8:1. They ask you [O Muhammad] about the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the Messenger, so fear Allah and set things right among yourselves. Obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are [truly] believers.

8:2. The true believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe when Allah is mentioned, and when His revelations are recited it increases them in faith, and they put their trust only in their Lord;

8:3. those who establish prayer and spend out of what We have provided for them.

8:4. Such are the true believers; they will have high ranks with their Lord, and forgiveness and a generous provision.

The word anfal (translated here as ﴾spoils of warp) refers to the booty that Allah granted to this Ummah, namely the property of the disbelievers (captured in battle). These verses in this soorah were revealed concerning the Battle of Badr, the first major booty that the Muslims captured from the polytheists. There was a dispute among some of the Muslims concerning it, so they asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) revealed the words: ﴾They ask you [O Muhammad] about the spoils of war﴿ - how they are to be divided and to whom?

﴾Say﴿ to them: the spoils of war belong to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), to decide concerning it however they will, so you have no right to object to the ruling of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ); rather, when Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) decide something, you must accept their ruling and submit to it. This is included in the words ﴾so fear Allah﴿ by complying with His commands and avoiding that which He prohibits.

﴾and set things right among yourselves﴿ that is, set things right and turn disputes, disconnection and turning away into friendship, mutual love and upholding of ties. Thus you will become united and will put an end to what has occurred of arguments, disputes and conflict that resulted from cutting off ties with one another.

Setting things right among people includes showing a good attitude towards them and forgiving those among them who misbehave; this will dispel much of the resentment and severing of ties that may be in people’s hearts. The instruction that includes all of that is to be found in this verse: ﴾Obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are [truly] believers﴿. For faith calls one to obey Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), so the one who does not obey Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) is not a believer.

If anyone falls short in obeying Allah and His Messenger that is due to his lack of faith, because faith is of two types: complete faith which results in success, which is praiseworthy, and faith that is of a lesser degree. What is referred to here is complete faith. Allah says: ﴾The true believers﴿, who adhere to all the teachings of faith ﴾are those whose hearts are filled with awe when Allah is mentioned﴿ that is, they are filled with fear and awe, and that fear of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) dictates that they should refrain from that which is prohibited. Fear of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is one of the greatest signs that restrain one from committing sin.

﴾and when His revelations are recited it increases them in faith﴿, the reason being that they listen to it with presence of mind, contemplating the meaning, and as a result of that their faith increases, because contemplation is one of the actions of the heart, and it is inevitable that they will learn a meaning that they did not know, or they will be reminded of something that they had forgotten, or it will make their hearts inclined towards good and make them long for the reward of their Lord, or will make them fear His punishment, or they will be deterred from sin. All of these are things that increase one in faith. ﴾fand they put their trust only in their Lord﴿ alone, with no partner or associate. In other words, they rely in their hearts on their Lord to bring what is in their best interests and ward off that which may harm them in spiritual or worldly terms, and they trust that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will do that.

Trust in Allah is the motive for all good deeds, which cannot exist or be completed without it dthose who establish prayer﴿ both obligatory and supererogatory, doing all acts of the prayer, both outward and inward, with presence of mind which is the spirit and essence of the prayer.

﴾and spend out of what We have provided for them﴿ - this includes obligatory spending, such as zakah, expiation, and spending on wivesand relatives, as well as recommended spending such as charity ot all kinds.

(﴾Such﴿ that is, those who have these qualities ﴾are the true believers﴿, because they combine Islam and faith; good deeds, both inward and outward; knowledge and action; and fulfilling their duties towards Allah and towards His slaves.

Allah mentions the actions of the heart (such as intentions, feelings and emotions) first, because they are the basis of physical actions and are superior to them. This indicates that faith may increase and decrease; it increases by doing acts of obedience and it decreases by doing the opposite.

The individual should pay attention to his faith and tend it. The best way of doing that is contemplating the Book of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and reflecting upon its meanings.

Then Allah mentions the reward of the true believers: ﴾they will have high ranks with their Lord﴿ that is, according to the level of their deeds

﴾and forgiveness﴿ of their sins ﴾and a generous provision﴿, which is what Allah has prepared for them in paradise, such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it ever crossed the mind of man.

This indicates that the one who does not reach their level of faith - even if he enters paradise - will not attain what they attain of perfect honour from Allah.

8:5. It is like when your Lord caused you to go forth from your home on a mission of truth, even though some of the believers disliked it

8:6. And disputed with you concerning the truth after it had been made manifest, as if they were being driven towards death and beheld it with their very eyes.

8:7. And [remember] when Allah promised you one of the two enemy parties, that it would fall to you, and you wished that the unarmed group would fall to you. But it was Allah’s will to vindicate the truth by His words and to cut off the root of the disbelievers,

8:8. so that He might prove the truth to be true and the false to be false, even though the evildoers hate it.

Here Allah highlights - ahead of this blessed major battle - the qualities that the believers should attain, because whoever attains them will be in a good state and his deeds will be sound and correct; one of the most significant of these is jihad in His cause.

Just as their faith was true and their reward was the truth that Allah promised them, similarly Allah brought His Messenger (ﷺ) forth from his home to meet the polytheists at Badr on a mission of truth, which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) loves and which He willed and decreed.

Even though it did not occur to the believers that there would be fighting between them and their enemy during this excursion, when it became clear to them that this was going to happen, some of the believers began to argue with the Prophet (jjf) about that, and they were reluctant to meet their enemy; it was as if they were being driven towards death and beheld it with their very eyes.

But in fact this attitude of theirs was not appropriate, especially after it became clear to them that they had gone forth on a mission of truth and that it was something that Allah had enjoined and was pleased with. In such a situation there is no room for argument, because the right time for arguing and debating is when there is doubt and confusion about the right thing to do. But in this case the right thing was quite clear, therefore there should be no option but to submit and comply.

However, many of the believers were not part of this argument at all, and they were not reluctant to meet their enemy. Those whom Allah rebuked subsequently accepted the idea of jihad and Allah made them steadfast and made available to them measures of reassurance that put their minds at rest, as we shall see below.

The original reason for them going forth was to intercept the caravan of Quraysh that had travelled to Syria with Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, which was a big caravan.

When they heard that the caravan was on its way back from Syria, the Prophet mobilised the people, and three hundred plus men set out with him. They had seventy camels with them, which they took turns riding and carried their luggage on them. Quraysh heard about them, so they went forth to protect their caravan, with a large number of well-armed and well-equipped men, both riding and on foot; their number reached approximately one thousand.

Allah promised the believers one of the two groups: either they would capture the caravan or defeat the army. They wanted the caravan, because the Muslims were not well off and the caravan was unarmed, but Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) wanted for them something better and more sublime than what they wanted.

He wanted them to defeat the army that had come forth with the leaders and prominent figures of the polytheists.﴾But it was Allah’s will to vindicate the truth by His words﴿ and to support the followers of truth

﴾and to cut off the root of the disbelievers﴿ that is, to eradicate the people of falsehood, and to show His slaves something of His support for the truth that had never crossed their minds.

﴾so that He might prove the truth to be true﴿ by means of what appeared of proof and evidence to validate and affirm the truth and its soundness

﴾fand the false to be false﴿ by establishing proof and evidence of its falseness

﴾even though the evildoers hate it﴿, for Allah does not care about them.

8:9. And [remember] when you were calling upon your Lord for help, and He answered you: I am sending to your aid a thousand angels, coming host after host.

8:10. Allah granted it only as good news with which to reassure your hearts, for victory comes only from Allah. Verily Allah is Almighty, Most Wise.

8:11. And [remember] when He caused drowsiness to overcome you as an assurance from Him, and He sent down water from the sky to cleanse you and to purify you of the whispers of the Shaytan, and to strengthen your hearts and to steady your footsteps.

8:12. [Remember] when your Lord inspired the angels [saying]: Verily I am with you, so support those who believe. I will instil terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. So strike them above the neck and strike all their limbs.

8:13. That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger, and whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger, Allah is indeed severe in punishment.

8:14. That is for you, so taste it. And verily for the disbelievers there will be the punishment of the fire.

﴾And [remember] when you were calling upon your Lord for help﴿ that is, remember the blessing of Allah to you, when you were about to meet your enemy and you sought the help of your Lord and asked Him for His aid and support.

f[and He answered you﴿ and helped you in a number of ways, such as the following:

• He sent to your aid <fa thousand angels, coming host after host﴿ that is, one group after another

﴾Allah granted it﴿ that is, the sending down of the angels ﴾only as good news with which to reassure your hearts﴿ and raise your spirits; otherwise, victory is only in the Hand of Allah, not with large numbers of men and weapons ﴾Verily Allah is Almighty﴿ and no enemy can overcome Him; rather He is the Subduer Who may defeat an enemy no matterwhat their number and no matter how well-armed and well-equipped they may be.

