8. AL-ANFAL (THE SPOILS OF WAR)

NAME: The Surah begins with the problem of the spoils of war. and hence the name: Al-Anfal (The spoils of war).

TIME OF REVELATION: This is a Madani Surah, i.e. revealed in Madina, after the Battle of Badr, in the month of Ramadan, 02 A.H.

CENTRAL THEME: is Jihad, and to provide correct guidance to Muslims to help them solve the problems that cropped up as a consequence of the Battle of Badr. It also aims at making manifest to the deniers, the mark of the truth of the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), which this battle of truth and falsehood had stamped on the pages of history. In the Surah A’raf those historical events were presented from which the truth of the earlier prophets sent to the respective communities are confirmed. In this Surah the success of the people of faith has been taken as the mark of the truth of the Last prophet, because this battle was quite a different kind of battle, that drew a distinctive line between truth and falsehood.

ORDER OF THE VERSES: In Verses Nos. I to 4, while giving answer to a question regarding the distribution of the spoils of war, those characteristics of the people of faith are mentioned which prove the truth and firmness of their faith, and by having which a man adopts the attitude of obeying the dictates of Allah and His Messenger in every matter.

Verses Nos. 5 to 8 allude to the weakness shown by Muslims before the battle.

In Verses Nos. 9 to 19 is mentioned the help that was provided by Allah during the battle and incidentally it is stated that Muslims should not turn their backs in the event of fighting.

In Verses Nos. 20 to 29, Muslims are directed that in times of emergency they should provide proof of their loyalty to Allah and His Messenger.

Verses Nos. 30 to 40 express the fact that the plots which the unbelievers had hatched against the Messenger of Allah have misfired and Allah’s planning has become successful. If inspite of this they have not yet realised the wrongness of their stand, and they are reluctant to give up their attitude of unbelief, then Muslims should continue to pursue their policy of war till finally the Religion of Truth triumphs in the holy land.

In Verses Nos. 41 to 49 are mentioned the principles of the distribution of the spoils of war and the points which distinguish an Islamic war from an un-Islamic war, with a direction to the Muslims that they should strictly observe these distinctive principles.

Verses Nos. 50 to 54 allude to that Divine Punishment which descended on the unbelievers at the time of the Battle of Badr.

In Verses Nos. 55 to 66 important directions about war and peace are given.

Verses Nos. 67 to 71 contain a review of the “Fidyah” (ransom) taken from the prisoners of war.

Verses Nos. 72 to 75 form the concluding part of the Surah, in which Muslims are directed to strengthen their relationship of mutual brotherhood so that they may be able to effectively resist the infidels who were at war with them.

In the beginning of the Surah Muslims are directed to improve their mutual relationship and in the concluding Verses they have been exhorted to help and assist each other. which shows how important is this matter in connection with jihad.

THE BATTLE OF BADR AND ITS CAUSES: This battle was fought at the place known as Badr, which is at a distance of 148 kilometers from Madina and 303 kilometers from Makkah. On the one side were the Muslims of Madina, being led by the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) himself. and on the other side were the unbelievers of Makkah whose commander was Abu Jahl. Muslims were slightly more than 300 in number and were ill-equipped and scantily armed. while the infidels’ army’ was one thousand strong and was fully armed and well- equipped. This was the first battle that was fought between Unbelief and Islam, therefore it has a great historical importance. The causes of this battle are briefly as follows:

(1) The polytheists of Makkah had plotted to kill the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). but he escaped from their clutches and migrated to Madina, where he found most loyal friends who had determined to help and assist him till their last. The infidels of Makkah were embittered and felt jealous.

(2) Those Meccans who had accepted the faith of the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) and had become the standard-bearers of monotheism were being subjected to the severest kind of tortures, so much so that they were compelled to leave their homes and migrate from Makkah.

(3) The idolaters of Makkah had placed restriction on the freedom of belief and conscience, which is a man’s birth right. They were not prepared to tolerate any person who had given up idolatry and had adopted monotheism as his religion. They pressurised such persons and harassed them so that they might not give up their forefathers’ religion, however wrong it might be in their eyes.

(4) The polytheists of Makkah had blocked the way of the Muslims for going to Hajj and Umrah. When Sa’ad bin Mua’z went to Makkah for Umrah, Abu Jahl accosted him and said in the Haram: “You are fearlessly performing pilgrimage in Makkah, although you have given shelter to those who have turned away from our religion, and you are assisting and helping them. Had you not been with Abu Safwan,you would not have gone away safely from here.”

In reply Sa’ad said to him;I”By God, if.you prevented me from this, then I will block you from a thing which will be more severe for you and that is your way of passing through Madina.” - (Bukhari, Kitabul Maghazi).

(5) Allah had made the House of Ka’ba as a centre of monotheism and the purpose of the system of Hajj introduced by prophet Ibrahim, its constructor, was to keep people attached to the religion of monotheism. But the Quraish who became its trustees installed idols in it and observed polytheistic rituals. The Quraish had no right to change this historic and great mosque into a house of idols, and to occupy it by force. Therefore, it was necessary to remove them from its trusteeship, to purify it from the idols and idolatry, and to restore its original state of the centre of Monotheism Tawheed).

These were the basic causes which intensified the tension between the Muslims of Madina and the polytheists of Makkah. Then the polytheists of Makkah schemed and plotted against the Muslims of Madina. as a result of which a state of war existed between the two. and Quran gave open permission to Muslims, who had so far restrained themselves, to wage a war against the unbelievers.

In these conditions when Abu Sufyan was returning with a trading caravan from Syria to Makkah, the Muslims of Madina wanted to attack it so that the infidels might be weakened and they might learn a lesson. when Abu Sufyan came to know of it, he sent for help from Makkah. Thereupon the idolaters of Makkah mobilised an army of one thousand men, which included their top leaders, and with full preparedness set out for his help. From Madina Muslims also came out for a showdown with whatever preparations they could make. They were a little over three hundred in number, and they were lacking in the necessary equipments of war. Even then they set out from Madina with a grim determination to fight, and proceeded towards Badr.

Before they reached Badr, the trading caravan changed its route and proceeded further from Badr towards Makkah. After the safe passage of the caravan, some chiefs of the infidels wanted to return to Makkah with their army, but Abu Jahl insisted that they should march on to Badr, and finally the army reached Badr. From the other side the Muslim army had also reached Badr. Thus on Friday, the 17th of Ramadan of the year 02 A.H. (623 A.D.) the two armies faced each other at Badr. The prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) prayed very beseechingly to Allah for His help. When the fighting started, Muslims fought most valiantly, and Allah’s help favoured them, and these handful men defeated the large army of the infidels. From amongst the Muslims only fourteen men were martyred, while the infidels lost seventy men, among whom were the great leaders of the Quraish, like Abu Jahl, ‘Utbah, Shaibah, Ummayah bin Khalaf, etc. On seeing their great warriors falling, the soldiers of the infidel army took to their heels, and Muslims were able to capture seventy prisoners of war, among whom were also several leaders of the Quraish. Among the captured leaders were Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ait. and Nadhr bin Harith, who were killed on the way of the Muslim army’s return from Badr. The Muslims returned to Madina with the remaining prisoners and the spoils of war victoriously. The people of Madina welcomed the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) most ardently. They were overjoyed by the safe return of the Prophet of Islam and by this overwhelming victory over the forces of evil. The Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) ordered the prisoners to be released after paying ransom and those who could not pay it were released without paying any thing. The soldiers of the infidel army tasted a very humiliating defeat. It had become very difficult for them to face their countrymen when they reached Makkah.

This was the Battle of Badr which snatched away the leaders of the infidels of Makkah and converted them into orphans, and gave such a turn to the careers and history of Muslims that thereafter they marched forward with their revolutionary message and overwhelmed the world, and whichever power clashed with them was finally crushed to smithereen.

8. SURAH AL – ANF AL (THE SPOILS OF WAR) Verses 75

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1.They ask you about the spoils of war. Say: “The spoils of war belong to Allah and the messenger. So fear Allah and keep straight the relations between yourselves, and obey Allah and His messenger, if you are believers.”

2. The believers are only those whose hearts are filled with awe² at the mention of Allah, and whose faith grows stronger when His revelations are recited to them³, and they put their trust in their Lord⁴;

3. Who establish salat ⁵ (prayer), and spend (in Our way) of that which We have given them⁶.

4. Such in reality are the true believers. For them are the grades of honour with their Lord, and forgiveness and bountiful provision.

5. (And the events at Badr took place, in the same way), as your Lord brought you forth from your home (Madina towards Badr) with the truth, while a group among the believers were averse to it⁷,

6. Disputing with you about the truth, even after it had been made manifest, as if they were being driven to death, and they were seeing it ⁸, (with their own eyes).

7. And when Allah had promised you one of the two bands that it should be yours⁹, and you wished that the unarmed one might be yours¹⁰; while Allah willed¹¹ to establish the truth according to his words and to cut off the roots of unbelievers ¹².

1. There was some dispute about the distribution of the spoils of war the victorious Muslims captured at the Battle of Badr. Since this was the first battle that was fought under the banner of Islam, there were differences of opinion on various problems that arose and certain weaknesses were also observed. In this connection the most important question that came up was: who deserved to get the spoils of war, those who actually captured the spoils or whether other soldiers of the army also deserved to receive them, and what is the guiding principle or rule for the distribution of the booty. Here while giving a reply to this question, attention is drawn towards removing the weaknesses which came to the fore on this occasion, because the higher objectives which Islam intends to achieve by means of jihad can only be attained when its soldiers prove to be sincere, of good character, attached to each other and highly disciplined.

