second Inquiry: Regarding {and set right that which is between you}, this means setting right your mutual speech/words. Since speech occurs between people, it is called dhāt al-bayn (the state between you), just as secrets, being hidden in the chests, are called dhāt aṣ-ṣudūr (the state of the chests).

This means that Allah forbade them from disobeying the Messenger's ruling by saying: {So fear Allah and set right that which is between you}. Then He reinforced this by commanding obedience to the Messenger: {And obey Allah and His Messenger}. He then emphasized this strongly by saying: {if you are believers}. This implies that the faith which the Messenger called you to and which you desired cannot be fully realized except by adhering to this obedience. Therefore, beware of deviating from it. Those who argue that abandoning obedience causes the loss of faith use this verse as proof. Their argument is that a condition attached by the word in (if) implies non-existence when the condition is absent. Here, faith is conditioned upon obedience by the word in, thus implying the absence of faith when obedience is absent. The full discussion of this issue is mentioned in His saying: {If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden} (An-Nisa: 31). And Allah knows best.

**7 < {The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, their faith increases, and in their Lord they place their trust. * Those who establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them. * Those are the truly believing ones. For them are degrees [of high rank] with their Lord and forgiveness and a noble provision.} > 7

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