﴾Most Wise﴿ as He decrees matters by making available the means that lead to them and putting things in the right place at the right time.

• In response to your supplication He sent down drowsiness upon you, ﴾to overcome you﴿, that is, it took away the fear and dread in your hearts,

﴾as an assurance from Him﴿ to you, and as a sign of victory, to give you peace of mind.

• He sent down upon you rain from the sky to cleanse you of impurity and dirt, and to purify you of the insinuations and whispers of the Shaytan.

﴾and to strengthen your hearts﴿ that is, to make them steadfast, for steadfastness of heart leads to physical steadfastness (in battle)

﴾and to steady your footsteps﴿, for the ground was soft sand, but when the rain fell on it, it became firm and the foothold became steady.

• He inspired the angels ﴾[saying]: Verily I am with you﴿ with My help, aid and support

﴾so support those who believe﴿ that is, inspire courage against the enemy in their hearts, encourage them to strive in jihad, and remind them of its virtue

﴾)I will instil terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve﴿ which is the greatest help you have against them, for if Allah makes the believers steadfast and instils terror in the hearts of the disbelievers, the disbelievers will not be able to stand up to them and Allah will cause them to flee before them.

﴾jSo strike them above the neck﴿ that is, on the neck ﴾and strike all their limbs﴿ and joints.

This is addressed either to the angels whom Allah inspired to make steadfast those who believed, in which case it indicates that the angels took part in the fighting on the day of Badr, or it is addressed to the believers, and Allah is encouraging them and teaching them how to fight the polytheists, and instructing them to show them no mercy.

That is because ﴾they opposed Allah and His Messenger﴿; they fought them and showed enmity towards them ﴾fand whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger, Allah is indeed severe in punishment﴿, and part of His punishment is that He sends His believing allies against His enemies and they kill many of them.

﴾That﴿ punishment mentioned here ﴾is for you, so taste it﴿, O you who opposed Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), a punishment that is hastened in this world.

﴾And verily for the disbelievers there will be the punishment of the fire﴿.

This story highlights some of the greatest signs of Allah which proves that what Muhammad (ﷺ), the Messenger of Allah, brought was true. These signs include the following:

• Allah made them a promise and fulfilled it for them.

• Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾There has already been for you a sign in the two groups that met [in combat]: one was fighting in the cause of Allah, the other disbelieving [in Allah]; they saw them with their own eyes twice their number. But Allah supports with His help whomever He wills. Verily, in this there is a lesson for those who have insight.﴿ (A! Imran 3: 13)

• Allah answered the supplication of the believers when they sought His help by the means mentioned here. This highlights His great care for His believing slaves and how He made measures available by means of which He strengthened theirfaith and made their footsteps steady, and He relieved them of harm and devilish whispers.

• By His kindness towards His slaves, Allah makes it easy for them to obey Him and makes available to them the means of attaining that both inwardly and outwardly.

8:15. O you who believe, when you encounter the disbelievers on the march, never turn your backs to them.

8:16. Whoever turns his back to them on that day - unless it is for tactical reasons, or falling back to join another group - will incur the wrath of Allah, and his abode will be hell, a hapless journey’s end.

Here Allah instructs His believing slaves to have courage based on faith, to adhere firmly to His commands, and to strive to take measures to strengthen themselves spiritually and physically, and He forbids them to flee when the two parties meet in battle.

﴾0 you who believe, when you encounter the disbelievers on the march﴿ that is, when you are drawn up in ranks for battle and the two armies begin to approach one another ﴾never turn your backs to them﴿; rather stand firm and fight them, and be patient in combatting them, for by doing so you are supporting the religion of Allah and that will strengthen the hearts of the believers and strike fear into the disbelievers.

﴾Whoever turns his back to them on that day - unless it is for tactical reasons, or falling back to join another group - will incur thewrath of Allah, and his abode will be hell, a hapless journey’s end﴿. This indicates that fleeing from the battlefield with no excuse is a major sin, as mentioned in the saheeh hadiths; in this verse there is a stem warning against that.

What this verse means is that if one retreats for tactical reasons, to take up a new position in order to be more effective in fighting the enemy, in that case there is nothing wrong with it, because one is not turning back in order to flee the enemy; rather he is turning back in order to gain some advantage over the enemy, or to come at him from an unexpected direction and catch him unawares or trick him, or to achieve some other military aim. If a fighter falls back to join another group for protection or help in fighting the disbelievers, that is permissible. If that group is also part of the army, then the matter is quite clear.

But if that group is not in the battlefield, such as if the Muslims are fleeing from the disbelievers and they seek refuge in some Muslim land or with some other Muslim army, then there are reports from the Ṣahabah which indicate that this is permissible, although that may depend on whether the Muslims think that fleeing is likely to lead to better consequences and save their lives. But if they think that they will be able to defeat the disbelievers if they stand their ground and fight, then - in this case - it is not possible that they could have a concession allowing them to flee because, in that case, it would not be possible to understand what kind of fleeing is forbidden in this verse, at the time when it speaks in general terms. At the end of the soorah we will see that this was later restricted by the numbers involved.

8:17. It was not you who killed them; rather Allah killed them. And when you threw [a handful of dust], it was not your act, but Allah’s, so that He might test the believers with a great test. Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

8:18. That is what happened; and verily Allah will undermine the schemes of the disbelievers.

8:19. [O disbelievers,] if you were seeking a verdict, then the verdict has come to you. If you desist, it will be better for you, but if you resume, We will resume [Our support of the believers], and your forces will avail you nothing, no matter how great in number they are, for verily Allah is with the believers.

Here Allah tells us that when He defeated the polytheists on the day of Badr, and the Muslims killed them, ﴾It was not you who killed them﴿ by your strength and power

﴾rather Allah killed them﴿ when He helped you to do that by means of what is mentioned above.

tfAnd when you threw [a handful of dust], it was not your act, but Allah’s﴿. At the time of fighting, the Prophet (ﷺ) went into his hut and started calling upon Allah, beseeching Him for His help. Then he threw a handful of dust into the faces of the polytheists, and Allah caused it to hit their faces, and there was not one among them who was not hit in his face, mouth and eyes with it. When their resolve broke and they lost momentum, and there appeared among them failure and weakness, they were defeated. Here Allah says to His Prophet (ﷺ): it was not by your strength - when you threw the dust - that it reached their eyes; rather We caused it to reach them by Our strength and power.

﴾so that He might test the believers with a great test﴿ that is, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is able to grant victory to the believers over the disbelievers without them actually fighting, but He wanted to test the believers and enable them to attain the highest degrees and most sublime status by means ofjihad, and to give them an immense and goodly reward.

﴾Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing﴿ - He hears what people conceal and disclose, and He knows what is in their hearts of good intentions or otherwise, so He decrees different things for people in accordance with His knowledge and wisdom, and the best interests of His slaves, and He requites each person in accordance with his intentions and deeds.

﴾That﴿ namely the victory that Allah granted you ﴾fis what happened; and verily Allah will undermine the schemes of the disbelievers﴿ that is. He weakens all the plots and schemes that they hatch against Islam and its people, and He makes their plots backfire on them.

s﴾[0 disbelievers,] if you were seeking a verdict﴿ that is, if you want Allah to send His vengeance and punishment against the wrongdoers ﴾then the verdict has come to you﴿ when Allah sent His punishment upon you, which was vengeance against you and a lesson to the pious. ﴾flf you desist﴿ that is, if you stop demanding a verdict ﴾it will be better for you﴿, because He may give you respite and not hasten the punishment for you.

﴾but if you resume﴿, demanding a verdict and fighting the believers ﴾We will resume [Our support of the believers]﴿ against you.

﴾and your forces﴿ that is, your helpers and supporters on whom you rely in your fight ﴾will avail you nothing﴿

?(for verily Allah is with the believers﴿.

Those with whom Allah is will be supported and will prevail even if they are weak and few in number. What is meant by Allah being with them is that He supports the believers to a degree commensurate with their level of faith and righteous deeds.

If the enemy is given the upper hand over the believers on some occasions, that is only because of shortcomings on the believers’ part and their failure to do the duties required by faith. Otherwise, if they do what Allah has enjoined in every respect, no army of theirs would ever be defeated as a final outcome, and their enemy would never have the upper hand over them in such a way that they can never recover from it.

8:20. O you who believe, obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not turn away from him when you are constantly hearing [his message],

8:21. And do not be like those who say: We hear, but do not listen.

When Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) stated that He is with the believers, He instructed them to do the duties required by faith, so that they might attain His help and support:

you who believe, obey Allah and His Messenger﴿ by doing what they enjoin and avoiding what they prohibit.

﴾and do not turn away from him﴿ that is, from this command to obey Allah and obey His Messenger (ﷺ)

﴾when you are constantly hearing [his message] ﴿ that is, what is being recited to you of the Book of Allah and His commands, instructions and advice, for your turning away in this situation is utterly reprehensible.

