Islam Guidance

The Spoils of War (al-Anfaal) -8

Recitation by: Maher Al Meaqli Suras 08
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In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. They ask you about the Anfal (accessions); say (O Our Messenger Muhammad): “The Anfal are for God and the Prophet; so, fear God and set aright matters between yourselves, and obey God and His Prophet if you are believers.”
2. Indeed those are believers whose hearts are thrilled when God is mentioned, and when His Signs are recited unto them, their faith is strengthened, and on God alone do they rely.
3. They establish prayer and spend of what God has provided them with.
4. They, and they alone, are the believers in truth; for them are (exalted) gardens with their Lord, forgiveness, and a graceful sustenance.
5. Even as your Lord caused you to go out of your house with the truth, though a party of the believers were certainly averse;
6. They dispute with you about the truth even after being made manifest (to them), as if they were (helplessly) being driven to death while they saw it.
7. When God promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours, you wished that the one unarmed should be yours, yet God intended to establish the truth with His words, and to cut off the roots of the infidels,
8. That He may establish the truth of what was true, and falsehood bring to naught, though the guilty ones disliked it.
9. You implored help from your Lord, so He answered you: “Verily, I will aid you with a thousand angels, rank behind rank.”
10. God did not cause but as good tidings (to you), so that your hearts might thereby be convinced; and no help is there save from God; verily God is ever-Triumphant, Wise.
11. He caused upon you a slumber as a security from Him, and He sent down water from heavens that He might purify you therewith, and remove from you the uncleanliness of Satan, and that He might fortify your hearts, and plant your feet firmly with it.
12. When your Lord revealed to the angels saying: “Verily, I am with you; give firmness then to those who believe. Soon I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, therefore strike off their necks; and smite their fingertips.
13. “This is so because they opposed God and His Prophet (Muhammad), and whosoever opposes God and His Prophet is verily to be punished by God severely.”
14. Taste it, then, and beware that for the infidels is the torment of the Fire.
15. O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve on the battlefield, do not turn your backs to them.
16. Whoever turns his back to them on that day, except if he turns aside (maneuvering) for the fighting, or in joining (another) contingent, he deserves the Wrath of God, and his abode is Hell; what an evil destination it shall be!
17. So you did not slay them, but God slew them, nor did you throw (the dust), but God threw it so that He might test the believers by a gracious trial from Him; verily God is all-Hearing, all-Knowing.
18. This (is the cause) and that God frustrates the crafty plans of the infidels.
19. (Know, O infidels) if you demanded a victory, then indeed the victory (of the Muslims) has come to you, and if you desist (from attacking the faithful), it will be better for you; if you return (to attack), We also shall return (to assist the believers), and your forces shall never avail at all, though they may be many, and know that God is with the believers.
20. O you who believe! Obey God and His Prophet (Muhammad), and do not turn away from him while hearing him speak.
21. Do not be like those who said: “We heard,” while they did not listen.
22. Verily the vilest of animals in God’s view are the deaf and dumb who do not understand.
23. Had God found any good in them, indeed He would have made them listen, and even if He made them listen, they would turn back swerving aside.
24. O you who believe! Respond to God and to His Prophet (Muhammad) when He calls you to that which gives life, and know that God (always) gets between man and his heart, and that it is to Him you shall all be ultimately gathered.
25. And guard yourselves against an affliction which may smite not only those who committed injustice among you in particular (but all of you), and know that God is severe in the requital (of evil);
26. Remember when you were few and deemed weak in the earth, fearing that people might kidnap you by force, but He sheltered you, strengthened you with His aid, and provided you of the good things (of sustenance) that you may give thanks.
27. O you who believe! Do not be unfaithful to God and the Prophet (Muhammad), nor be unfaithful to the trusts with you while you know.
28. And know that your wealth and your children are a temptation, and that with God is a mighty reward.
29. O you who believe! If you fear God, He will grant you a distinctive (standard), and remove from you all your sins and forgive you; God is the Lord of mighty grace.
30. When the disbelievers plotted against you to imprison you, or slay you, or drive you away, they devised plans, and God too had a plan; God is the best of planners.
31. Remember how when Our Signs are recited to them, they say: “Indeed we have heard; if we please, we could say the like of this (Qur’an); it is nothing but the tales of old.”
32. And remember when they said: “O God! If this (Qur’an) is the truth from You, then rain upon us stones from heavens, or inflict upon us a painful chastisement.”
33. But God is not to chastise them while you are among them, nor is God to chastise them while they still seek forgiveness.
34. And what plea do they have that God should not chastise them while they obstruct (men) from the Sacred Mosque, and they are not its guardians? Its guardians are only those who guard themselves (against evil), but most of them do not know.
35. Their prayer near the (Sacred) House (of God) is nothing but the whistling and clapping of hands; taste then the chastisement for what you were disbelieving.