“Spoils of war belong to Allah and His messenger,” is the principled reply that is given to this question, which means that the right and authority to spend or distribute the spoils of war fully and absolutely vests in Allah and His messenger. whatever commands they give must be accepted and obeyed. Allah stated the rule of distribution of the spoils of war in Verse No.41 and left the details for the prophet to decide.

2. That is: The people of faith are so warm hearted, keen and sensitive in their love for God that whenever His name is mentioned, their hearts are filled with awe by the thought of His greatness. The other name for such a state is ‘taqwa ‘.

3. The real connection of faith is with the heart, and if care is taken to develop the state of faith that is generated in the heart, then it will be seen that it grows stronger with regularity. Recitation of the Verses of Quran with understanding their sense and meaning results in strengthening faith.

4. That is: Their real trust is not in provisions and equipments but in Allah. For waging a war, they provide themselves with whatever equipment they can collect and also employ the best possible strategies. and in spite of all this they do not think that their success depends on their equipments or their strategies; they think that their success depends on the help that would come from Allah. Similarly, when they receive Allah’s command to fight. they do not hesitate on account of shortage of equipment. but they enter the fray even when they are most ill-equipped; and they think that the outcome is in the hands of Allah.

5. The significance of this aspect of prayer (salat) in connection with jihad makes it clear that, that army of Muslims which does not establish prayer is utterly useless for bringing in the Islamic revolution.

6. Refers to the fact that people fighting in the way of Allah are not mercenary soldiers. nor do they have any material benefits as their goals. but they spend their own money and sacrifice everything they possess.

7. This Verse clarifies that the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). left Madina under the command of Allah. and his leaving Madina was for the purpose of establishing truth. that is he had not left Madina for any worldly objective or for plundering or merely shedding blood. but the objective was to prove the truth of the dawah of monotheism and of his prophethood. And this objective could not be achieved by attacking the trading caravan. but only by confronting the army of the infidels. Therefore, when he left Madina. he advanced with the idea of reaching Badr only. But a group of Muslims did not like the idea of challenging the infidel army. They wanted to attack the trading caravan which was travelling from Syria to Makkah. because it was easier to overpower the caravan than win against the army.

8. This event took place before their coming, out of Madina. When the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) informed the Muslims that Abu Sufyan has left Syria on his way to Makkah with his trading caravan. and the army of the disbelievers was advancing towards Badr from Makkah. and that they would be confronted with either of the two groups. a section of the Muslims were inclined to attack the trading caravan. Later on when the prophet clearly told them that they have to fight the army of the disbelievers. so that a final decision between truth and falsehood might come out. some of the Muslims who were weakened, felt that fighting against such a large and well-armed army of the infidels in such an ill-equipped condition would be nothing short of inviting their own death. Therefore’. they tried to argue with the Prophet in this matter, they were insisting that the Muslims should advance towards the caravan instead of towards the army. This attitude of theirs is criticized here.

9. That is: you will overpower the caravan or the army. This was the promise of Allah, about which the prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi, Wa Sallam) had already informed the Muslims. For tactical reasons the point was kept vague, but subsequently before the Muslim army set out from Madina. the prophet had informed the Muslims that they were going to fight the infidel army, so that the people of faith might come out fully prepared for fighting.

It may be noted that some errors have been committed by narrators and biographers in relating the events in their proper order. For this reason, a correct picture of the events is not presented before our eyes, e.g. this statement of the biographer. Ibn Ishaq that the prophet had set out with the objective of attacking the caravan, and subsequently he informed the people that the fighting would be against the army. The relating of the events in the wrong sequence has given a chance to the opponents of Islam to raise objections. But the statement of the Quran referred to herein refutes this objection. since it is clearly mentioned here that the fighting would be against the army was made known before setting out from Madina. and that is why a section of the Muslims did not like taking up arms against the infidel army and they had entered into an argument with the prophet. Therefore. these narratives should be viewed in the light of what is stated by Quran and the statement of Quran should not be viewed in the light of these narratives.

It may also be noted that even if the Muslims were to attack the trade caravan, it would not have been a wrongful act, for the Quraish were at war with the Muslims and in conditions of war to attack the caravans of the enemy to weaken him is not an objectionable thing. And if at all it were an objectionable thing, Quran would not have stated: one of the two bands, that it should be yours,” but it would have said that the army should be yours. But since by overpowering the caravan the distinction between the truth and the falsehood would not have become manifest, and misunderstanding could have been created that the objective of the Muslims was only to plunder the caravan, Allah did not let the caravan to come under the Muslims’ attack and caused the army to be confronted by them, and when with the help from Allah the Muslims were victorious, it was amply proved that the plan of the battle which was drawn by the prophet was absolutely correct, and this had happened under the guidance and support of Allah.

10. By the unarmed ones is meant the trade caravan. Since this trade caravan consisted of only forty persons, it would have been possible to overpower it without any resistance.

11. That is: By His commands.

12. It is obvious that this objective could be achieved by fighting only.

8. So that He might justify the truth and prove falsehood to be false, however, distasteful it might be to the guilty¹³.

9. when you were appealingly praying to your Lord¹⁴, He answered: “I will help you with a chain of thousand angels.”

10. And Allah made this a glad tiding (for you¹⁵), and (He gave this glad tiding to you) so that your hearts might be reassured, for help comes only from Allah¹⁶. Verily Allah is Mighty, Wise.

11. (And remember the time) when he caused you to be overcome by drowsiness, as peace from Him ¹⁷ and sent down rainwater from the sky so that He might purify you and to remove the impurity of Satan from you, and so that He might strengthen your hearts and thereby to plant your feet firmly¹⁸.

12. At that time your Lord was revealing to the angels (saying): “I am with you, so keep firm those who believed¹⁹. I will cast terror into the hearts of disbelievers. So strike on their necks, and strike on every finger of theirs²⁰.

13. This because they opposed Allah and His messenger, and whoever opposes Allah and His messenger, then Allah is strict in punishment.

14. This is your punishment, so taste it. And indeed for the infidels is the punishment of Fire²¹.

15. O You who believe! when you encounter as an army the infidels (in a battle), do not turn your backs to them.

13. That is: To the disbelievers.

14. The Muslims had prayed to God for His help, and the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) spent the whole night praying to Allah, and even during the daytime these words were on his lips: “O God! Fulfil the promise that You have made, and grant us the thing which You have promised.

O God! If this band of handful people is destroyed today, then there will be none to worship You. – (Muslim – kitabul Jihad).

15. That is: The tiding of the descending of the angels that was given to you did not mean that the angels would come and fight on your behalf and that you were not to fight the infidels and put your lives in danger, but giving a good tiding to you only meant that if you stood up firmly against the disbelievers and were prepared to stake your lives in the fighting, then to make you stand firm, to boost your morale, and to make your strikes effective on such an emergent occasion Allah would help you, as has been made clear in Verse No. 12. And this was a great help from Allah, because the army whose morale is high and whose soldiers are ready to stake their lives cannot be defeated by its opponent. That is the reason why in the Battle of Badr, where Muslims were outnumbered in the proportion of 1: 3 defeated the enemy, but if the purpose of sending down the angels was to fight directly against the infidels, then in such a case only one angel would have sufficed. But this is not the tradition of Allah. The clash of the truth and falsehood is a great trial for the parties concerned. The followers of falsehood get an opportunity to express their worst passions and the followers of truth to show their merit. But since the followers of truth are scantily armed, ill- equipped and less in number, Allah sends His angels to assist them, and so far as the Divine help is concerned, it is always with the followers of truth, whether their number may be small or large.

16. That is: Even if this glad tiding were not given them, they should be reassured that Allah’s help would definitely come, and whenever help comes. it is always from Allah. Angels themselves do not help anybody, but when they get a command from Allah they arrive to assist the needy.

17. This event took place in the night before the morning of the battle. This was a night of great terror and restlessness. It is obvious that on such occasions sleep evades men. Therefore, there was no question of deep slumber for Muslims on the eve of the battle. However, it was necessary for them at least to doze for some time so that they might be able to fight in the morning with vigour. Allah caused them to be overcome by drowsiness. which helped them in shedding their fear and enabled them to feel fresh in the morning and fight valiantly in the battle.

18. On the eve of the battle Muslims were anxious about their supply of water. Allah caused rainwater to fall, which proved helpful in various ways. After a long journey Muslims needed to take a bath to remove the dust, but their greater need was to have water for their cleanliness and wuzu (ablutions) before the prayers. Muslims were camping in an open ground. The rainwater bathed them and also enabled them to collect water in a tank which they dug for the purpose. Another advantage of the rainwater was that their doubts and misgivings were removed, for Satan was putting various misgivings in their minds, particularly the suggestion that the conditions are not suitable for Muslims. The third benefit was that it provided the much needed freshness and the Muslims considered it to be a symbol of Divine help. which strengthened their hearts. Fourthly. the place where Muslims were camping was sandy. and with the falling of the rainwater on it, the ground became firm and it became easier for them to maneuvre. In this way this rain of blessing proved so much beneficial for the Muslims that it changed the entire scenario of the battle. On the other hand this rainfall proved to be disastrous for the infidels, for where they were camping it caused it to become muddy, and it became very difficult for their soldiers to have a firm foothold and fight effectively.

19. That is: It was this work which was entrusted to the angels. namely to boost the’ morale of the people of faith. so that they might offer stubborn resistance to the infidels. As for the point: how angels are helpful in boosting the morale of the people of faith. it is a matter connected with the Unseen. about which we cannot have any knowledge, Therefore, it would suffice for us to understand that as by the machination of Satan for creating doubts men falter and stumble, similarly as a result of the inspiration by the angles men’s feet get a firm foothold.