﴾And do not be like those who say: We hear, but do not listen﴿ that is, do not be content with mere empty claims that are not real,for that is a state with which Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) are not pleased. Faith is not wishful thinking or pretence; rather it is what resides in the heart and is confirmed by actions.

(rr-rr

8:22. Verily the worst of creatures before Allah are the [wilfully] deaf and dumb, who do not understand.

8:23. If Allah had seen any good in them He would have made them hear, but if He had made them hear, they would have turned away in aversion.

﴾Verily the worst of creatures before Allah﴿ on whom all signs and warnings have no impact ﴾are the [wilfully] deaf]» that is, deaf to the truth ﴾dumbp that is, unable to speak truth

﴾who do not understand that which would benefit them and give it precedence over that which would harm them. These people are worse, before Allah, than any animal, for Allah has given them hearing, sight and hearts to use them in obedience to Him, but they use them in disobedience to Him. Thus they are deprived of much good, because they had the opportunity to be among the best of people, but they refused that and chose for themselves to be among the worst of people.

The hearing that Allah says they do not have is hearing in the sense of that which has a positive impact on the heart. As for hearing in the sense of that which establishes proof against them, Allah has established proof against them by means of what they heard of Hisrevelations, but He did not cause them to hear in any beneficial way, because He does not see any good in them that would qualify them to listen and benefit from His revelations.

﴾flf Allah had seen any good in them He would have made them hear, but ifj﴿, hypothetically speaking, ﴾fHe had made them hear, they would have turned away﴿ from obedience ﴾fin aversion﴿, not paying heed to the truth in any way. This indicates that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) does not withhold faith and goodness except in the case of one in whom there is nothing good, the one who is not going to benefit. To Him be all praise, for He is possessed of great wisdom.

8:24. O you who believe, respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life. Know that Allah stands between a man and his heart, and that it is to Him that you will be gathered.

8:25. Beware of retribution that will not only befall the wrongdoers among you, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.

Allah enjoins His believing slaves to do what faith requires of them, which is to respond to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) by complying with their commands and hastening to do so, calling people to Him, avoiding and refraining from that which they prohibit, and telling others not to do it.

﴾when he calls you to that which will give you life﴿. This is a description of everything that Allah and His Messenger callpeople to, and it highlights its benefits and the wisdom behind it. For it is in being a true slave to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), constantly obeying Him and obeying His Messenger (that the heart is brought to life.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) warns against not responding to Him and His Messenger (ﷺ):

﴾Know that Allah stands between a man and his heart﴿ so beware of rejecting the command of Allah as soon as it comes to you, lest there be a barrier between you and Him when you need Him after that, and there will be dissent among you. For Allah stands between a man and his heart, and He controls the hearts and directs them as He will.

The individual should often repeat the supplication, “O Controller of the hearts, make my heart adhere firmly to Your religion; O Director of the hearts, direct my heart to obey You and Your Messenger (ﷺ).”

﴾and that it is to Him that you will be gathered﴿ that is, you will be gathered on a day concerning which there is no doubt, and He will requite the doer of good for his good deeds and the doer of evil for his sins.

﴾Beware of retribution that will not only befall the wrongdoers among you﴿ rather it will befall the wrongdoer and others, if wrongdoing prevails and no one tries to stop it. Then His punishment will include both the one who does wrong and others. Avoiding this retribution is done by forbidding the evil and suppressing those who do evil and spread mischief; to the extent that is possible, they should not be given the opportunity to commit sin and wrongdoing.

﴾fand know that Allah is severe in punishment﴿ to the one who exposes himself to His wrath and avoids attaining His pleasure.

8:26. And remember when you were few in number, and regarded as weak in the land, and you were afraid lest the people snatch you away. Then He gave you refuge, and strengthened you with His help, and provided you with good things so that you may give thanks.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) reminds His slaves of how He helped them after they had been humiliated, increased their numbers after they had been few, and made them rich after they had been poor.

﴾And remember when you were few in number, and regarded as weak in the land﴿ that is, subjugated and subjected to the control of others

﴾fand you were afraid lest the people snatch you away﴿) that is, seize you.

﴾Then He gave you refuge, and strengthened you with His help, and provided you with good things﴿. He gave you a place of refuge that you could take as your home, and He defeated your enemies at your hands, and you acquired booty from their wealth that made you well off.

﴾so that you may give thanks﴿ to Allah for His great blessings and kindness, by worshipping Him and not ascribing any partner to Him.

8:27. O you who believe, do not knowingly betray Allah and His Messenger or betray your own trusts.

8:28. Know that your wealth and your children are but a trial and that with Allah there is an immense reward.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs His believing slaves to pay heed to that which He instructed them to do and to avoid. For Allah (46) offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were fearful of it; but man undertook it - he was indeed unjust and foolish (cf 33: 72). So whoever fulfils the trust deserves a great reward from Allah, but whoever does not fulfil it - rather he betrays it - deserves a severe punishment, for he has betrayed Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), as well as the trust, and he has let himself down by having the worst of characteristics and committing the worst of deeds, which is betrayal. This causes him to miss out on the most perfect of characteristics, which is fulfilling the trust.

Because man is tested with his wealth and children, love of these things may prompt him to give precedence to his own whims and desires over fulfilling his trust. Hence Allah (46) tells us that wealth and children are a trial by means of which Allah tests His slaves; they are something that is given temporarily and must be given back to the One Who gave it and entrusted him with it, ﴾and... with Allah there is an immense reward﴿.

If you have reason and sound thinking, then you should give precedence to His great reward over small, transient, diminishing pleasure. The wise person weighs things up and gives precedence to that which is more deserving of being given precedence.

8:29. O you who believe. If you fear Allah, He will give you the insight to distinguish between right and wrong, expiate your sins and forgive you, for Allah is Possessor of abundant grace.

Complying and fearing Allah is the way to, and the sign of, blessings and success. Allah has made a connection between fear of Him and a great deal of good in this world and the hereafter. Here He says that the one who fears Allah will attain four things, each one of which is better than this world and all that is in it:

The first is insight (furqan), which is knowledge and guidance, by means of which one may differentiate between true guidance and misguidance, truth and falsehood, lawful and prohibited, those who are blessed and those who are doomed.

The second and third are expiation of bad deeds and forgiveness of sins. Each of these is included with the other when either of them is mentioned on its own. When they are mentioned together, expiation of bad deeds has to do with minor sins and forgiveness of sins has to do with expiation of major sins.

The fourth is the great reward for the one who fears Him and gives precedence to pleasing Him over his own whims and desires, for Allah is Possessor of abundant grace﴿

8:30. And [remember] when the disbelievers plotted against you, to take you captive, kill you or expel you. They plot and plan, and Allah also plans; but Allah is the best of planners.

﴾And [remember]jj, O Messenger (ﷺ), the blessing that Allah bestowed upon you

﴾when the disbelievers plotted against you﴿ that is, when the polytheists discussed in Dar an-Nadwah what to do with the Prophet either to keep him in detention with them, in chains; or to ridthemselves of his evil - or so they said; or to expel him and banish him from their land. The proponents of each of these options presented his case, then they agreed upon the view of the worst of them, namely Abu Jahl (may Allah curse him), which was to take a young man from each clan of Quraysh and give him a sharp sword, then let all of them kill him as one, thus spreading the blame among all the clans, so that Banu Hashim would have no choice but to accept the blood money (i diyah), because they would not be able to fight all of Quraysh. The plan was that they would lie in wait for the Prophet at night and pounce upon him when he got up from his bed.

But the revelation came to him from heaven; he came out to them, threw dust on their heads and left. Allah blinded them so that they could not see him, then when they were wondering why it was taking so long for him to come out, someone came to them and said: May Allah cause your doom! Muhammad (ﷺ) came out and threw dust on your heads. And each of them brushed the dust from his head.

Allah protected His Messenger (ﷺ) from them and gave him permission to migrate to Madinah. So he migrated there, and Allah supported him with his Companions, the Muhdjireen and Ansar. He began to prevail until he entered Makkah by force and subdued its people, then they submitted to him and came under his rule, after he had departed from them secretly, fearing for his life. Glory be to the One Who is most kind to His slave, Whom no one can defeat.

8:31. When Our revelations are recited to them, they say: We have heard. If we wished, we could say something like this. It is nothing but tales of the ancients.

8:32. And [remember] when they said: O Allah, if this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or send us a painful punishment.

8:33. But Allah would not punish them whilst you were among them, nor would He punish them as long as they seek forgiveness.

8:34. And why should Allah not punish them when they prevent people from reaching the Sacred Mosque, although they are not its rightful guardians. Its rightful guardians can be none but those who fear Allah, but most of them do not understand.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) speaks of the stubbornness of those who rejected the Messenger (ﷺ).

