8. Sūrat al-Anfāl

٨۔ سُورَةُ الأنفَال

8.1 Commandment relating to the spoils of war (booty). Battle of Badr, a battle between truth and falsehood.

٨۔١ مقطع في سُورَةُ الأنفَال

quran:8:1In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

They ask you, ˹O Muhammad˺, about the bounties ˹of war˺. Say, "The ˹decision concerning˺ bounties is for Allah and the Messenger." So fear Allah and amend that which is between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you should be believers.  

‘They question you, O Muhammad (s), concerning the spoils of war — the booty — to whom do they belong? Say, to them: ‘The spoils of war belong to God, Who places them where He will, and the Messenger, who divides them according to God’s command. The Prophet (s) divided these ˹spoils˺ between them equally, as reported by al-Hākim in his al-Mustadrak. So fear God and set things right between you, that is, ˹set right˺ the reality of that ˹state of affairs˺ which is between you, through mutual affection and the refraining from quarrelling; and obey God and His Messenger, if you are, truly, believers’.
القرآن:٨:١بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنْفَالِ ۖ قُلِ الْأَنْفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ ۖ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَصْلِحُوا ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ ۖ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ  

{يسألونك} يا محمد {عن الأنفال} الغنائم لمن هي {قل} لهم {الأنفال لله} يجعلها حيث يشاء {والرسول} يقسِّمها بأمر الله فقسَّمها ﷺ بينهم على السواء، رواه الحاكم في المستدرك {فاتقوا الله وأصلحوا ذات بينكم} أي حقيقة ما بينكم بالمودة وترك النزاع {وأطيعوا الله ورسوله إن كنتم مؤمنين} حقا.
quran:8:2

The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely -  

The believers, those whose faith is complete, are only those who, when God is mentioned, that is, when His threat of punishment ˹is mentioned˺, their hearts tremble, fear, and when His verses are recited to them, they increase their faith, their acceptance of the truth, and who rely upon their Lord, ˹who˺ put their trust in Him ˹alone˺, and not in any other.
القرآن:٨:٢

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ  

{إنما المؤمنون} الكاملون الإيمان {الذين إذا ذكر الله} أي وعيده {وجلت} خافت {قلوبهم وإذا تليت عليهم آياته زادتهم إيمانا} تصديقا {وعلى ربهم يتوكلون} به يثقون لا بغيره.
quran:8:3

The ones who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they spend.  

Those who observe the prayers, performing them as they ought to be ˹performed˺, and who expend, in obedience to God, from that with which We have provided them.
القرآن:٨:٣

الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ  

{الذين يقيمون الصلاة} يأتون بها بحقوقها {ومما رزقناهم} أعطيناهم {ينفقون} في طاعة الله.
quran:8:4

Those are the believers, truly. For them are degrees ˹of high position˺ with their Lord and forgiveness and noble provision.  

Those, described in the way mentioned, are the true, the real, believers, without doubt. For them are ranks, stations in Paradise, with their Lord, and forgiveness, and generous provision, in Paradise.
القرآن:٨:٤

أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا ۚ لَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ  

{أولئك} الموصوفون بما ذكر {هم المؤمنون حقا} صدقا بلا شك {لهم درجاتٌ} منازل في الجنة {عند ربهم ومغفرة ورزق كريم} في الجنة.
quran:8:5

˹It is˺ just as when your Lord brought you out of your home ˹for the battle of Badr˺ in truth, while indeed, a party among the believers were unwilling,  

As your Lord brought you forth from your home with the truth (bi’l-haqq is semantically connected to akhraja, ‘He brought forth’), and indeed a party of the believers were averse, to going forth (the ˹last˺ sentence is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the ˹suffixed pronoun˺ kāf in akhrajaka, ‘He brought you forth’; kamā, ‘as’, is the predicate of an omitted subject, in other words: their aversion to this state ˹of affairs of the booty being God’s and the Prophet’s˺ is similar to their aversion when you were brought forth ˹to fight˺, which had actually been better for them: likewise is this ˹state of affairs better for them˺). It happened that Abū Sufyān was returning from Syria with a caravan. The Prophet (s) and his followers went forth to plunder it; but Quraysh became aware of this, and so Abū Jahl and some Meccan fighters rode out to defend it — these constituted the ‘band’. Abū Sufyān drove the caravan via the coastal route and it managed to escape. Abū Jahl was then advised to return, but he refused and marched on towards Badr. The Prophet (s) consulted with his followers, saying to them, ‘God has promised me one of the two parties’. So they agreed with him to attack the ˹Meccan˺ band, but some of them were averse to this, complaining, ‘We have not come prepared for this!’, as God, exalted be He, says:
القرآن:٨:٥

كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَارِهُونَ  

{كما أخرجك ربُّك من بيتك بالحق} متعلق بأخرج {وإن فريقا من المؤمنين لكارهون} الخروج والجملة حال من كاف أخرجك وكما خبر مبتدأ محذوف أي هذه الحال في كراهتهم لها مثل إخراجك في حال كراهتهم وقد كان خيرا لهم فكذلك أيضا وذلك أن أبا سفيان قدم بعير من الشام فخرج النبي ﷺ وأصحابه ليغنموها فعلمت قريش فخرج أبو جهل ومقاتلوا مكة ليذبُّوا عنها وهم النفير وأخذ أبو سفيان بالعير طريق الساحل فنجت فقيل لأبي جهل ارجع فأبى وسار إلى بدر. فشاور النبيُّ ﷺ أصحابه وقال إن الله وعدني إحدى الطائفتين فوافقوه على قتال النفير وكره بعضهم ذلك وقالوا لم نستعدَّ له كما قال تعالى.
quran:8:6

Arguing with you concerning the truth after it had become clear, as if they were being driven toward death while they were looking on.  