20. It does not mean that the angels were commanded to strike with the sword on the necks of the infidels. If it were to be so, then they would not have been commanded to strike on the fingers of the infidels. The angels were asked to strike on their necks and on their fingers. The words of Quran (Fadhriboo fauqal a ‘naq) do not mean to cut the necks but they mean to strike on, or rather over, the necks. This strike is the same unseen fact as is the angels’ boosting the morale of Muslims, that it is connected with the internal state and not with the outward action. As the result of the striking of the angels on the necks of the infidels was this that their necks became easy prey for the swords of the Muslims, and the result of their striking on the fingers was this that their hold on their weapons became loose and they could not attack Muslims with strong and firm hands.

21. That is: In the world you received the punishment at the hands of the angels and you were disgraced. But the matter did not end there, the punishment in the Hereafter is still pending, for every disbeliever has to enter the Hell and undergo the severe punishment of burning therein forever.

16. And whoever on such a day turns his back to them, except as a strategy of war or to join another group (of his own), he shall incur the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell, an evil refuge²².

17. You did not slay them, but Allah slew them, and (O prophet!) you did not throw (dust when you threw dust towards them), but Allah threw it ²³, in order that He might test the believers by a gracious trial. Verily, Allah is Hearer, Knower.

18. That is so; and Allah weakens the tactics of the infidels²⁴.

19. If you sought judgment, so the judgment has come to you²⁵. If you desist, it will be better for you. And if you repeat (your acts), so shall We,²⁶ and however superior in number your forces may be, it will be of no avail to you. And Allah is with those who believe²⁷. O you who believe!

20. Obey Allah and His messenger, and turn not away from Him when you hear²⁸ (His words).

21. And do not be like those who say: “we hear”, but they hear not²⁹.

22. Verily in the sight of Allah the worst of the beasts are the deaf and dumb people, who do not use reason .³⁰

23. And had Allah perceived any virtue in them, He would have made them hear, but had He made them hear (without it), they would have turned away with aversion³¹.

24. O you who believe! Respond to Allah and His messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life³². And know that Allah stands between man and his heart³³, and that in His presence you shall all be assembled.

22. Islam wants to prepare its own valiant and brave soldiers, who only know to forge forward in the path of Allah making Allah as their goal. Therefore, there are no words like retreat and running away in its dictionary. Quran warns of severe punishment to those who would turn their back in fighting against the infidels, and in a hadith the Prophet ( Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) has listed it among the seven mortal sins:

“And on the day of fighting to turn one’s back is one of the seven mortal sins.” (Muslim-Kitabul Iman).

However, as stated in the Verse, there are two instances which do not come under the definition of turning one’s back or running away from fighting: one is to retreat as a tactical maneuver, and then to re-attack with redoubled force, and the other is to join another fighting group of one’s own army near the fighting front as a tactical measure.

23. In the Battle of Badr when the fighting started, the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) took a handful of sand and threw it towards the infidel army, saying: “Let their faces be disfigured” and at the same time the Muslim soldiers pounced upon the disbelievers. This resulted in the killing of their great leaders and the disbelievers had to suffer a disgraceful defeat. This event is recorded in the ‘Seerat Ibn Hasham’ (Vol. 2 page. 268). In the said Verse the allusion is to this event only. It means that it was the work of Allah alone which made the strike of the Muslims tellingly effective against the infidels, and to blow the dust thrown by the Prophet into the eyes of infidels, therefore, the victory that the Muslims gained in this battle was possible only With the help of Allah alone.

24. That is: In the Battle of Badr the disbelievers were defeated convincingly. If after this they played any tricks, Allah would blunt their tricks. And it is a fact that after this the disbelievers hatched various conspiracies and indulged in great intrigues, but Allah aborted all their conspiratorial attempts, and they were made totally helpless to stem the advancing tide of the Islamic revolution.

25. Through this battle the polytheists wanted to come to a final decision with regard to truth and falsehood. and their leader. Abu Jahl had prayed to God that whoever of the contending parties might be guiltier of cutting the cord of kinship be destroyed. By granting victory to Muslims and subjecting the idolaters to an ignominious defeat, Allah delivered His judgment that the Muslims were on the right path and their opponents were the followers of falsehood.

26. This is an advice to the polytheists as well as a warning, Advice in this sense that after seeing the outcome of the Battle of Badr. if they give up their antagonism against Islam, it would be in their own interest in that they would be spared disgrace and destruction; and warning in this sense that if they still persisted in their antagonism against Islam, then God would also again submit them to further disgrace and destruction.

27. This prophecy of the Quran proved to be true up to the hilt, the idolaters waged wars against Islam and its prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) subsequently. with bigger armies. but their superiority in numbers, etc, proved to be of no avail to them. In all these wars between faith and disbelief. the outcome of every battle showed that Allah was with the people of faith.

28. That is when the voice and words of Allah and His messenger are reaching you. your indulging in disobedience even after hearing them is extremely wrong and sinful.

29. The allusion is to the Jews who indulged in disobedience to God even after receiving the Divine commandments. They heard the words of God but they did not listen to obey them.

30. That is: Those who do not use their reason. they are deaf for the purpose of hearing the truth and dumb for the purpose of speaking it. Such persons are not humans. but beasts. nay even worse than the beasts.

It means that for following the faith sincerely. it is necessary that man should try to understand what are the demands of the faith which he has accepted and what responsibilities devolve on him after accepting faith.

31. Means that those who do not use their reason are deprived of accepting the truth. and Allah does not grant them the guidance to listen and understand the truth, because they do not have the necessary virtue or good in their character. It is obvious that for getting good produce merely good seeds are not sufficient, for this good sowing ground is also necessary. Allah had endowed them with a liking for virtue but they have lost this faculty, and therefore, even if such people are made to hear the truth, they would not be influenced or impressed by it.

32. That is: Whatever service may be entrusted to you by the prophet or whatever command may be given to you by him, obeying his commands is a life-giving act for you, for every command of the prophet is heart–warming and soul-enriching. Obeying his commands nourishes feelings of virtue in men and a life-giving current runs through man’s innermost self. This state of neo-life is an experience which a sincere follower of the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) feels in the life of this world also. As for the Hereafter, it is only the followers of the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) who will get the everlasting life of unending pleasures.

33. You should fear that if you disobeyed any command of Allah and His messenger, your hearts would turn away from their obedience totally.

Allah is the changer of the heart’s states inclinations. when He sees that a person continues to flout His commands, He makes that person’s heart predisposed and agreeable to disobedience. After this he is unwilling to an attitude of obeying God and His messenger’s commands. As the urdu poet. Mirza Ghalib, has said:

Janta hoon sawab ta’at zuhud

per ta’biyat Idhar nahin a’ati

“I Know the rewards for worship and piety. But I feel disinclined to go that way.”

O you who believe! Betray not Allah and His messenger, nor betray your trusts knowingly. And know that your possessions and your children are a trial, and it is Allah with whom lies the great reward. O you who believe! If you fear Allah, He will grant you Criterion (to judge between right and wrong), and will rid you of your evils, and will forgive you. Allah is of great bounty. (Al-Quran)

25. And guard against the trial³⁴, (mischief) which will not fall exclusively on those of you who are wrong-doers, and also know that Allah is very strict in giving punishment.

26. And remember when you were few in number, and considered weak in the land, and were afraid that people would snatch you away³⁵, then He gave you refuge³⁶, and strengthened you with His help, and provided you with good things (of life) so that you might be grateful.

27. O you who believe! Betray not Allah and His messenger³⁷, nor betray your trusts knowingly³⁸.

28. And know that your possessions and your children are a trial³⁹, and it is Allah with whom lies the great reward.

29. O you who believe! If you fear Allah, He will grant you Criterion (to judge between right and wrong)⁴⁰, and will rid you of your evils, and will forgive you.⁴¹ Allah is of great bounty.

30. And (O prophet! remember the time) when the infidels were plotting against you so that they might confine you, or might kill you, or might banish you;⁴² they were plotting and Allah (also) was planning, and Allah is the best of planners⁴³.

31. And when our revelations were recited to them, they said: “we have heard. If we wish we can produce the like of this. It is nothing but fables of the ancients.”

32. And when they said: “O Allah ! If this indeed is the truth from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky, or bring down some other painful punishment.” ⁴⁴

34. Means the social trials and mischief. When the flames of social evil or mischief are kindled and start blazing, they devour all, evil as well as virtuous. people. To be safe from such a catastrophe it is necessary that the collective conscience of the society should be awake; and whenever a society sees a mischief raising its head, it should try to crush it, and should stop the mischief makers. It is essential to be cautious during the times of war to make sure that no mischief raises its head from any corner of the society. else in such a delicate situation the unity of Muslims can receive a grievous setback.

As long as Muslims followed this guidance, no mischief could raise its ugly head in their society. But in the later times when all kinds of people joined the Muslim society, and when they could not keep in view this guiding principle, all sorts of, mischiefs occurred and the entire Muslim society, had to face the consequences.

35. As long as Muslims remained in Makkah, their condition remained as stated here.

36. That is: In Madina, where Muslims had migrated from Makkah.

37. Betrayal means disloyalty or unfaithfulness. It means that the covenant of loyalty’that you have made with Allah and His messenger should be adhered to, and you should not act in any way that would compromise your position or make your loyalty doubtful. The test for judging the loyalty with Allah and His messenger is brought into play particularly when there is a war between disbelief and Islam.

38. Here trusts means responsibilities and the meaning of betraying them is that in fulfilling them man may, act carelessly or irresponsibly.

The area of trusts is wide, which has been explained in Note No. 123, Surah An-Nisa. Here particularly those responsibilities are directed to be fulfilled which concern the social affairs of Muslims.

39. The main cause for a man to indulge in betrayal is his increasing love for his possessions and his children. Therefore, this fact has been made clear that these things are a means of test in the life of this world. Through them it is to be tested and seen as to who proves himself to be unfaithful to Allah and His messenger on account of his love for his children and his possessions, and who proves himself to be sincere and loyal to Allah and His messenger in spite of these worldly temptations.