﴾When Our revelations are recited to them﴿ that highlight the truth of that which the Messenger (ﷺ) brought

﴾they say: We have heard. If we wished, we could say something like this. It is nothing but tales of the ancients﴿. This stemmed from their stubbornness and wrongdoing. Allah challenged them to produce a soorah like it, and to call upon whomever they could besides Allah, but they were not able to do that, so it became clear that they were quite incapable of doing that.

These words were a mere claim on the part of the one who uttered them, and reality showed it to be false. It was well known that the Prophet (ﷺ) was unlettered; he could neither read nor write, and he did not travel to study any of the stories of the ancients. He brought this great Book, which falsehood cannot reach from before it or behind it — it is a revelation from One Who is All-Wise, Praiseworthy (cf 41: 42).

﴾And [remember] when they said: O Allah, if this﴿ that is, what Muhammad (ﷺ) is claiming

﴾is indeed the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or send us a painful punishment﴿. They said this to show that they were certain of their falsehood and ignorant of how they should react. If they had some specious argument in support of their falsehood that led them to be certain on the basis of deep knowledge, they should have said to the one who debated with them and claimed that truth was on his side: If this is the truth from You, then guide us to it. That would have been better and more appropriate for them.

But as they said ﴾0 Allah, if this is indeed the truth from You... ﴿ It is known by the mere fact of their saying it that they were foolish and ignorant wrongdoers, for if Allah hastened the punishment for them, no trace would be left of them. But Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) warded off the punishment from them because of the presence of the Messenger (ﷺ) among them. Hence He said:

﴾But Allah would not punish them whilst you were among them﴿. The presence of the Prophet (ﷺ) offered them protection against the punishment.

Even though they said this openly, in front of everyone, they understood how bad it was. They were afraid of the punishment befalling them, so they asked Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) for forgiveness. Hence Allah says:

﴾nor would He punish them as long as they seek forgiveness﴿.

This protection prevented the punishment befalling them even after all its prerequisites were met.

Then Allah says: t﴾And why should Allah not punish them﴿ that is, what would protect them from the punishment of Allah, when they have done that which incurs it, namely barring people from the Sacred Mosque, especially the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions, who are more deserving of it than them.

﴾although they﴿ that is, the polytheists﴾are not its rightful guardians [awliya’ahu]﴿. It may be that the pronoun hu (in the word awliya ’ahu, translated here as ﴾its rightful guardians﴿ refers to the Sacred Mosque; that is, they have no more right to it than anyone else. Or it may be that the pronoun refers to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), in which case the phrase would mean “they are not His allies (awliya')".

﴾Its rightful guardians can be none but those who fear Allah﴿, for they are the ones who believe in Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), affirm the oneness of Allah, worship Him alone and are sincerely devoted to Him alone.

﴾but most of them do not understand﴿. Hence they claimed for themselves something to which others had a greater right.

8:35. Their prayer at the House [of Allah] is nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. So taste the punishment for your disbelief.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) only established His Sacred House for the rituals of His religion to be practised therein and for worship to be devoted to Him alone therein. As for these polytheists who barred people from it, their prayer therein, although prayer is the greatest kind of worship, was ﴾nothing but whistling and clapping of hands﴿. These were the acts of ignorant and foolish people in whose hearts there was no veneration for their Lord or knowledge of His rights, and no respect for the best and noblest of places. If this is how their prayer was in that place, then what about the rest of their acts of worship?

By what criteria were they more entitled to this House than the believers:﴾Those who humble themselves in their prayers, who turn away from all that is vain [of words and deeds].﴿ (al-Mu'minoon 23: 2-3)

- and have all the other praiseworthy qualities that Allah has described?

No wonder Allah caused them to inherit His Sacred House and gave them guardianship of it, and said to them, after giving them guardianship of it:

you who believe, truly the polytheists are impure, so do not let them come near the Sacred Mosque after this [final] year of theirs...﴿

And here He says: ﴾So taste the punishment for your disbelief﴿.

-n :JuS/l 8 :-v) pjb j

8:36. The disbelievers spend their wealth to bar [people] from the path of Allah, and they will continue to spend it, then it will become a source of regret for them, then they will be defeated, and as for those who disbelieve, into hell they will be gathered,

8:37. So that Allah may separate the wicked from the good, placing the wicked one on top of another, heap them all up and throw them into hell. It is they who will be the losers.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) highlights the enmity of the polytheists and their schemes, plots, opposition to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) and theirefforts to extinguish His light and silence His word, and He tells us that their plots will backfire on them, for the plotting of evil affects none but its authors (35: 43).

﴾The disbelievers spend their wealth to bar [people] from the path of Allah﴿ that is, to suppress the truth and support falsehood, and to resist affirmation of the oneness of the Most Merciful and establish the religion of the idol worshippers

﴾fand they will continue to spend it﴿ that is, they will pay all these expenses, and they would not mind, because they adhere firmly to falsehood and they strongly resent the truth. But that will be «fa source of regret for them﴿ that is, a cause of sorrow, disgrace and humiliation ﴾then they will be defeated﴿ and will lose their wealth and all that they hoped for, and they will be punished most severely in the hereafter. Hence Allah says:

﴾and as for those who disbelieve, into hell they will be gathered﴿ that is, they will be gathered there so that they might taste its punishment, because it is the realm of evil and evildoers.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) wants to differentiate evil from good, and make each distinct from the other, putting each in a place where it belongs. So He will put evil deeds, wealth and people with one another ﴾heap them all up and throw them into hell. It is they who will be the losers﴿ who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection, and that is true loss.

8:38. Say to those who disbelieve that if they desist, what is past will be forgiven; but if they persist, then the precedent of the earlier peoples is already established.

8:39. Fight them until there is no more persecution and all worship is devoted to Allah alone; but if they desist, then Allah sees well all that they do.

8:40. If they pay no heed, then know that Allah is your Protector, an excellent Protector and an excellent Helper!

By His kindness towards His slaves, people’s disbelief and their persisting in stubbornness does not prevent Him from calling them to the path of true guidance and forbidding them to do that which leads to misguidance and doom.

﴾Say to those who disbelieve that if they desist﴿ from their disbelief, by submitting to Allah alone, with no partner or associate ﴾what is past﴿ of their sins ﴾will be forgiven; but if they persist﴿ and go back to their disbelief and stubbornness

﴾then the precedent of the earlier peoples is already established﴿. This refers to the destruction of the disbelieving nations. So let them see what befell the stubborn, for soon they will learn the consequences of their ridicule (6: 5).

This is addressed to the disbelievers. To the believers, when He instructed them on how to deal with the disbelievers, Allah says: ﴾Fight them until there is no more persecution﴿ or ascription of partners to Allah, or barring people from the path of Allah, and they submit to the rulings of Islam

﴾and all worship is devoted to Allah alone﴿. This is the goal of fighting and jihad against the enemies of the faith; it is to ward off their evil from the faith and to defend the religion of Allah, Who created people to follow this path, so that it will be supreme over all other religions, ﴾but if they desist﴿ from what they are doing of evil﴾then Allah sees well all that they do﴿ and nothing is hidden from Him of their affairs.

If they pay no heed﴿ and persist in disobedience and negligence ﴾then know that Allah is your Protector, an excellent Protector﴿ Who takes care of His believing slaves, helps them to attain that which is in their best interests and makes easy for them that which benefits them in spiritual and worldly terms

﴾and an excellent Helper﴿ Who helps and supports them, and wards off from them the plots and schemes of the wicked.

The one whose protector and helper is Allah will have no fear, but the one whom Allah opposes will have no honour and will not be able to achieve anything.

8:41. Know that whatever spoils of war you acquire, one-fifth belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to his close relatives, orphans, those in need and wayfarers, if you truly believe in Allah and in what We sent down to Our slave on the day when the true was distinguished from the false, the day on which the two armies met in battle. And Allah has power over all things.^{1The meanings of the verses of the Qur’an in this book (with some minor changes to the punctuation) have been translated by the translator. (Editor)}

8:42. Remember when you were on the nearer side of the valley, and they were on the farther side, and the caravan was onlower ground than you. If you had made prior arrangements to meet there [and fight], you would have failed to keep that appointment. But [Allah caused you to meet] so that He might bring about what was already decreed, and so that those who chose to perish [by choosing disbelief] might do so after seeing clear evidence, and those who chose to live [by choosing faith] might do so after seeing clear evidence. Verily Allah is All- Hearing, All-Knowing.

﴾Know that whatever spoils of war you acquire﴿ that is, whatever you take of the wealth of the disbelievers by force and rightfully, whether it is a little or a great deal

﴾one-fifth belongs to Allah and His Messenger﴿ and the rest is for you who captured it, because Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta 'ala - Glorified and Exalted is He) attributes capture of the spoils of war to them, but He excluded one-fifth from it. This indicates that the remainder is theirs and is to be divided as the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wasallam - blessings and peace be upon him) divided it: one share for the foot soldier, and the horseman receives two shares for his horse and one share for himself.

