Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 62–69

8. Al-Anfaal · The Spoils of War

Madinan75 verses

وَإِن يُرِيدُوٓا۟ أَن يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِۦ وَبِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

8:62But if they desire to deceive you, Allah is indeed sufficient for you. It is He who strengthened you with His help and with the means of the faithful,1

وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا مَّآ أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

8:63and united their hearts. Had you spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah united them together. Indeed He is all-mighty, all-wise.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ حَسْبُكَ ٱللَّهُ وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

8:64O Prophet! Sufficient for you is Allah and those of the faithful who follow you.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ حَرِّضِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى ٱلْقِتَالِ ۚ إِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَٰبِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا۟ مِا۟ئَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّا۟ئَةٌۭ يَغْلِبُوٓا۟ أَلْفًۭا مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌۭ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ

8:65O Prophet! Urge on the faithful to fight: If there be twenty patient men among you, they shall overcome two hundred; and if there be a hundred of you, they shall overcome a thousand of the faithless, for they are a lot who do not understand.

ٱلْـَٰٔنَ خَفَّفَ ٱللَّهُ عَنكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًۭا ۚ فَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّا۟ئَةٌۭ صَابِرَةٌۭ يَغْلِبُوا۟ مِا۟ئَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ أَلْفٌۭ يَغْلِبُوٓا۟ أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

8:66Now Allah has lightened your burden, knowing that there is weakness in you. So if there be a hundred patient men among you, they shall overcome two hundred; and if there be a thousand, they shall overcome two thousand, by Allah’s leave; and Allah is with the patient.2

مَا كَانَ لِنَبِىٍّ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُۥٓ أَسْرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يُثْخِنَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

8:67A prophet may not take captives until he has thoroughly decimated [the enemy] in the land. You desire the transitory gains of this world, while Allah desires [for you] [the reward of] the Hereafter, and Allah is all-mighty, all-wise.3

لَّوْلَا كِتَٰبٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِيمَآ أَخَذْتُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌۭ

8:68Had it not been for a prior decree of Allah, surely there would have befallen you a great punishment for what you took.

فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا غَنِمْتُمْ حَلَٰلًۭا طَيِّبًۭا ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

8:69Avail yourselves of the spoils you have taken as lawful and good, and be wary of Allah. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 65

1.In the field of Jihad, for steadfastness patience is needed and the faithful are equipped with both. That is why Allah supports them and makes them dominate over ten folds or at least twice the number of enemies. Some scholars have proved from this incident that it is unlawful to flee from the battle if enemies are less than twice our number. This much Jihad is obligatory on weak Muslims also.

Verse 67

2.Massacre of infidels is necessary till Islam becomes absolutely dominant and there is no question of taking them as prisoners because they would prove dangerous in future. After Islam is secure, they can make them prisoners. This is the right of Prophet (s.a.) whether he releases them without ransom or by taking ransom.

Some Muslims made them prisoners in Badr and then they took ransom and released them. Allah has criticized this act and made it deserving of punishment. It is another thing that later He forgave this act; otherwise the wrath would have descended on them. And since they had already taken the ransom they were also allowed to use it.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    This ayat and the one after it indicates that even after divine assistance, helping the believers is having other merits too. That is why it is mentioned in the traditions that the following sentence is written on the Arsh: we helped the Prophet through Ali (a.s.).

    Benefit: The 62nd ayat indicates that the enemies of Islam usually resort to peace treaties to deceive the Muslims. In spite of this Islam has not rejected this type of peace making. Rather it has guaranteed divine help in this regard. That if the enemies of Islam intend to deceive the Muslims, the Almighty also knows to help against them. The Muslims must not forgo the peace process after this the consequences should be entrusted to Allah.

  2. 2

    Zey-ef means double and Za-af means weakness. Zoaf is usually mentioned in connection with the weakness of intellect.

  3. 3

    Asraa is the plural of Aseeri. Athkhan is used to denote severity and Ardh means the thing that will remain.

  4. Benefit

    According to the Holy Quran the secret of the success of Moslim intellectuality lies in being patient and on the basis of this the example of twenty is given which by the support of patience and with Allah's assistance enables one to gain victory over ten times the forces of enemy.