40. That is: He will create in you the ability to discriminate between what is right and wrong, then at every turn of life you will be able to see which path is straight and which is crooked and in every delicate situation your insight will guide you to truth.

In the affairs of life the people of faith are confronted with new problems. They also have to pass through varying types of trials. On such occasions, the practical steps that are to be taken are to be decided upon in the light of the guiding principles of Quran and Sunnah. On these occasions the internal insight helps in coming to the right decision and this insight develops from leading a righteous life in fear of Allah. This insight and this power of discrimination has been referred to here as ‘Furqan’ (Criterion).

41. If a man leads a righteous life, then Allah rids him of his evils, that is he removes the stains of his sins, and guides him to reform himself. Thus virtues and good qualities manifest themselves in his character, and what little sins he might have committed are forgiven by Allah, by His grace.

42. It refers to those conspiracies of the Quraish, which they were hatching in Makkah against the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa sallam). In the meeting that they held in Darun Nadwah, different proposals were considered. Someone had suggested that he should be taken as a captive, another had suggested that he should be banished from Makkah. Finally, it was decided unanimously to kill him. The modus operandi for this heinous act was decided to be: that a youth be selected from every tribe, and all these youths should attack him simultaneously and kill him. In this way the charge of killing him will be distributed over all the tribes, and the tribe of the prophet, Bani Hashim, would not be able to take revenge from all, therefore, they would be compelled to take blood money (compensation). This was the proposal of Abu Jahl, and according to this. proposal all the youths surrounded Prophet’s house one night. But Allah had informed him earlier, and therefore, he had left his house before they could do anything, and thus their conspiracy failed.

He left his house quietly. He took shelter in a cave, called ‘Thaur’ for three days. Thereafter he migrated to Madina. This event marks the beginning of the Hijra (Hejira) Year, (A.H.). (This event is recorded in Seerat Ibn Hasham in detail, ‘page92, Volume II).

43. Quraish had conspired to kill the prophet, but Allah had so planned that they could not harm him physically in the slightest way. He reached Madina safely. This migration proved to be very beneficial for the Muslims and from there onwards the avenues of success and progress were opened for them.

44. In Bukhari it is mentioned that these words were uttered by the Quraish chief, Abu Jahl, and in other narratives they are ascribed to Nadhar bin Harith. In fact this was not a prayer, but were the words uttered by them in their passions of anger against the prophet and his religion.

33. And Allah was not to punish them when you were in their midst,⁴⁵ nor does He punish them if they are asking for forgiveness.⁴⁶

34. But now what (excuse) have they that Allah should not punish them, when they debar (worshippers) from the Masjid-i- Haram (Sacred Mosque), though they are not its guardians! Its guardians can be only those who fear Allah⁴⁷, but most of them do not know.

35. And their prayers at the House (of Allah) are nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. So now taste⁴⁸ the punishment, because you disbelieved.⁴⁹

36. Verily those who disbelieve spend their wealth in preventing (men) from the path of Allah. They will continue spend their wealth, but they rue it, and in the end they will be overcome⁵⁰. Those who disbelieve will be driven to Hell.⁵¹

37. In order that Allah may separate the impure from the pure, put the impure, one upon another, heap them together and cast them into Hell.⁵² These very people are the losers.

38. Tell the disbelievers that if they desist, that which is past will be forgiven them⁵³; but if they repeat, then the example of what happened to the people before them is there (as a warning)⁵⁴.

39. And fight them⁵⁵ until mischief is no more, and religion be all for Allah.⁵⁶ Then if they desist, verily Allah sees what they do.⁵⁷

40. And if they turn away, then know that Allah is your Protector, the best Protector and the Best Helper.

45. That is: As long as Allah’s Prophet was present in Makkah, Allah’s punishment could not visit it. because Allah sends down His punishment on a township only when that township cannot tolerate the presence of His Messenger therein, requiring the prophet to migrate from there.

46. That is: After the migration of the Prophet, there was only one way in which they can be saved from the Divine punishment, and that is that they should seek Allah’s forgiveness. In other words, they should embrace Islam.

47. Only those persons can deserve to be the protectors or guardians or trustees of the House of Allah, who are righteous and who fear God. And only those persons can be said to fear God who believe in Him, in monotheism, and who have faith in His guidance. How can Polytheists and disbelievers be its trustees. when the very purpose of construction of that House was to worship Him and to propagate monotheism, and when its builder Prophet Ibrahim himself. was the standard- bearer of pure and unalloyed. monotheism.

It means that the polytheists who had unlawfully occupied the Sacred Mosque and who were preventing Muslims from performing the pilgrimage rightly deserved the Divine punishment on account of their aggression, for which if Allah vanquished them at the hands of the Muslims. it will be absolutely justified.

48. For explanation, please see Note No. 5, Surah Ma’oon.

49. The blow that the idolaters received at Badr was an instalment of the Divine punishment.

It is not necessary that Allah’s punishment should manifest itself in the form of an earthquake or storm. It can come in the form of destruction of war, and it is a fact that all the battles that were fought, from. Badr to Hunain, the destruction and depredations of war were the lot of the infidels only.

50. That is: In the battle of disbelief and Islam, defeat is the destiny of the infidels. They are trying their best to stem the onward march of Islam and they are spending their wealth extravagantly, but the result of all this would be nothing but regrets for them and they would rue it.

51. That is: Those who would stick to their disbelief till the last, they would be driven to the Hell.

52. Impure or unclean means the one who is tarnished with the dirt of disbelief, and pure and clean are those who have attained the cleanliness and purity of faith.

On the Day of Judgment Allah will separate the infidels from the faithful people, and then gathering all kinds of infidels together He will cast the entire heap of them into the Hellfire.

53. To desist here means turning away from disbelief and idolatry and giving up these practices. It means that if they embrace Islam. then whatever wrongful acts they have been doing against Islam before this would be forgiven. Allah will not hold these acts against them.

54. That is: If even after this they persist to follow their old practice of hostility towards Islam, then Allah’s law of punishment would be applied to them also in the same way in which it was applied to the nations of the past like Aad Thamud, Firaun, and his people, ect .

55. For explanation, please see Note No.266. Surah Baqarah.

56. Here two important objectives of giving a command to wage war against the infidels have been mentioned: one is to put a stop to ‘Fitna’ (mischief), and second is that the religion should be all and exclusively for Allah: To understand the correct sense of both these two things it is necessary that the subject matter being dealt with here is kept in view: Earlier a mention has been made of the aggressive activities of the idolaters of Makkah: one is the fact that they have debarred Muslims from undertaking pilgrimage to Ka’bah, they can neither perform Hajj nor umrah; second that they have unauthorized become the trustees of the House of Ka’bah and they are using this place for performing polytheistic rituals; and thirdly they are spending their wealth for preventing people from the path of Allah, Islam, that is they are expending their resources for war purposes. In Verse No. 191 of Surah Baqarah, where it has been mentioned that ‘Fitna’(mischief) is more serious or worse than killing, there a mention has also been made of the oppression and tyranny of the idolaters of making life unbearable for Muslims and forcing them to migrate from Makkah. In other words, they are not prepared to tolerate the existence of Muslims on the soil of Makkah. A similar topic has been dealt with in Verse of Surah Baqarah. It means that their main guilt was polytheism, which they were practicing unabashedly, and their guilt had assumed serious proportions by their aggressive acts. For this reason, their polytheism has been termed as ‘Fitna’ (mischief)

As for the second objective, religion being all for Allah, this is a positive aspect, and here by religion is meant the religion of monotheism, i.e. Islam, for embracing which a call has been given to the infidels in Verse No. ‘48 above. The religion being all for Allah means that in the holy place of Haram, the Sacred Mosque, the religion should be monotheistic and no other religion should be allowed to be practiced here, because this place enjoys the honour of being the House of Allah, and from the very first day its position is that of the center of monotheism. Therefore, it is necessary to purify this place and its surrounding areas from the polytheistic religion and practices for all time and to make monotheism a ruling religion there. It means that in this region only those people should be allowed to settle who believe in this religion and they should be governed only by Islam.

This explanation of the Verse which is given by us is not only according to Quran, but it is also supported by hadith, other narratives and the sayings of many commentators. In a hadith it is stated:

“I have been commanded to wage a war with the people (i.e. the polytheists of Arabia) until they say: ‘La Ilaha Illallahu’ (i.e. they embrace Islam). When they say La Ilaha Illallahu, then their life and property would be safe, except some action is taken in a just cause. As for their reckoning, so it is with Allah.” -(Muslim-Kitabul Iman).

So far as the other narratives are concerned: Urwah bin Zubair has explained ‘Fitna ‘in terms of the oppression and tyrannies of the idolaters in Makkah, which forced the Muslims to migrate, and Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Hasan, Qatadah and some others have taken ‘Fitna ’to mean polytheism (Tafseer Tabri Vol.II, page 113 and Vol. VIII P. 162). As regards the commentators, some have preferred the first explanation and others the second one. For example, the famous commentator Ibn Jarir Tabari (died 310 A.H.) writes:

“Wage a war against them until polytheism is ended and the one and only God, Allah, is worshipped. In this way the trials through which Allah’s slaves have to pass in this land-that fitna remains no more, and religion is all for Allah. It means that the fighting should be continued till the time worship and prayers are exclusively meant for Allah.”

However, some commentators have taken ‘deen’ or religion to mean the system of life or the system of worship and the command that the religion should be all for Allah has been taken by them to apply not only to the land of Haram (Makkah) but also to mean the political ascendancy of Islam and the enforcement of the Divine laws, and they have explained that the polytheists can remain in the country but they will not have the right to enforce their false laws in the land of God. This explanation of this verse is not correct on account of, among other reasons, this that in this verse it is not merely mentioned that the religion is for Allah but that it is all (wholly and completely) for Allah. If it is taken to mean the enforcement of the Islamic laws, then how can it be said to mean all or whole religion.