As for this one-fifth (khums),^{2Wherever possible, Arabic terms have been translated into English. In cases where we have chosen to retain the Arabic, the transliterated word or phrase is shown in italics the first time it appears in the text. The term is also defined in the glossary found at the end of this book. (Editor)} it is to be divided among five categories: the first category is for Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), to be spent in the public interests of the Muslims, without specifying any particular interest, because Allah has ordained that it be for Him and for His Messenger (ﷺ), but Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) have no need of it. Thus it is known that it is for the slaves of Allah. Because Allah has not specified on whom it is to be spent, this indicates that it is to be spent in the public interest.

The second of these five categories is *fhis close relatives﴿, which refers to the relatives of the Prophet (ﷺ), namely Banu Hashim and Banu al-Mutfalib. Allah mentioned the relatives here so as to indicate that the reason for this share being allocated to them is the mere fact that they are his relatives, among whom, both rich and poor, male and female, are to be treated equally in this regard.

The third category is orphans, who are those who lost their fathers when they were still small. Allah allocated one-fifth of the khums to them out of compassion towards them, as they are unable to look after their own interests and they have lost the one who would take care of their interests.

The fourth category is those in need, namely the poor, both minors and adults, males and females.

The fifth category is wayfarers. The wayfarer is the stranger who is cut off in a foreign land.

Some of the commentators said that the fifth of the war booty is not to be spent on any categories other than these, but it does not have to be spent on them equally; rather that is subject to what serves a greater interest, and this is more appropriate.

Allah has ordained that giving the khums in the proper manner is one of the conditions of faith, as He says: ﴾if you truly believe in Allah and in what We sent down to Our slave on the day when the true was distinguished from the false﴿. This refers to the day of Badr on which Allah distinguished between truth and falsehood, and He caused truth to prevail and showed falsehood to be false.

﴾the day on which the two armies met in battle﴿, the Muslim group and the disbelieving group. In other words, if you believe in Allah and in the truth which Allah sent down to His Messenger (ﷺ) on the day when the true was distinguished from the false, the day on which so many signs and proofs were made manifest, which proved that what the Messenger (ﷺ) brought is true.﴾And Allah has power over all things﴿ - no one opposes Him but he will be defeated.

﴾Remember when you were on the nearer side of the valley﴿ that is, on the side of the valley that was nearer to Madinah, whilst they were on the farther side, that is, the side that was further away from Madinah; you were all in the same valley.

﴾and the caravan﴿ which you had gone out to seek, but Allah willed something else ﴾was on lower ground than you﴿, nearer to the coast.

﴾lf you had made prior arrangements to meet there [and fight]﴿ that is, if you and they had made arrangements to meet in this manner ﴾you would have failed to keep that appointment﴿ that is, either you or they would have arrived too early or too late, or chosen different places in which to camp, and the like, which would have prevented you from keeping the appointment.

﴾But [Allah caused you to meet]﴿ that is, He brought you together in this way

﴾fso that He might bring about what was already decreed﴿ that is, that which was decreed from eternity that it should inevitably come to pass. f(and so that those who chose to perish [by choosing disbelief] might do so after seeing clear evidence﴿ that is, so that proof and evidence might be established against the one who was stubborn, so that if he wanted to choose disbelief after things had become clear and he became certain that what he chose was false, he would be left with no excuse before Allah.

tfand those who chose to live [by choosing faith] might do so after seeing clear evidence﴿ that is, so that the believer might increase in understanding and certainty, by means of what Allah had shown to both parties of proof and evidence for the truth, that would serve as a reminder for those who had insight.

﴾Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing﴿. He hears all voices in all different languages, expressing all kinds of needs, and He knowswhat is apparent and what is hidden, what is in people’s hearts, what is unseen and what is seen.

8:43. Remember [O Muhammad] when Allah showed them to you in your dream as few in number; if He had shown them to you as many, you [Muslims] would surely have lost heart and would have disputed about the matter. But Allah saved you, for He knows well what is in [your] hearts.

8:44. And [remember] when you met, He showed them to you as few in your eyes, and He made you appear as few in their eyes too, so that Allah might bring about what was already decreed. It is to Allah that all things will return.

Allah had shown the polytheists to His Messenger (ﷺ) in a dream as few in number, and he had told his Companions (radiya Allahu ‘anhum - may Allah be pleased with all of them) of these glad tidings, which reassured them and put them at ease.

﴾if He had shown them to you as many﴿ and you had told your Companions about that

4fyou [Muslims] would surely have lost heart and would have disputed about the matter﴿. Some of you would have thought that you should go ahead and fight them, and others would have thought otherwise, so there would have been a dispute which would have led to your losing heart.

﴾But Allah saved you﴿ and was kind to you ﴾for He knows well what is in [your] hearts﴿ of steadfastness and panic, sincerity and insincerity. Allah knew what was in your hearts, which was a reason for His kindness and care towards you. Allah confirmed the dream of His Messenger (ﷺ) and showed the believers their enemy as few in their eyes. He also made you - O believers - appear as few in their eyes. Thus each group saw the other as few, so that each would go ahead and fight the other ﴾so that Allah might bring about what was already decreed﴿ namely granting victory for the believers, humiliating the disbelievers, and killing their leaders and the leaders of misguidance among them, so that not one of them was left alive. Thus it was made easier for the others to submit when they were called to Islam, and it also became a sign of Allah’s care for the rest, whom He blessed with Islam.

﴾lt is to Allah that all things will return﴿ that is, the affairs of all creatures will return to Allah, then He will separate the evil from the good and will judge between all people on the basis of His justice in which there is no unfairness or wrongdoing.

8:45. O you who believe, when you meet an [enemy] troop, stand firm and remember Allah much, so that you may triumph.

8:46. And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute, lest you lose heart and your strength desert you. And be steadfast, for Allah is with those who are steadfast.

8:47. Do not be like those who set out from their homes insolently, to be seen by people, and to bar others from the path of Allah, for Allah has full knowledge of all that they do.

8:48. And [remember] when Shaytan made their deeds appear fair-seeming to them and said: No one among men can overcome you this day, for I will be your protector. But when the two troops came in sight of one another, he turned on his heels and said: I am done with you, for verily I see what you do not. Indeed I fear Allah, for Allah is severe in punishment.

8:49. And [remember] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said: Their religion has deluded these people. But whoever puts his trust in Allah, verily Allah is Almighty, Most Wise.

you who believe, when you meet an [enemy] troop﴿ that is, a group of the disbelievers who are fighting you ﴾stand firm﴿ to fight them; be patient and adhere to this great act of obedience, the consequences of which are honour and victory, and seek help in doing that by remembering Allah a great deal,

﴾so that you may triumph﴿ that is, so that you may achieve what you are seeking of victory over your enemies. Patience, steadfastness and remembering Allah much are among the greatest means of attaining victory.﴾And obey Allah and His Messenger﴿ by doing what they have instructed you to do, and following that in all situations ﴾and do not dispute﴿ in such a manner that leads to dissent in the heart and division ﴾lest you lose heart﴿ that is, become cowardly ﴾fand your strength desert you﴿ that is, you lose resolve and strength, for then you will no longer be deserving of that which you were promised of victory for obeying Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ).

And be steadfast﴿ in obeying Allah ﴾for Allah is with those who are steadfast﴿, with His aid, help and support. So fear your Lord and submit to Him.

﴾Do not be like those who set out from their homes insolently, to be seen by people, and to bar others from the path of Allah﴿ and that is all they try to achieve by going out. This is what brought them forth from their homes, for the purpose of insolence and showing off, so that people would see them and they could boast to them.

But their main aim was to bar people from the path of Allah and prevent those who wanted to follow it

﴾for Allah has full knowledge of all that they do﴿. Hence He has told you of their aims and warned you against behaving like them, for He will punish them severely for that.

In contrast, your aim should be to seek the Countenance of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and to make the religion of Allah supreme, to bar people from following the paths that lead to incurring the wrath and punishment of Allah, and to attract people to the straight path of Allah that leads to paradise.

﴾And [remember] when Shaytan made their deeds appear fair-seeming to them)i that is, he made them appear attractive in their minds and deceived them

﴾and said: No one among men can overcome you this day﴿, for you have men and weapons and are in such a position that Muhammad (ﷺ) and those who are with him cannot stand up to you.﴾for I will be your protector﴿ lest anyone come near you at whose hand you fear harm. That is because Iblees had appeared to Quraysh in the form of Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Ju‘sham al-Madliji, and they were afraid of Banu Madlij because of the enmity that existed between them.

The Shaytan said to them: ﴾[I will be your protector﴿. Thus he reassured them and they went ahead with confidence.

