Verses 70–75
8. Al-Anfaal · The Spoils of War
Madinan75 verses
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّمَن فِىٓ أَيْدِيكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَسْرَىٰٓ إِن يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًۭا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًۭا مِّمَّآ أُخِذَ مِنكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
8:70O Prophet! Say to the captives who are in your hands, ‘If Allah finds any good in your hearts, He will give you [something which is] better than what has been taken away from you, and He will forgive you, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.’*1
وَإِن يُرِيدُوا۟ خِيَانَتَكَ فَقَدْ خَانُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مِن قَبْلُ فَأَمْكَنَ مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
8:71But if they seek to betray you, then they have already betrayed Allah earlier, and He gave [you] power over them; and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَهَاجَرُوا۟ وَجَٰهَدُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاوَوا۟ وَّنَصَرُوٓا۟ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَلَمْ يُهَاجِرُوا۟ مَا لَكُم مِّن وَلَٰيَتِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍ حَتَّىٰ يُهَاجِرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنِ ٱسْتَنصَرُوكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ ٱلنَّصْرُ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۭ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُم مِّيثَٰقٌۭ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌۭ
8:72Indeed those who have believed and migrated and waged jihad with their possessions and persons in the way of Allah, and those who gave [them] shelter and help—they are heirs of one another. As for those who have believed but did not migrate, you have no heirdom in relation to them whatsoever until they migrate. Yet if they ask your help for the sake of religion, it is incumbent on you to help them, excepting against a people with whom you have a treaty; and Allah watches what you do.2
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌۭ كَبِيرٌۭ
8:73As for the faithless, they are heirs of one another. Unless you do the same, there will be strife in the land and great corruption.3
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَهَاجَرُوا۟ وَجَٰهَدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاوَوا۟ وَّنَصَرُوٓا۟ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّۭا ۚ لَّهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَرِزْقٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ
8:74Those who have believed, migrated, and waged jihad in the way of Allah, and those who gave them shelter and help, it is they who are truly the faithful. For them shall be forgiveness and a noble provision.
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدُ وَهَاجَرُوا۟ وَجَٰهَدُوا۟ مَعَكُمْ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مِنكُمْ ۚ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَىٰ بِبَعْضٍۢ فِى كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۢ
8:75Those who believed afterwards and migrated, and waged jihad along with you, they belong to you; but the blood relatives are more entitled to inherit from one another in the Book of Allah. Indeed Allah has knowledge of all things.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 72
1.The blessed verse clearly announces that in Islam, faith alone is of no value as long as you don’t act in conformity with it; and this work was in the form of migration and war in the beginning in Mecca and then appeared in the form of help and protection in Medina because after this, one’s help became obligatory on the other. As long as the oppressor is having a peace treaty with the Muslims, breach of promise is the cause of defamation and it is not legal. Although if someone does not migrate, he has no right to get help. The question is only when Muslims were migrating without taking their belongings then what was the sense of fighting with preparations? One possibility is that it denoted the Jehad that they had performed in Mecca before Hijrat. To leave the property and migrate in the way of Allah is counted as holy war.
Verse 73
2.The purpose here is that infidels may hold different views but they are allies against Islam; therefore you should also be united to oppose them.
Verse 74
3.Imam Zainul Aabedeen (a.s.) has praised those companions in Sahifa Kamilah, which proves that the sincerity of the companions is valued in the religion of Ahle Bayt (a.s.). Of course no Muslim sect gives any sort of consideration to the hypocrites. Sahifa Sajjadia is the most authentic book of Shia faith.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
In the 70th ayat the foremost goodness in the eyes of Allah is Islam and Eimaan (faith) and the next goodness in view of the enemies is the worldly wealth which according to Islam has no value in comparison to a correct belief.
- 1
It is said that when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) demanded a recompense (fidya) from Abbas, he said that he was a Muslim and that he was forced to join the battle. The Prophet (s.a.) told him that if that was correct he would be rewarded for it. He said that he had no wealth either. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told him to surrender what he had kept with his daughter. Abbas asked how the Prophet (s.a.) knew of it? The Prophet (s.a.) said that Allah had informed him thus. Abbas agreed that he was indeed the Prophet of Allah because no one knew the secret except himself.
- 2
This ayat has guardianship, help and leadership and in the last ayat guardianship by inheritance is intended.
Benefit: The praise of the foremost migrants in the 72nd ayat does not mean that their status should be raised above all the Islamic commandments and respect to be accorded to them in this manner. It only means that their deed was praiseworthy. After this if they guarded their character they shall be respected otherwise not.
- 3
This is a compound article compose of ‘In’ and ‘la’ That is ‘if you do not’ help each other.