As for the question: what about the refuge given by Islam to zimmies (non-Muslims), the basis of this command is not the verse under reference but Verse No.29 of Surah Taubah.

57. To desist means to desist from polytheism and its attendant mischief making. If they desist, then Allah will forgive them their past crimes, and in future what would they do He would see.

When Allah showed them to you (O prophet!) in your dream as few in number, if He had shown them to you as many, then you (Muslims) would have been discouraged and you would have indulged in dispute over the affair. But Allah saved you. Verily, He knows what is in the breasts. (Al-Quran)

41. And know that whatever you obtain as spoils (of war)⁵⁸, a fifth thereof is for Allah, and for the messenger and for the kinsmen (of the prophet), orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer ,⁵⁹ if you believe in Allah and that which We sent down⁶⁰ to our slave on the day of decision⁶¹, the day when the two armies met. And Allah has power over all things.⁶²

42. When you were on the near bank of the valley and they on the farther bank, and the caravan was below you. Had you mutually agreed to meet one another in battle, you would not have met.⁶³ But what was to happen, Allah wanted to accomplish it,⁶⁴ so that he that was destined to perish might perish after seeing the clear proof (of the truth) and he that was destined to survive might survive after seeing the clear proof⁶⁵ (of the truth). Verily, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

43. When Allah showed them to you (O prophet!) in your dream as few in number,

66 if He had shown them to you as many, then you (Muslims) would have been discouraged and you would have indulged in dispute over the affair. But Allah saved you. Verily, He knows what is in the breasts.

44. And when you faced one another, He made you see them in your eyes as few, and lessened you in their eyes,⁶⁷ in order that Allah might accomplish the thing that was destined to happen. And to Allah all matters return.

45. O you who believe! when you encounter an army,⁶⁸ hold firm and remember Allah much so that you may be successful.⁶⁹

58. That is:The arms, equipments and the property which Muslims may take away from the disbelievers in the battle. It should be noted that here the command deals only with the movable property. Commands in respect of the immovable property are given in Verse No.7, Surah Hashr.

59. That is: From the booty or the spoils of war, its one-fifth (i.e. twenty percent) would be taken out and it would be spent for the purposes mentioned in the verse. ‘Is for Allah’ means it is for being spent ‘to propagate His religion and for jihad in His cause. ‘Is for the messenger’ means that the prophet can spend from it for his own needs. The prophet has been spending this share in the activities for the welfare of Muslims, and after him this share is to be used for the same purpose. By kinsmen are meant the kinsmen or relatives of the prophet. Since the prophet had made receiving of zakat haram for his kinsmen, Allah made arrangements for meeting the needs of the family of prophet from the spoils of war . Orphans, the needy and the wayfarers can also be assisted from the wealth received as spoils of war. It can be spent on their welfare too. The Islamic State can spend it in whatever way it may deem fit on these items. By wayfarers are meant those travellers who might have become needy in the course of their travels, though they might be rich in their own native lands. This was the distribution of the one-fifth. As regards the distribution of the remainder, that is eighty percent., that can be distributed among the mujahideen, soldiers. Quran has not specifically mentioned that this four-fifth must necessarily be distributed among the mujahideen, but it has only stated that one-fifth should be expended in a particular manner. Therefore, from this it can be concluded that if the Islamic State so decides it can spend even this four-fifth share for defence needs and for the security of the state. and in the modern times when the whole system of warfare has been totally changed, the need for adopting this line is obvious. At the time when Quran was revealed, there was no standing army, nor the soldiers were paid any salary. As the tribal system held sway in Arabia, every member of the tribe was a soldier. The Muslim soldier, being a mujahid, a fighter in the cause of Allah, used to provide his own arms and used to spend from his own pocket for preparation for the battle. In these circumstances it was more advisable to distribute the spoils of war among the soldiers. But in the modern times when the governments have to maintain standing armies, and the state has to bear the responsibility of paying the salaries of the soldiers, in addition to making available heavy and costly armaments for fighting, there is no other alternative for the government but to spend the spoils of war for the purposes of defence. Besides, in the present day the spoils of war obtained from the enemy are tanks, armoured cars, ships, aircrafts, etc., such articles cannot be distributed among the soldiers. All these things can be appropriated by the state only, and they can be used in future wars. This opinion of ours that the state has the authority to have this share in the manner suggested here is supported by the opinion expressed by Allama Taimiyah also. Accordingly, at one place he writes: “This (i.e. to give sumptuous grants or gifts to the neo-Muslims, for reassuring them, from the booty) is the proof of the fact that the Imam (state) has the same authority in his own rights to spend it by his own decision (ijtihad) as he is authorized to distribute the property of ‘fai’ (property received from the enemy without fighting). if the Imam is justice-loving, he would spend the booty with justice and knowledge. The problem of its distribution among the mujahideen is not like the problem of distribution of inheritance among the heir nor like the distribution of charities, which can be spent in eight approved ways.” (Majmoo Fatwa Ibn-e-Taimiyah Vol.17.P.495) At another place Ibn Taimiyah writes that since the prophet (Sallal Lahu’Alaihi wasallam) had not taken possession of the properties of the idolaters after the victory of Makkah, because they were expected to embrace Islam, The Imam (the State) can adopt any method in this matter of booty which he deems fit according to the needs of the state: “In this there is a justification for the fact that in the matters of properties, individuals, estates and movable property, the Imam can adopt a method which suits his purpose most.” (Ibid P.492)

60. The Day of the Battle of Badr has been termed as ‘Yaumul Furqan’ (Day of decision), for in this battle the decision or the judgment of Allah manifested itself clearly, and the distinction between the truth and falsehood had become clear .

61. That is: The army of angels that Allah sent down to assist the prophet and the help which He provided from the Unseen sources.

62. Therefore, Allah has power to send help to His messenger from unseen sources.

63. That is: The scene of the battle was like this: The Muslim army had been able to arrive in the part of the Valley nearer to Madina and camp there. The part of the valley nearer to Makkah was occupied by the infidel army, and the trade caravan was on the rear side of the infidel army and was passing from the side below them that is by the seashore. This arrangement of the battlefield was most unsuitable for the Muslims “apparently, but the Divine help made it very helpful for them, in this way that the trade caravan inspite of being on the rear of the infidel army and near, it could not reach to help them, but it proceeded towards Makkah from another way without knowing what was going on. Then at the opportune moment the rains that came turned the land where the idolaters were camping soft and muddy, and as against this it turned the ground under the feet of the Muslim soldiers firm and provided for them easy foothold. And it is a fact that in the type of wars that were fought during those days, the site occupied by an army also played a big role in the outcome of the battle. The Almighty Allah created such circumstances that both the time and place of the battle were most suitable for the Muslim army. This chance occurrence which was favourable to Muslims was due to Allah’s help for the Muslims, otherwise if the armies of the Muslims and the idolaters had proceeded to the battle ground according to a prearranged tryst, they could not have met at the time and the place where they actually met, and which happened to be favourable for the Muslims, and in such a case the result of the battel could have been quite different.

64. That is: What Allah had already decided, should happen and that the battleground of Badr should become the battleground of truth and falsehood.

65. The Battle of Badr was not a battle between two nations which is fought for securing material benefits. It was purely a battle between the truth and falsehood, between right and wrong, between good and evil. In this battle as the truth had come out in a clear and unmistakable form, so also the falsehood had been unveiled in an undisguised way. The result of this battle brought home to the people the unmitigated proof of the truth of Allah’s religion. In the verse ‘perishing’ refers to the perishing of disbelief and survival refers to the survival of faith. It means that to the person who selects to die as an infidel, Allah’s argument in the form of this proof should be conveyed finally so that he might not seek an excuse in the plea.that the truth was not made manifest to him. And to the person who wants to take up the everlasting life of faith, Allah’s argument in the form of this proof might give reassurance and more insight.

66. This event took place before reaching the battale front. Allah caused the prophet (Sallal Laho Alaihi Wasallam) to see the number of infidel soldiers much less in a dream. and when he related this dream to his followers, their morale was boosted. Their being shown in the dream smaller in number was in a spiritual way, that is, the large number of idolaters had no importance in respect of morale and courage, therefore their large number was in no way better than a small number. The Prophet’s dream was true in reality, but since dreams occur in the realm of sleep, people thought that the number of soldiers in the infidel army was small as it was the dream of prophet. This thinking proved very helpful for them, as it became easier for them to face the enemy, who was actually much stronger.

67. When both the armies faced each other, Allah caused the idolaters’ army to look smaller to the Muslim soldiers. Therefore, their morale was high. on the other hand, the Muslims also appeared to be few in number to the infidels. Therefore, hoping to finish the small number of Muslims in no time, they launched the attack. In this way that historic battle began which was necessary to be fought to establish the truth of the true faith and falsehood of the false polytheism. Subsequently, the infidels were so much overawed by the Muslim fighters that their morale sagged and they took to flight from the battle.

68. That is: Whenever you are required to fight the infidels.

69. Success (Falah) means success in the real sense, that is Allah’s help in this world and Allah’s great reward in the next world. To achieve this success two things are necessary: to hold firm at the time of confrontation and fighting, and to remember Allah much. Allah’s help comes down when the people of faith fulfil this responsibility of theirs. One point that emerges from this is that the Muslims who fight any war for material benefits do not receive Allah’s help.

46. And obey Allah and His messenger, and do not dispute with one another,⁷⁰ lest you become weak and your reputation suffer a setback. Have patience.⁷¹

47. Verily , Allah is with those who are patient. And do not be like those who left their homes in a vainglorious manner, showing off to the people, and (who) debar (men) from the way of Allah.⁷² And Allah surrounds all that they do.