﴾But when the two troops﴿, the Muslims and the disbelievers, ﴾came in sight of one another﴿ and the Shaytan saw Jibreel (‘alayhi as-salam - peace be upon him) leading the angels in battle array, he became very scared and eftumed on his heels﴿ that is, fled.

﴾and said﴿ to those whom he had deceived and tricked

﴾I am done with you, for verily I see what you do not﴿ that is, I see the angels whom no one can withstand or fight.

﴾Indeed I fear Allah﴿ that is, I am afraid that He may hasten the punishment for me in this world ﴾for Allah is severe in punishment﴿.

It is possible that the Shaytan had enticed them and insinuated into their minds the idea that no one could overcome them on this day, and that he would protect them. Then when he had made sure that they had reached their inevitable doom, he turned and fled, and disavowed them, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

f(.. .like the Shaytan when he says to a man: Disbelieve; then when he disbelieves, he says to him: I have nothing to do with you, for verily I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds. So the outcome for both of them is that they will be in the fire, to abide therein forever; such is the recompense of the wrongdoers.﴿ (al-Hashr 59: 16-17)

﴾And [remember] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease﴿ namely doubt and confusion, those who were weak in faith, said to the believers - when they went ahead, despite their small numbers, to fight the polytheists despite their large numbers:

﴾Their religion has deluded these people﴿ that is, the religion that they follow has caused them this trouble that they cannot handle, and they have put themselves in this difficult situation which is beyond their means to cope with. They said this by way of belittling them, thinking that they were foolish, but they - by Allah - were the foolish ones who were lacking in reason.

For faith makes a person go ahead and confront serious challenges that huge armies would not dare to face. The believer who puts his trust in Allah, who knows that no one has any power or strength or ability except by the help of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and that even if all people were to come together to do an atom’s weight of benefit to someone, they would not benefit him, and if they were to come together to do him harm, they would not harm him, except as much as Allah has decreed of harm or benefit for him. He knows that he is following the truth and that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is Most Wise and Most Merciful in everything He wills and decrees, so he does not worry about the strength or numbers of the enemy he is opposing, for he is certain of his Lord and is reassured; he does not panic and he is not cowardly. Hence Allah says:

﴾(But whoever puts his trust in Allah, verily Allah is Almighty﴿ and no power could withstand His power ﴾Most Wise﴿) in ah that He decrees.

8:50. If only you could see when the angels take the souls of the disbelievers [at death], striking their faces and backs, [saying]: Taste the punishment of the scorching fire!

8:51. This is because of what your hands sent on ahead. For Allah is never unjust to [His] slaves.

8:52. That was the case with the people of Pharaoh and those who came before them. They rejected the signs of Allah, so Allah seized them because of their sins. Verily Allah is mighty, severe in punishment.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: f(If only you could see﴿ those who disbelieved in the signs of Allah, when ﴾the angels﴿ whose task it is take their souls and they become very distressed

﴾striking their faces and backs﴿ that is, the angels strike their faces and backs, saying to them: Give up your souls, but their souls refuse and are reluctant to come out, because they know what lies ahead of painful punishment.

Hence Allah says: ﴾Taste the punishment of the scorching fire!﴿ that is, the severe burning punishment. That punishment will befall you, not wrongfully or unfairly on the part of your Lord, but because of what your hands have sent on ahead of sins that have left their impact on you. This is the way of Allah with both the earlier and later generations; this is the case with these disbelievers and the way in which Allah deals with them, destroying them for their sins ﴾That was the case with the people of Pharaoh and those who came before them﴿ of the disbelieving nations

﴾They rejected the signs of Allah, so Allah seized them﴿ with the punishment ﴾because of their sins. Verily Allah is mighty, severe in punishment﴿ and no one whom He wants to seize can escape Him.

﴾...There is no living creature but He holds it [in His control] by its forelock... ﴿ (Hood II: 56)(ot-or

8:53. That is because Allah would never change the blessings He has bestowed upon a people unless they themselves changed their own attitude and conduct. Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All- Knowing.

8:54. That was the case with the people of Pharaoh and those who came before them. They rejected the signs of their Lord, so We destroyed them for their sins and We drowned the people of Pharaoh, for they were all transgressors.

﴾That﴿ namely the punishment that Allah sent upon the disbelieving nations, and took away from them what they were enjoying of blessings and a life of ease, was because of their sins and their changing their own attitude and conduct. For verily tf Allah would never change the blessings He has bestowed upon a people﴿, whether those blessings are spiritual or worldly; rather He preserves them and increases those blessings for them, if they increase in gratitude towards Him ﴾unless they themselves changed their own attitude and conduct﴿, turning from obedience to disobedience, thus showing ingratitude for the blessings of Allah and using them for sinful purposes. In that case He takes the blessings away from them and changes them into something else, as they changed their attitude and conduct.

Allah is wise and just in so doing, and He is kind to His slaves, as He does not punish them except for their wrongdoing.

﴾Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing﴿ - He hears all that people say, whether it is whispered or spoken out loud, and He knowswhat is in their hearts and in their minds, so He decrees for His slaves on the basis of His knowledge and will.

﴾That was the case with the people of Pharaoh and those who came before them. They rejected the signs of their Lord﴿ when they came to them

﴾so We destroyed them for their sins﴿ each according to his sins

﴾and We drowned the people of Pharaoh, for they﴿ those who were destroyed and punished

﴾were all transgressors﴿ who wronged themselves, and strove for their doom. Allah did not wrong them, nor did He take them to task for some offence that they did not commit. So those who are addressed here should beware of resembling them in wrongdoing, lest Allah send upon them His punishment as He sent it upon those evildoers.

j p'r— (S) pA) j f

8:55. Verily the worst of creatures before Allah are those who disbelieve and will not believe.

8:56. They are the ones with whom you made a treaty, but they break their treaty every time, and they do not fear Allah.

8:57. If you defeat them in battle, then make a fearsome example of them for others, so that they may pay heed.

Those who combine these three characteristics - disbelief, lack of faith and treachery, in the sense that they do not adhere to their treaty or keep their word - are the worst of creatures before Allah. They are worse than donkeys, dogs or other animals, because goodness islacking in them and evil is expected of them. Therefore getting rid of them and destroying them is essential, lest their disease spread to others. Hence Allah says:

﴾lf you defeat them in battle﴿ that is, if you come across them in a war situation, where they have no covenant or treaty with you ﴾then make a fearsome example of them for others﴿ that is, punish them so as to deter others, and inflict a penalty on them that will make an example of them for those who come after them ﴾so that they﴿ namely those who come after them ﴾may pay heed﴿ to the consequences of their actions, lest the same fate befall them. These are the benefits that are connected to the punishments and prescribed penalties that are connected to sins; they are a means of deterring those who have not committed sins, and they also deter those who did commit them from repeating them.

The restriction of this punishment to war situations indicates that it is not permissible to betray and punish the disbeliever if he is given a covenant, even if it is known that he is treacherous and that he would not hesitate to betray.

8:58. So if you fear treachery from any group, then break off [the treaty] with them plainly and openly, for Allah does not love the treacherous.

That is, if there is a treaty or covenant between you and some people, agreeing not to fight, but you fear their betrayal due to circumstantial evidence to that effect, without open betrayal on their part,﴾then break off [the treaty] with them﴿ that is, throw it back at them and tell them that there is no longer any treaty between you and them ﴾plainly and openly﴿ so that both of you will be well aware of that. It is not permissible for you to deceive them or strive to do anything that is not allowed according to the terms of the treaty, unless you inform them of that.

﴾for Allah does not love the treacherous﴿; rather He hates them greatly. It is essential to be open and clear, so that you will not be accused of treachery.

This verse indicates that if there is no fear of treachery, in the sense that there is no indication of that, then it is not permissible to cancel the covenant with them; rather it is obligatory to fulfil it until the end of its term.

8:59. Let not the disbelievers think that they can escape; surely they can never frustrate [Allah’s will].

That is, those who disbelieve in their Lord and reject His revelations should not think that they have escaped from Allah, for they cannot frustrate His will; Allah is watching them.

There is great wisdom in His giving them respite and not hastening to punish them, one aspect of which is that this is a test and trial for His believing slaves which is aimed at motivating them to obey Him and do that which pleases Him so that they may attain a high status and acquire characteristics and attributes that they would not otherwise acquire. Hence Allah says to His believing slaves:0

8:60. Make ready against them all that you can of [military] power and steeds of war, to strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies, and others besides them whom you do not know, but Allah knows them. Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

That is, ﴾Make ready﴿ against your disbelieving enemies who are striving to destroy you and your religion

﴾al! that you can of [military] power﴿ that is, all that you can of knowledge-based and physical strength, and all types of weapons, and so on, that will help you to fight them. This includes all kinds of skills that are required to produce various kinds of weapons and equipment such as artillery, automatic weapons, rifles, warplanes, land vehicles, ships, forts and strongholds, trenches and defensive equipment, as well as wisdom and diplomacy, by means of which the Muslims may become advanced in these fields and ward off the evil of their enemies. They should also learn shooting (fighting skills), courage and strategy. Hence the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

«Verily power is in shooting.» (Muslim)^{1All hadiths in this text have been checked and verified by 11 PH’s researchers. It is rare, but it does happen that a hadith is not verifiable within the timeframe of researching and editing the book. In that case, a decision is made by the editorial board as to whether or not to include the hadith. It is IIPH’s policy not to include weak hadiths or fabricated (fake) hadiths in our publications. If a weak hadith is included in any text, =}

That also includes preparing the means of transportation that are needed when fighting. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾and steeds of war, to strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies﴿. The reason at that time (and today) was to instil fear in the enemy; the ruling is always connected to the reason.