They dispute with you concerning the truth, ˹the order˺ to fight, after it had become clear, ˹after it had˺ become evident to them, as though they were being driven to death while they looked, at it ˹death˺ with their very eyes, utterly averse to it.
القرآن:٨:٦

يُجَادِلُونَكَ فِي الْحَقِّ بَعْدَ مَا تَبَيَّنَ كَأَنَّمَا يُسَاقُونَ إِلَى الْمَوْتِ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ  

{يجادلونك في الحق} القتال {بعد ما تبيَّن} ظهر لهم {كأنما يُساقون إلى الموت وهم ينظرون} إليه عيانا في كراهتهم له.
quran:8:7

˹Remember, O believers˺, when Allah promised you one of the two groups - that it would be yours - and you wished that the unarmed one would be yours. But Allah intended to establish the truth by His words and to eliminate the disbelievers  

And, remember, when God promised you one of the two parties, either the caravan or the band ˹of Meccan fighters˺, that it should be yours, and you longed, you were wishing, that other than the armed one, that is, ˹other than˺ the fighting one with the weapons, in other words, ˹you longed that˺ the caravan, should be yours, because it had fewer men and less reinforcements than the band ˹of Mecca fighters˺; but God willed that the truth be realised, ˹He willed˺ to manifest it, by His, preceding, words, that Islam should triumph; and to cut the root of the disbelievers, to the very last man, by extirpating them, and so He commanded you to fight against the band.
القرآن:٨:٧

وَإِذْ يَعِدُكُمُ اللَّهُ إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ أَنَّهَا لَكُمْ وَتَوَدُّونَ أَنَّ غَيْرَ ذَاتِ الشَّوْكَةِ تَكُونُ لَكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُحِقَّ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَيَقْطَعَ دَابِرَ الْكَافِرِينَ  

{و} اذكر {إذ يعدكم الله إحدى الطائفتين} العير أو النفير {أنها لكم وتودُّون} تريدون {أن غير ذات الشوكة} أي البأس والسلاح وهي العير {تكون لكم} لقلة عددها ومدَدها بخلاف النفير {ويريد الله أن يُحق الحق} يظهر {بكلماته} السابقة بظهور الإسلام {ويقطع دابر الكافرين} آخرهم بالاستئصال فأمركم بقتال النفير.
quran:8:8

That He should establish the truth and abolish falsehood, even if the criminals disliked it.  

And that He might cause the truth to be realised and annul, efface, falsehood, disbelief, however much the sinners, the idolaters, were averse, to that.
القرآن:٨:٨

لِيُحِقَّ الْحَقَّ وَيُبْطِلَ الْبَاطِلَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُجْرِمُونَ  

{ليُحق الحق ويبطل} يمحق {الباطل} الكفر {ولو كره المجرمون} المشركون ذلك.
quran:8:9

˹Remember˺ when you asked help of your Lord, and He answered you, "Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, following one another."  

When you sought help from your Lord, asking Him to help you by granting you victory over them, and He answered you ˹saying˺: ‘I shall reinforce you, I shall assist you, with a thousand angels, rank upon rank’, one rank following after the next: God promised them this ˹number˺ at first, but it then became three thousand, and then five thousand, as stated in ˹sūrat˺ Āl ‘Imrān ˹Q. 3:124-125˺ (a variant reading ˹of alf, ‘thousand’˺ has the plural āluf, ‘thousands’, similar ˹in pattern˺ to aflus, ‘coins’).
القرآن:٨:٩

إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّي مُمِدُّكُمْ بِأَلْفٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُرْدِفِينَ  

اذكر {إذ تستغيثون ربَّكم} تطلبون منه الغوث بالنصر عليهم {فاستجاب لكم أني} أي بأني {مُمدُّكم} معينكم {بألف من الملائكة مردفين} متتابعين يردف بعضهم بعضا وعدهم بها أوَّلا ثم صارت ثلاثة آلاف ثم خمسة كما في آل عمران وقرئ بآلُف كأفُلس جمع.
quran:8:10

And Allah made it not but good tidings and so that your hearts would be assured thereby. And victory is not but from Allah. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.  

And God appointed it, that is, the reinforcement, only as good tidings, and that your hearts might thereby be reassured. Victory comes only from God: surely God is Mighty, Wise.
القرآن:٨:١٠

وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَىٰ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۚ وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ  

{وما جعله الله} أي الإمداد {إلا بشرى ولتطمئن به قلوبكم وما النصر إلا من عند الله إن الله عزيز حكيم}.