48. And (that was a very testing time) when Satan made their deeds fair-seeming in their eyes them. And said to : “No man can overcome you today and I am there to help you”. But when the two armies came within sight of each other , he took to his heels, saying: “I have no concern with you. I am seeing what you do not see. I fear Allah and Allah is strict in punishment. ”⁷³

49. When the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was a disease were saying:⁷⁴ “Their religion has deceived them.”⁷⁵ And whoever puts his trust in Allah (will find that), verily Allah is Mighty, Wise.

50. And if you could only see when the angels take the souls of the disbelievers, smiting their faces and their backs,⁷⁶ and (saying): “Taste the punishment of burning!”

51. This is in return for what you had done, for Allah is not a tyrant to His slaves.

52. Like Firaun’s people and those that have gone before them,⁷⁷ they disbelieved Allah’s revelations, so Allah seized them on account of their sins. Verily Allah is strong, severe in punishment.

70. Discipline is very important at the time of war, and disputes and differences of opinion cause disorder and disruption in the side. Therefore, they are emphatically asked not to cause disruption and disorder due to indiscipline.

71. In having patience is also included the discipline of obeying orders even if it is against one’s opinion, so that in the battle of truth and falsehood there should be no disruption among Muslims.

72. This is an allusion to the army of the idolaters that had set forth from Makkah, full of vanity and showing off their splendour, and whose objective was to stop the growth and progress of the religion of truth. Muslims were directed not to copy their ways. It is a permanent directive that has been given to the Muslims in order that their army should always be distinct from the army of the disbelievers in every battle. They are the soldiers of Allah and their task is to open up the path of Allah for Allah’s creatures, therefore, in wars also their position should be that of the worshippers.

73. Satan plays his tricky games in such a way that man does not feel or know that Satan is standing before him and is prompting him to follow the wrong path. He establishes his contact with man’s self (mind) in a very clandestine way, and goes on giving suggestions, which take the shape of ideas prompting him to do evil. If a man’s self is awake, then he feels that it is a bad idea that has come into his mind, and he does not pay any heed to it. what Satan said to his disciples (idolaters) at the time of the Battle of Badr was similar to this, which is supported by the following Verse of the Quran, which says:

“Like Satan when he asks man to deny, and when he denies (truth), he says: “I have no concern with you. I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (Al- Hashr-16).

It is obvious that Satan does not say all these things openly, but he does it by suggesting sinful and evil ideas and prompting man to deny Allah. when man commits the sin, Satan does not accept responsibility for the act but abandons him to fall in the pit of destruction. A similar suggestion was given by Satan to the infidels at the time of the Batle of Badr.

The second argument in favour of this statement is the first part of the Verse under comment in which it is said that Satan made their deeds alluring to them. It is obvious that Satan accomplished this job in his own clandestine way and not by appearing in a human form. Therefore, the statement of Satan should also be taken in the same vein. (And only Allah knows the correct meaning of His own words).

As for Satan’s saying that what he sees, they do not see, it means that he was seeing the angels who were coming down at that time to help Muslims, and he could not put up a fight against the angels. Therefore, he said that he feared Allah. And when he gave this suggestion to the infidels (in sign language) there should be no wonder if the infidels might have thought, for at least a little time, that the defeat which was staring them in the face might have been the wrath of God which is falling on them.

74. It refers to the time when Muslims were about to set out of Madina to fight against the infidels. In whose hearts there is a disease is the description of the Jews; they claimed to believe in Allah but in their hearts was the disease of disbelief.

75. That is: Muslims have become so dedicated that they do not care even for their own lives, as they have set out to fight against the Quraish inspite of their poor condition.

76. This is the description of the condition when a man breathes his last, therefore, it pertains to soul, and the real man is that who is found inside the human body. It is not correct to consider mere body as man, and the reality of death is nothing else but that the soul separates from the body. If this soul is that of a disbeliever, then it is smitten by the angels, who tell him to be prepared to taste the agony of burning in the Hellfire.

77. That is: The punishment that the idolaters received at Badr is like the punishment that was meted out to Firaun’s (Pharaoh’s) people and other rebel nations, because they also followed the same line of action which the nations referred to had followed.

53. That is⁷⁸ because Allah never changes the grace He has bestowed on any people until they change their own condition,⁷⁹ and that is also because Allah hears all, knows all.⁸⁰

54. Like Firaun’s people and those that have gone before them,⁸¹ they belied the revelations of their Lord, so We destroyed them because of their sins, they were all wrongdoers.

55. Verily the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those that denied (the truth) and do not believe;⁸²

56. Those with whom you made a covenant, then they break their covenant every time, and they do not fear Allah.⁸³

57. So if you come on such people in war, punish them in such a way that those who follow them are discouraged and they may remember.⁸⁴

58. And if you fear treachery from any (allied) nation, then throw back to them ⁸⁵ (their treaty) in a fair way. Allah does not like the treacherous.

59. Let not the disbelievers think that they will outpace (Us)⁸⁶. They are powerless (to escape Us).

60. Muster against them⁸⁷ all the strength⁸⁸ that you can and keep ready the tethered steeds,⁸⁹ so that you may strike terror into the enemies of Allah and your enemies and others besides them whom you do not know (but) Allah knows.⁹⁰ Whatever you will spend⁹¹ in the way of Allah will be repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.⁹²

78. That is: They received this punishment because...

79. It is the law of the rise and fall of the nations, that has been mentioned in the verse. If Allah bestows His favours on any nation, He withdraws it from that nation when it fails to appreciate those favours, thus proving itself to be incapable of enjoying them. Peace and security, well-being, honour and power are Allah’s favours and grace. When Allah snatches away these favours from any nation because of its rebellion, He causes it to be frightened and terrorstricken. Sometimes it becomes a victim of civil war among its own people, and sometimes war clouds hang over its head. In the same way its prosperity turns into poverty. As for the honour and power enjoyed by it, those also receive a severe setback. All this punishment from Allah results in disgrace, defeat, slavery and dependence on other nations.

The peace and security enjoyed by the Quraish in Makkah was converted into a state of war because of their waywardness, and the Battle of Badr put them to great shame, to such an extent that many of their dignified and awesome leaders were either killed or were brought to the prophet’s presence as captives. The verse refers to this disgraceful condition of theirs.

80. That is: when Allah can hear all and know all, then how is it possible that He would not know what the nations are saying and doing? And when He knows what they are doing, why would He not give them what they deserve?

81. This is a warning for future for the Quraish, that is what they got from Badr was an instalment of their punishment, and that if they continued to follow the path of the wayward nations, then the whole nation would be subjected to a severe punishment in the same manner in which the earlier nations were subjected.

82. That is: Their state of disbelief is so severe that they are not prepared to believe at all.

A person who takes to disbelief does not use his intelligence, but becomes blind and lowers himself down to the level of beasts, or even worse than the beasts.

83. The Prophet (S.A.W.) has made a covenant with the Jews after he migrated to Madina. One clause of the covenant debarred the Jews from supporting the Quraish. But the Jews contravened the treaty on every occasion. They were also prompting the Quraish of Makkah against the Muslims of Madina, as well as supporting them. The Verse specifically refers to them.

84. That is: If any person or group of persons from the breakers of the covenant is found by you. with your enemies fighting against you, then kill them unhesitatingly and give them punishment which might be a lesson for others.

85. That is: If the nation with whom you have a treaty does not respect the terms of that treaty, and from its behaviour it appears that it might act against you, then you should throw back that treaty to their face, for the treacherous people deserve only this type of treatment. When in this way your intention of cancelling the treaty is known, you can take necessary steps against the treacherous nation. It is not proper to act against a nation with which you have signed a treaty of peace and friendship.

This command applies to a situation where there is a fear that an allied nation is not respecting the terms of the treaty. But when the allied nation contravenes the treaty openly, as the idolaters of Makkah had done after the treaty of Hudaibiyah, then the treaty would be automatically dissolved, and there would be no necessity of any formal declaration of dissolving the treaty.

It should be noted that here the treaty or the covenant refers to a no-war agreement or a peace treaty. As for the trade and cultural etc., agreements, they should be respected in their spheres till their term is over. In case of war with a nation, all such agreements and treaties automatically dissolve.

86. Let the infidels not be under the wrong impression that they would escape the Divine judgment and would achieve their goal. The decision taken by God to disgrace them will surely be enforced.

87. Means for fighting against the infidels.

88. Mustering strength would include all kinds of strength, manpower, weaponry, etc.

For this battle Muslims were very poorly armed and very ill-equipped, because they were neither in a position physically nor were mentally prepared for giving a fight, but they are being directed for future eventuality that as far as possible they should have a trained army fully prepared, and should also keep their war material handy in order that they might join the battle instantly.

89. The importance of horses in the battle is acknowledged. In those days there was no vehicle or animal as swift and speedy as a horse, therefore, specific command to keep the horses ready has been given.

In the present day tanks, submarines, aircrafts, missiles, rockets, etc. are the important and necessary weapons of war, therefore, to meet the requirements of this command these weapons would have to be kept ready.

90. Refers to those forces. hostile to Islam. that had not yet appeared. but they were to be encountered in future. Accordingly, in later years Muslims had not only to fight against the Jews and the Arabian tribes, but also the world’s mighty empires of the time, Persia and Rome.

91. Spending in the way of Allah means spending for jihad. In the command given in the earlier verse the weapons and equipment for war were asked to be kept ready. For all this, great financial resources were required. For this purpose, Muslims are exhorted to spend their wealth in the way of Allah.