If there is a better alternative (to what was available in the past) for instilling fear, such as land vehicles and aircraft that are prepared for fighting and could be more effective, then it is enjoined to prepare them and try to obtain them. If they cannot be obtained except by learning how to manufacture them, then that must be done, because whatever is essential to achieving something that is obligatory is also obligatory.

﴾to strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies﴿, those who you know are your enemies ﴾and others besides them whom you do not know﴿ who will fight you after this time when Allah addressed these words to them ﴾but Allah knows them﴿ - therefore He commanded them to prepare to confront them. One of the greatest means that may help in fighting them is spending on jihad against the disbelievers. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, encouraging that:

﴾Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah﴿ whether it be a small or great amount

﴾will be repaid to you in full﴿ - the reward for it on the Day of Resurrection will be multiplied greatly, to the extent that whatever is spent in the cause of Allah will be given a seven hundredfold reward up to many times more than that.

﴾and you will not be wronged﴿ that is, nothing will be detracted from the reward for that.

= it is only because the author of the book discusses it as a weak hadith. (Editor)

8:61. If they incline to peace, then make peace with them, and put your trust in Allah, for verily He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

8:62. But if they intend to deceive you, then verily Allah is sufficient for you; He it is Who strengthened you with His help and with [the support of] the believers.

8:63. He brought their hearts together; even if you had spent all that is on earth, you could not have brought their hearts together, but Allah has brought them together, for He is Almighty, Most Wise.

8:64. O Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you.

c-[If they;-) that is, the disbelievers who are fighting you (•{incline to peace;-) that is, if they incline to a treaty with you and a cessation of fighting

﴾then make peace with them, and put your trust in Allah﴿) that is, respond to their request, putting your trust in your Lord, for in that there are many benefits, including the following:

• seeking peace and safety is always good; if they are the ones who initiate that, then it is more appropriate to respond

• that offers an opportunity to regain your strength and prepare again to fight them at some other time, if necessary

• if you make peace with one another and feel safe with one another, and each side starts to know the other, that will facilitatecalling them to Islam, for Islam by its nature will prevail and cannot be prevailed over. Whoever is possessed of reason and understanding, if he is fair-minded, will inevitably prefer Islam over other religions, because its beauty is manifested in its commands and prohibitions, and its way of dealing with people and spreading justice among them; there is no injustice or unfairness in it. In that case, more people will become interested in it and will follow it.

Thus this peace will help the Muslims against the disbelievers. There is nothing to be feared from peace except one thing, which is that the disbelievers’ aim behind that may be to trick the Muslims and take the opportunity to harm them.

Hence Allah tells them that He is sufficient for them and will protect them from the treachery of their enemies, for that treachery will backfire on them:

﴾But if they intend to deceive you, then verily Allah is sufficient for you﴿ that is. He will protect you from that which may harm you, for He is looking after your interests and concerns. He has already sufficed you and supported you with that which should reassure your heart.

For ﴾He it is Who strengthened you with His help and with [the support of] the believers!”) that is. He helped you with His divine help, which is support that nothing could withstand, and He helped you with the believers, as He inspired them to support you.

e﴾He brought their hearts together﴿ and they united in harmony, so their strength increased because of their unity; this was not due to the efforts of anyone or the strength of anyone except the strength of Allah.

If you spent all that is on earth of gold and silver and other wealth in order to bring hearts together after that dissent and extreme division, ﴾you could not have brought their hearts together﴿, because no one controls people’s hearts except Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).﴾but Allah has brought them together, for He is Almighty, Most Wise﴿; by His might He united their hearts and brought them together after they had been divided, as He says elsewhere:

﴾...Remember the favour that Allah bestowed upon you, for you were enemies then He brought your hearts together, so that by His grace, you became brethren, and you were on the brink of the pit of fire, and He saved you from it...b (Al 'Imran 3: 103)

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾0 Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you﴿ that is. He will take care of you and your followers among the believers. This is a promise from Allah to His believing slaves who follow His Messenger (ﷺ), that He will suffice them and support them against their enemies.

Therefore if they take proper measures, namely believing and following the Prophet (ﷺ), then He will inevitably suffice them with regard to that which concerns them of both spiritual and worldly matters. That support is not granted only when its conditions are not met.

8:65. O Prophet, urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast men among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred such, they will overcome a thousand of the disbelievers, for they are a people who do not understand.

8:66. But now Allah has lightened your burden, for He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are one hundred steadfast men among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there are a thousand, they will overcome two thousand, by Allah’s leave. And Allah is with those who are steadfast.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says to His Prophet (ﷺ): ﴾0 Prophet, urge the believers to fight﴿ that is, encourage them and motivate them to fight by means of all that may strengthen their resolve and energise them, such as encouraging them to engage in jihad and combat their enemies, and warning them against doing the opposite of that; tell them of the virtues of courage and steadfastness, and what that results in of good in this world and the hereafter; remind them of the harm done by cowardice, and that it is a bad characteristic that is contrary to religious commitment and dignity, and that courage is more appropriate for the believers than for others.

﴾f...If you are suffering hardships, they are also suffering hardships; but you hope for something from Allah that they cannot hope for... ﴿

﴾If there are twenty steadfast men among you﴿ O believers, ﴾they will overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred such, they will overcome a thousand of the disbelievers﴿ so it will be a ratio of one believer to ten of the disbelievers. That is because ﴾they are a people who do not understand﴿; they have no knowledge of what Allah has prepared for those who strive in His cause, so they fight in order to become supreme in the land and to spread mischief therein, whereas you understand the purpose of fighting, which is to make the word of Allah supreme, cause His religion to prevail and defend the Book of Allah, and to attain the greatest success with Allah. All of this instils courage and steadfastness and encourages you to fight.

Then Allah made this ruling easier for His slaves (and reduced the ratio of believers to disbelievers):﴾But now Allah has lightened your burden, for He knows that there is weakness in you﴿. Hence His mercy and wisdom dictated that the burden should be made lighter:

﴾So if there are one hundred steadfast men among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there are a thousand, they will overcome two thousand, by Allah’s leave. And Allah is with those who are steadfast﴿ by His help and support.

These verses appear in the form of a description of the believers (as opposed to an instruction or prescription): if their number reaches this specific amount, they can defeat that number of disbelievers, for Allah has blessed them with that which will instil spiritual courage in them.

But what is really meant is an instruction or command. Initially Allah instructed the believers that one should not flee from ten, or ten from one hundred, or one hundred from one thousand.

Then He made the burden lighter, so it is not permissible for the Muslims to flee from double the number of disbelievers, but if the disbelievers are more than double their number it is permissible for them to flee. But two objections may be raised by others concerning this idea:

1- It appears in the form of a statement, and the basic principle concerning statements is that they are to be understood as they appear to be and that what is meant is a reminder of blessings and a description of reality;

2- It is stipulated with regard to that number that they should be steadfast in the sense that they should be accustomed to being steadfast and patient. What may be understood from this is that if they are not accustomed to being steadfast and patient, then it is permissible for them to flee, even if the number of the enemy is less than double their number, if they think it most likely that they will be harmed, as is dictated by divine wisdom.

The response to the first point is that the fact that Allah says ﴾But now Allah has lightened your burden... b indicates that thisis a binding instruction and a command to be obeyed, then Allah reduced the number, which clearly indicates that it is an instruction even though it appears in the form of a statement.

It may be said that the reason why it appears in the form of a statement is a beautiful meaning that would not be present if it appeared in the form of an instruction, which is that it is aimed at strengthening the hearts of the believers and giving them the glad tidings that they will defeat the disbelievers.

The aim behind the stipulation that they should be steadfast is to encourage steadfastness and patience, and it is saying that they should take measures to achieve that. Then if they do that, they will have taken measures on the basis of faith, as well as other material preparations, that will raise their hopes of attaining what Allah has told them about of victory for this small number.

8:67. It is not befitting for a Prophet to take captives until he has thoroughly suppressed [the enemy] in the land. You desire the fleeting gains of this world, but Allah desires [for you] the hereafter. And Allah is Almighty, Most Wise.

8:68. Were it not fora prior decree from Allah, a grievous punishment would have befallen you for what you took [of ransom],

8:69. So enjoy what you have gained in war as lawful and good, but fear Allah; verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

This is a rebuke from Allah to His Messenger (ﷺ) and the believers on the day of Badr, when they captured the polytheists and kept them alive for the sake of the ransom, whereas the view of Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiya Allahu ‘anhu - may Allah be pleased with him) in this situation was that they should be executed and eradicated.

Hence Allah (tig) said: ﴾It is not befitting for a Prophet to take captives until he has thoroughly suppressed [the enemy] in the land﴿ that is, it was not appropriate for him, when fighting the disbelievers who wanted to extinguish the light of Allah and were striving to eliminate His religion, so that there would remain no one on earth who worshipped Allah, to hasten to capture them and keep them alive for the sake of the ransom that he could get from them, at the time when that was a small gain in comparison to the interest that could be served by executing them and putting an end to their evil. So long as they were spreading evil and had power, it was more appropriate not to take them as prisoners.

If they are thoroughly suppressed, a stop has been put to their evil and their power has diminished, then in that case there is nothing wrong with taking prisoners from among them and letting them live.

﴾You desire﴿ by taking the ransom and letting them live ﴾the fleeting gains of this world﴿ that is, there is no benefit from that in terms of supporting the religion.

﴾but Allah desires [for you] the hereafter﴿ by supporting His religion and helping His close friends, and causing their word to prevail over others. Therefore He enjoins you to do that which will help you to attain that.

﴾And Allah is Almighty, Most Wise﴿ that is, He is perfect in might: if He wanted to defeat the disbelievers without a fight. He would have done so, but He is Most Wise and He tests some of you by means of others.

﴾Were it not for a prior decree from Allah﴿, for by His will and decree He has made booty permissible for you and has spared this Ummah from the punishment

﴾a grievous punishment would have befallen you for what you took [of ransom]﴿. In the hadith it says:

«If a punishment had come down on the day of Badr, no one would have been saved from it except ‘Umar.» (A da'eef hadith)

﴾So enjoy what you have gained in war as lawful and good﴿. This is by the kindness of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) towards this Ummah: He has made booty permissible to them whereas He did not permit it to any previous nation.

﴾but fear Allah﴿ in all your affairs, and adhere to that out of gratitude for the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon you ﴾verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving﴿ - He forgives the one who repents to Him for all his sins, and He forgives all the sins of those who do not ascribe partners to Him

﴾Most Merciful﴿ towards you, as He has permitted booty to you and has made it lawful and good.

8:70. O Prophet, say to those who are captives in your hands: If Allah knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than that which has been taken from you, and will forgive you, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

8:71. If they intend to betray you, they have already betrayed Allah before, so He gave [you] power over them. And Allah is All- Knowing, Most Wise.

This was revealed concerning the captives of the Battle of Badr, among whom was al-‘Abbas, the paternal uncle of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When the ransom was demanded of him, he claimed that he had become Muslim before that, but they did not waive the ransom for him. Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) revealed this verse to console him and those who were in a similar situation:

﴾0 Prophet, say to those who are captives in your hands: If Allah knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than that which has been taken from you﴿ that is, of wealth, for He will make easy for you by His grace something that is better and greater than that which was taken from you.

﴾and will forgive you﴿ your sins, and will admit you to paradise ﴾for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful﴿.

Allah fulfilled His promise to al-‘Abbas and others, for he acquired a great deal of wealth after that, to the extent that on one occasion, when a great deal of wealth came to the Prophet (ﷺ), al-‘Abbas came to him and the Prophet (ﷺ) told him to take whatever he could carry in his garment, and he took so much that he was almost unable to carry it.

﴾If they intend to betray you﴿ by striving to fight you and oppose you

﴾they have already betrayed Allah before, so He gave [you] power over them﴿, so let them be wary of betraying you, for Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has power over them and they are under His control.

﴾And Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise﴿ that is. He knows all things and is Most Wise in doing that which is appropriate. By His knowledge and wisdom, He prescribes these great rulings for you and He has guaranteed to suffice you with regard to the issue of the prisoners and their evil if they want to betray you (following their release).

8:72. Verily those who believed, migrated, and strove and fought in the cause of Allah, offering their wealth and their lives, and those who gave them refuge and help - these are allies and protectors of one another. As for those who believed but did not migrate, you have no duty to protect them until they do migrate. But if they seek your help on grounds of faith, then it is your duty to support them, except against a people with whom you have a treaty. And Allah sees well all that you do.

This refers to the bond of alliance and love that Allah established between the Muhajireen who believed and migrated in Allah’s cause, leaving behind their homeland for the sake of Allah and in order to engage in jihad in Allah’s cause, and the Ansar who gave shelter to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his Companions, and helped them by sharing their property, wealth and lives with them. They were allies and protectors of one another, because of the perfect nature of their faith and the strong ties among them.

﴾As for those who believed but did not migrate, you have no duty to protect them until they do migrate﴿ for they severed the bonds of alliance because of their separation from you at a time when there was a great need for manpower. Because they did not migrate, they had no alliance with the believers at all.

But ﴾if they seek your help on grounds of faith that is, in order to fight those who are fighting them because of their religion﴾then it is your duty to support them﴿ and fight alongside them. However, if people fight them for other purposes, then you are not obliged to support them.

﴾except against a people with whom you have a treaty﴿ that is, an agreement not to fight. If the believers who are distinct from others but have not migrated want to fight them, you should not help them in doing so, because of the treaty that exists between you and them.

﴾And Allah sees well all that you do﴿ - He knows your circumstances and He prescribes appropriate rulings for you.

(vr

8:73. Those who disbelieve are allies and protectors of one another. Hence if you fail to do [what you were enjoined to do, of supporting one another], there will be persecution in the land, and a great deal of mischief.

As Allah established the alliance among the believers. He informed them that the disbelievers are united on the basis of their disbelief, hence they are allies and protectors of one another. Therefore no one takes them as allies except one who is a disbeliever like them.

﴾Hence if you fail to do [what you were enjoined to do]﴿ namely taking believers as allies and opposing the disbelievers, such as taking all people as allies or taking all people as enemies (not distinguishing between Muslims and the disbelievers), or taking the disbelievers as allies and taking the believers as enemies﴾there will be persecution in the land, and a great deal of mischief﴿ and that will lead to unlimited evil, because of confusing truth with falsehood, and believers with disbelievers, and because of the cessation of major acts of worship such as jihad, Hijrah (migration) and other aims of Sharia, which will be missed if the believers do not take only their own kind as allies and protectors.

8:74. Verily those who believed, migrated, and strove and fought in Allah’s cause, and those who gave them refuge and help - these are the true believers; they will have forgiveness and a generous provision.

8:75. Those who believed afterwards, migrated and strove and fought in Allah’s cause with you, they too are of you. But kindred by blood are nearer to one another [regarding inheritance] according to the decree ordained by Allah. Verily Allah has knowledge of all things.

The previous verses mentioned the bond of brotherhood among the believers, the Muhajireen and Ansar.

These verses praise them and speak of their reward:

﴾Verily those who believed, migrated, and strove and fought in Allah’s cause, and those who gave them refuge and help - these﴿ namely the believers, the Muhajireen and Ansar,﴾are the true believers﴿, because they confirmed their faith by means of the deeds that they undertook, namely migration, mutual support, forming an alliance with one another and striving in jihad against their enemies, the disbelievers and hypocrites.

﴾they will have forgiveness﴿ from Allah, by means of which their bad deeds will be erased

﴾and﴿ they will have ﴾ja generous provisionthat is, much good from the Most Generous Lord in gardens of bliss.

They may also have a reward in this world that will bring them delight and reassure their hearts. This also applies to those who come after these Muhajireen and Anṣar, those who follow their guidance in the best manner, and believe, migrate and strive in Allah’s cause.

﴾they too are of you﴿ and they have the same rights and duties as you do.

This brotherhood of faith, which appeared at the beginning of Islam, had a great impact and was of great significance, because the Prophet (ﷺ) established a special bond of brotherhood between the Muhajireen and Ansar, something that surpassed the regular bonds of brotherhood, as they even used to inherit from one another by virtue of this brotherhood. Then Allah revealed the words: ﴾But kindred by blood are nearer to one another [regarding inheritance] according to the decree ordained by Allah﴿. So no one can inherit from a person except his male relatives on the father’s side and those who are given allocated shares of inheritance; if there are no such heirs, then the nearest of other relatives inherit, as is indicated by the general meaning of this verse.

The phrase ﴾according to the decree ordained by Allah﴿ means: according to the rulings and laws that He has prescribed.

﴾Verily Allah has knowledge of all things﴿ which includes His knowledge of your circumstances, because of which He ordains laws and regulations for you that are appropriate to your circumstances.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat al-Anfal.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.