92. That is: In the Hereafter full compensation will be given, and nobody will be given less than what he deserved.

And if they incline to peace, you also incline to it, and put your trust in Allah. Verily, He hears all, knows all. And (O Prophet!) if they intend to deceive you, then surely Allah is sufficient for you. It is He who supported you with His help, and with the believers; (Al-Quran)

61. And if they incline to peace, you also incline to it ⁹³, and put your trust in Allah. Verily, He hears all, knows all.

62. And (O Prophet!) if they intend to deceive you, then surely Allah is sufficient for you.⁹⁴ It is He who supported you with His help, and with the believers;

63. And joined their hearts with love. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have joined their hearts with love, but Allah has joined them in love.⁹⁵ Verily, He is Mighty, Wise.⁹⁶

64. O Prophet Allah is sufficient for you, and for those who follow you among the believers.

65. O prophet! Rouse the believers to fight. If there are twenty men steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there are hundred (such) men among you, they will overcome a thousand disbelievers, for they are people without understanding.⁹⁷

66. Now Allah has lightened your burden, for He knew that there is weakness in you. So if there be a hundred men steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a thousand, they will overcome two thousand by Allah’s permission.⁹⁸ And Allah is with the steadfast.

67. It is unbecoming of a prophet to have captives unless he has thoroughly subdued the land.⁹⁹ You desire worldly gains and Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter.

100 And Allah is Mighty, Wise.¹⁰¹

93. In Verse No.39, the command was given to continue fighting against the polytheists till the sacred land of Haram is cleared of their presence. and here it is ordained that if they are inclined to peace, you also make peace with them. This is not a contradictory command, on the contrary it clarifies that the final goal is to fight against the polytheists till the end of polytheism from the land of Haram, but in between there may come stages to accept the offer of peace, for such a peace might pave the way for the eradication of polytheism, and it is also possible that when warring passions are cooled some people might think of embracing the true religion, and the gates of hearts of a number of people might open for the right Guidance. Therefore, what can be achieved by persuasion, why should any blood be shed for that.

94. It would not be proper to spurn the offer of peace for fear of unfounded risks, but putting your trust in Allah, the offer should be accepted. If your intentions are good and you have trust in Allah, then the enemy would not be able to harm you. To counter the enemy’s trickery, Allah is sufficient.

95. That is: To abolish the intense hostility and enmity the Arab tribes had against each other and to create love and feelings of brotherhood among them was not an easy task, and this grand purpose could not be achieved even by spending the world ‘s resources in this behalf. But Allah caused this impossible feat to be achieved, whereby those who were thirsty for each other’s blood became brethren among themselves after embracing Islam and becoming members of one Ummah.

96. That is: He is Mighty, therefore, whatever He has planned will be enforced, and He is Wise, therefore, all His decisions are full of wisdom.

97. That is: They are unable to understand what is truth, therefore all their struggles are for wrong objectives, and the party, that fights for wrong and false objectives, will always be weak internally and spiritually. As against this the people of faith understand what is truth and all their struggles and fighting are exclusively for raising the word of truth, and therefore, a great internal and spiritual strength is born within them. They understand that to give up life in the way of Allah is not to lose life, but it is really to find new life and to live for ever after dying apparently, and so they fight most valiantly. The people of faith have been made to feel this spiritual strength of theirs and roused to take up arms for jihad, and they have been directed not to slacken their war efforts, being influenced by the superiority in numbers of the infidels-even if they are ten times more in number than the Muslims. Falsehood can fight successfully against falsehood. but it cannot fight against truth with success.

The number twenty and hundred mentioned here is by way of giving example, and probably these particular figures were mentioned because at that time groupings of soldiers were formed in squads of twenties and hundreds.

98. It means that if the problem is of fighting against the enemy and the enemy has a strength which is ten times bigger than yours, then you should not hesitate to take up cudgels against him, for the real standard for taking up arms for the people of faith is the one that has been mentioned in the foregoing verses; but at present among you there are not sufficiently experienced and tried people who are up to the desired standard of patience and firmness. Accordingly, at the time of the Battle of Badr quite a few errors were committed by them, for which they have been reprimanded in this Surah. Therefore, your responsibility is being lightened. So now even if the enemy is twice as strong as you, there should be no hesitation on your part to engage him in battle.

This facility is for occasions when the Muslims have to take steps in preparation for an impending battle, as the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wasallam) used to send big and small squads of Muslim warriors to fight against the hostile tribes around Madina. As for the defensive war, it is to be fought in any condition and there is no question of any proportion between the number of warriors on the two sides. Accordingly, in the Battle of Badr Muslims in spite of their poor condition. fought against the idolaters who were three times more in number, and much superior in arms. Similarly, in the Battle of Uhad they had to fight against the enemy who was more than three times stronger, and in the Battle of the Pit (Khandaq) the enemy had ten thousand soldiers while the Muslim army was only three thousand strong, and according to one narrative it was even less than a thousand strong, i.e. the ratio was one to ten.

Generally, the commentators have explained that first there was the command for the Muslims to fight against the enemy even if he was ten times stronger, and that they should not run away from the battlefield. But when this command was considered rather harsh, the second Verse was revealed in which there was a concession that they should fight against an enemy with two times their strength, and if the number of soldiers in the enemy’s army is more than double, then running away could be tolerated.

But this explanation of the verse has no reference to what is actually stated in the Quran nor is it supported by the events. So far as running away from the battlefield is concerned, in Verse No.16 of this Surah it has been strictly forbidden, that is if willy- nilly you are confronted with the enemy’s forces, then Muslims have to fight till the last drop of their blood, whatever may be the enemy’s strength. There is no question of running away from battle, as in the dictionary of Islam there is no such word. The only exception in which leaving the battlefield is allowed is as a tactical step-they may retreat to mount another attack. As regards the support of events for this contention, not a single instance can be found from all the battles that were fought in the lifetime of the Prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi Wasallam),in which running away from the battle was considered permissible for Muslims, even though in every battle the strength of the opponents was much more than that of theirs, If in the Battle of Uhad some Muslims had committed an error, by leaving the battlefield being overwhelmed by the rumour of the Prophet’s having been killed, the Quran has severely reprimanded them, though in that battle the Muslim warriors numbered only seven hundred while the infidels were three thousand.

The real point to be considered in the Verse under comment is not the providing of concession for running away from fighting but to create a spirit of jihad in the Muslims. That is why, the foregoing Verse Starts with the words: O Prophet! Rouse the faithful to the fight. Therefore, the purport of the Verse is that in connection with wars, when the decision to take initiative is to be taken. before that the strength of the enemy should be estimated. If the strength of the enemy is twice as much as yours, you should not hesitate to take the initiative. You should go on advancing with this spirit. it would not be surprising if you would overcome an enemy ten times as strong as you. After the battle of Badr, when the various Arabian tribes were preparing for attacking Madina, the squads of warriors that were sent by the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wasallam) were organised under this directive.

99. That is: In the field of battle.

100. In the Battle of Badr Muslims had taken seventy idolaters as captives, among whom were their leaders Uqbah bin Mueet and Nadhar bin Harith. After the battle these two leaders were put to death at a place near Badr, and the remaining captives were taken by Muslims to Madina. Those captives who could pay ‘Fidyah’ (ransom) were freed, and those who could teach reading and writing to Muslims were made to do this work and were subsequently freed. The remaining captives were freed without taking any ransom from them.

The undesirable aspect of this event was that instead of making a clean sweep of the enemy, Muslim warriors started taking the enemy fighters as captives, and this action was prompted by the expectation that a sizeable amount of money would be received in ‘Fidyah’. Allah has taken the Muslims to task on this mentality and on their faulty line of action. The meaning of the Verse is this that in a battle that is being fought under the leadership of a Prophet, the desired goal of the warrior should be that high objective for which the Prophet takes up arms and not the material and worldly gains which a victorious warrior gets incidentally. The purposefulness or the higher aim demanded that when the enemy was facing defeat, he should have been completely routed, especially none Dawatul Qur’an 587 S.8 of the leaders should have been left alive so that he might not create trouble again. But the Muslims started taking prisoners earlier than necessary with a view to earning some money by way of ‘fidyah’. The Muslims are being emphatically told that a prophet takes up arms so that truth may prevail in the land and not for earning ‘fidyah’ by taking enemy soldiers as captives. However, if the enemy has been weakened sufficiently, there is nothing wrong then to take prisoners and later on to release them after taking ransom.

101. Allah is Mighty, that is why He wants to keep the position of His Prophet on a high level and He is Wise, therefore, all His decisions are full of wisdom.

68. Had it not been for a previous commandment from Allah, a severe punishment would have been meted out to you for the prisoners that you have taken.¹⁰²

69. So enjoy the booty that you have gained in the battle, that is lawful and pure,¹⁰³ and fear Allah. Verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

70. O Prophet ! Say to those who are captives in your hands: “If Allah finds any good in your hearts, He will give you (something) better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you,¹⁰⁴ and Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

71. And if they seek to betray you, (then know that) they had already betrayed Allah before. That is why He has given you power over them.¹⁰⁵ And Allah is All- Knowing, All- Wise.

72. Verily those who believed and migrated¹⁰⁶ and strove with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah,¹⁰⁷ and those who gave them refuge and helped them;¹⁰⁸ these are the companions¹⁰⁹ of one another. And those who believed but did not migrate, there is nothing of companionship between you and them until they migrate.

110 However, if they seek help from you in the matter of religion, then it is your duty to help (them) except against a nation between whom and you there is a treaty.¹¹¹ And Allah sees all that you do.

73. And those who disbelieve are companions of one another; if you do not act in this way, there will be mischief in the land and great disturbance.¹¹²

102. Before the Battle of Badr, Surah Muhammad was revealed, in which the following command was given:

“When you meet the infidels in battle, sever their necks till when you overpower them, then tie them strongly. Thereafter do them a favour or take ransom (fidyah), until the fighting is ended.” -(Surah Muhammad-4).

In this command the warriors have been directed to be taken captive after they were satisfactorily overpowered, that is, in the battle so long as the enemy is not convincingly defeated and his strength broken, the fighting and killing of the enemy warriors should be continued. An error was committed by the Muslim soldiers in the Battle of Badr that before inflicting a total defeat on the enemy, they started taking prisoners in the expectation of earning money by way of ‘fidyah’. Although this error was not commited by all the mujahideen, but by only a group of fighters, this was a collective error which could result in these captives again taking up arms after being released. and some of them did take up arms against the Muslims in the Battle of Uhad. Besides such action could promote a tendency among the Muslims to fight their battles for earning fidyah, while jihad is to be fought exclusively for the purpose of raising high the word of Allah and not for obtaining material gains. For this error Muslims have been warned so that they might not commit such an error in future.

In the Verse the words “Kitabum min-Allah” (Allah’s commandment) refers to the Verse quoted above of Surah Muhammad. The reprimand that a severe punishment would have been meted out to you is in respect of those persons who had started taking captives before fully overpowering the enemy in the expectation of material gains, and it is not correct to consider it applicable’ to all the companions of the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wasallam), asis clear from another example in this Verse of Surah An-Noor:

“If in this world and the Hereafter Allah’s favour and blessings were not on you, you would have received severe punishment on account of what you did.” –(Surah An-Noor-14)

In this Verse also the punishment is said to have been meted out to the general Muslims, but as is clear from the reference to context it is meant for only those who were involved in the ‘Ifk’ incident. Here a question arises that if the Muslims had captured the prisoners before proper time, what could stop them from killing them afterwards? Why was it not done? The answer is that after taking a prisoner, he could be killed only for a specific reason, generality of prisoners could not be put to death, because in this verse of Surah Muhammad the command was already given that after taking them prisoners either do them a favour or release them after taking ransom.

Any way the error that was committed by the Muslims was not on account of any difference of opinion (ijtihad), but it was an error of not acting correctly on a command, which error had become serious as it was commited for earning material gains. That is why they received such a wrathful warning.

It should be noted that the translation of the words “Feema akhaztum” is generally done like this: ‘on account of what you took,’ which means that the Divine rebuke was the result of taking fidyah. If this meaning of the Verse is taken to be correct, then the highly respected companions of the prophet also come among those who were warned. Besides, it becomes incongruous, for the fidyah could be returned if this warning was for taking it. There are other incongruities: also in such a presumption, and therefore, we have translated it as ‘for the prisoners that you have taken. Moreover, in Arabic the word ‘akhaz’, besides meaning ‘taking’ also means arresting’ or ‘taking captive’ and accordingly in Arabic the word ‘akheez’ means ‘prisoner’ (See Lisanul Arab, ‘Akhaz’ Vol.III, page 473). From this explanation it would be clear that the application of the Divine wrath is limited to only those Muslims who had committed the error of taking captives before the proper time. It also removes other incongruities.

103. That is: There is no doubt that the error has been committed by the Muslims, but that does not affect the lawfulness of the booty gained by them in the battle, including the amount of fidyah. There is nothing wrong in using it because it is lawful and pure.

Incidentally an important point of principle is evolved out of this: The property of the infidels which came into the possession of Muslims as the spoils of war might have been earned by the infidels by lawful and unlawful means, but when it has been taken by the Muslims in a lawful way, it has been declared as lawful and pure without going into the details of how it was earned earlier by the infidels. Therefore, it can be concluded that the property that is transferred to Muslims in a collecitve way or which may be added to the treasury of an Islamic state, it is not necessary to argue about the nature of how such a property was obtained by the previous non-Muslim owners. if the transfer to the Muslim owners is of a lawful nature.

104. That is: In exchange of the ransom which has been taken from you He will grant you the good fortune of embracing Islam. and in this way you would deserve His forgiveness. provided you appreciate the favour of grant of life.

105. If they are incapable of appreciating the favour done to them by the prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi wasallam) and they again take up arms against him. they should realise that they would again be overpowered by Muslims.

106. ‘Hijrat’ (migration) does not mean fleeing, but it means leaving one’s native place. people of faith are not landworshippers, they are Godworshippers. Therefore, when Allah’s religion demands that they should leave the land which is growing hostile towards truth, they prepare themselves for this sacrifice. At the time when the Surah Al-Anfal was revealed, Muslim forces were collecting in Madina in order that under the leadership of the prophet disbelief could be resisted. For this reason those who migrated to Madina from Makkah deserved to be honoured.

For further explanation, please see Surah An- Nisa, Note No.177.

107. Jihad does not merely mean striving, it also means that kind of striving which would require the faithful to fight physically against the forces of falsehood. When a war is declared between truth and falsehood, they should spend their wealth, and if necessary should even stake their lives for the defence of the truth.

For further explanation please see Note No.123, Surah Maidah.

108. Denotes the Ansar of Madina who helped the refugee Muslims (Muhajireen) from Makkah in every way. This was not a temporary relief, but they also offered half of their property with sincerity and gave them shelter in their homes.

109. In the text the word used is ‘Auliya’ (Companion), which is the plural of the word ‘wali’. In Arabic this word has various meanings, but when it is used in connection with fighting against the enemy, it means companion, supporter and helper. Here the Muhajireen (refugees) and the Ansar (Helpers) have been termed as companions of one another, which means that they are each other’s helpers in fighting against the infidels, therefore, the responsibility of protecting and helping one another depends on each one of them.

There should be such a unity and cohesion in them that they should be able to protect and defend themselves satisfactorily and should be able to carry. on Jihad for the purpose of truth. This relationship of comradeship which was established between them placed heavy political responsibilities on them.

110. That is: Those who have embraced Islam but have not migrated to Madina, with such persons you have no relationship in political matters and problems. Being Muslims they sure are members of the Muslim Society, but they are not members of the political organization that was taking shape in Madina, therefore, the responsibility of protecting them does not devolve on you, and they also are not bound to respect the treaty which you might have made with any nation.

It is thus clear that Islam’s international law is this that an Islamic state is not responsible for protecting the Muslims living outside its borders and jurisdiction.

111. That is: Although because of their living outside the borders of the Islamic state it is not your legal responsibility to protect them. but since they are your religious brethren and members of the Islamic Ummah. you should help them if they seek your assistance in any religious matter. except in the case where they may by staying in a state with which you have a treaty of peace, and they may be seeking your help against that state. In such a case you should respect the treaty and you should not employ unfair means to help your Muslim brethren.

This clarifies the following points of principles in connection with the International problems:

1. No legal responsibility devolves on an Islamic state to protect the Muslim minority living in a non-lslamic state. But it does not mean that the Islamic state should be totally unconcerned with them and may not help them in religious matters when need arises. but that the Islamic state should help them as they may be deserving it. because all are the members of the Islamic Ummah. For example, if the minority Muslims seek help for constructing mosques, religious schools or for propagation of religion from an Islamic state, then not only nothing prevents the Islamic state to help them, but it should necessarily help them in these activities as far as circumstances permit.

2. If the Islamic State has signed a treaty of peace and no-war with a non-lslamic state, and if that’ Muslim minority of that state seeks the help of the Islamic state in such matters which would be used against the non-lslamic state, there is no permission for the Islamic state to do so. because, it is an open contravention of the treaty.

3. Whether it is a minority or a majority that is being subjected to oppression and repression. nothing should prevent the Islamic state’ to raise its voice against it. because helping the oppressed is the most important principle of Islamic morality.

But this action cannot be taken by the Islamic state if it has a peace treaty with the non-Islamic state.

112. All the infidels combined are one nation. However different and varying may be their ideas and ideologies, so far as their disbelief or denial of the Truth is concerned, they are all agreed on it and they are ever willing to express their combined strength against Islam. If in these circumstances, Muslims do not act on these directives which are being given them to be mutually helpful and united, and to provide help to the oppressed Muslims outside the Islamic state, then it would result in great mischief and disturbances.

Today the atmosphere of the world has become so polluted and, dusty with mischiefs and intrigues that it has become difficult for the followers of the path of truth to breathe in it, and the flood of disturbances has overtaken the world in such a way that big and small nations, all are drowning in it, and Muslims and non-Muslims all are being swept away. It is the result of the fact that the Muslims who should have risen as a righteous force could not rise in such a way. They hold power in various countries, but they are negligent of their duties, and they are totally careless of the resources which are to be employed to eliminate mischief and evil from the world. In such a condition if Allah’s wrath is descending down on the peoples of the world, it should not surprise anyone.

74. And those who believed and migrated and strove in the way of Allah and those who gave them refuge and helped them these are the true believers. For them is pardon and a bountiful provision.¹¹³ And those who accepted the faith subsequently and migrated and participated in Jihad along with you, they too are of you.¹¹⁴ And in Allah’s decree those who are bound by the ties of blood are nearer to one another.¹¹⁵ Verily Allah has knowledge of all things.

113. In the foregoing Verse, Muhajireen and Ansar were told of their responsibilities. Here they are called true and firm believers and they are being given the glad tidings of success in the Hereafter.

114. The Muhajireen and Ansar are being directed to treat those persons who would embrace Islam subsequently, would migrate and participate in jihad along with them as belonging to their group, of them; and they are asked not to discriminate against them on the ground that they were previously their enemies.

115. That is: So far as inheritance is concerned, it would be decided on the basis of blood ties, and not on the basis of this brotherhood that was established between the Muhajireen and the Ansar. This relationship has its own importance while the blood relationship is also important in its own way. The basis of Allah’s Law of Inheritance is the blood relationship, because in social affairs their rights have priority. Here only a directive about the principle is given. Later on when Surah An-Nisa was revealed, therein details of the law of inheritance have been given.