36. Verily those who disbelieve spend of their wealth to obstruct people from the way of God, so when they spend it (in the end), it shall be against them (a matter of) regret, and they shall be overcome, and those who disbelieve shall be driven to Hell.
37. That God might distinguish the impure from the pure, and put the impure, some of it upon the other, and pile it up together, then cast it into Hell; these are the losers.
38. Tell those who disbelieve that if they desist, their past will be forgiven, and if they return (to their disbelief), then indeed what has already passed against the ancients shall pass against them too.
39. And fight them until there is no more mischief, and the religion is wholly God’s; but if they desist, then verily God sees all that they do.
40. And if they turn back, then know that God is your Lord; the Most Excellent Lord, and the Most Excellent Helper.
41. And know (O believers!) that whatever you acquire, a fifth of it is for God, the Prophet, the (Prophet’s) near relatives, the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarers, if you believe in God and in what We revealed to Our Servant (Muhammad) on the Day of Distinction, when the two parties met; God has power over all things.
42. (Remember) when you were on the near side (of the valley), and they were on the farthest side thereof, while the caravan (of the enemy) was in a ground lower than yours, had you mutually made an appointment, you would certainly have failed in its fulfillment, but (you were made to meet) in order that God might enact a matter which was destined to be done, that he who perishes may perish after a clear proof, and he who lives may live after a clear proof; verily God is all-Hearing, all-Knowing.
43. And (remember) when He showed them to you in your dream as few; had He shown them to you many, you would certainly have become disheartened, and you would certainly have disputed in the matter, but God saved you; verily He knows what is in your hearts.
44. And (remember) when He showed them to you, when you met, as few in your eyes, and He reduced you to appear as few in their eyes, so that God might enact the matter which had been destined to be, and to God alone will all matters return.
45. O you who believe! When you meet a party (contingent of infidels), then be firm and remember God much, so that you may be successful.
46. Obey God and His Prophet (Muhammad), and do not fall into disputes, for then you will be weakened in heart, and your power will depart, and be patient; verily God is with those who are patient.
47. And do not be like those who got out from their homes boastfully to be seen of men, yet they obstruct others from the Way of God, and verily God encompasses what they do.
48. And (remember) when Satan made their (sinful) deeds seem alluring to them, and said (to them): “None among men shall triumph over you today, while I am a protector over you.” But when the two parties came face to face with each other, he turned upon his heels and said: “I dissociate myself from you; verily I see what you do not se; and God is severe in punishment.”
49. The hypocrites and those in whose hearts there is a disease say: “Their religion has beguiled these (Muslims).” Whoever relies upon God, then God is Almighty, all-Wise.
50. If you could but see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve, smiting their faces and backs saying: “Taste the torment of the burning Fire.
51. “This is for what your own hands have sent forth.” God is not unjust to the servants.”
52. (Because they acted) like the people of Pharaoh and those before them; they disbelieved in the Signs of God, so God seized them for their sins; verily God is Strong, severe in punishment.
53. This is so because God does not change any favour He bestows upon people until they themselves change their own selves, and God is all-Seeing, all-Hearing.
54. (Because they acted) like the people of Pharaoh and those before them; they rejected the Signs of their Lord, so We destroyed them for their sins, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh, and all were unjust (tyrants).
55. Indeed the vilest of beasts in God’s view are those who disbelieve, for they would not believe (no matter what).
56. Those (O Our Messenger Muhammad) with whom you made a covenant break their covenant every time, and they do not guard themselves (against evil);
57. So when you take them in fighting, scatter them (punitively, making them an example) for those who come after them so that they may remember.
58. And if you fear treachery from people, throw back to them (their covenant) on equal terms; verily God does not love the treacherous ones.
59. And do not let those who disbelieve think that they have excelled (the Muslims); verily they shall not frustrate (God).
60. And prepare against them whatever force you can, and steeds of war at the garrison to frighten thereby the enemy of God and of your own selves and (even) of others besides them whom you do not know but God does, and whatever you spend in the way of God shall be fully repaid to you, and you shall never be dealt with unjustly.
61. But if they incline to peace, then you, too, incline to it, and trust in God; He is all-Hearing, all-Knowing.
62. And if they intend to deceive you, then God suffices for you; He it is Who strengthened you with His help and with the believers.
63. He caused affection between their hearts. Had you spent all that is in the earth, you could not have caused that affection between their hearts, but God caused affection between them; He is Almighty, all-Wise.
64. O Our Prophet (Muhammad)! Let God and the believers who follow you suffice for you.
65. O Our Prophet (Muhammad)! Urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones among you, they shall overcome two hundred (infidels), and if there are a hundred (such ones), they shall overcome a thousand disbelievers, for they are people who do not understand.
66. For the moment God has decreased your burden, and He knows that in you there is a weakness; if there are a hundred patient ones among you, they shall overcome two hundred (infidels), and if there are a thousand, they shall overcome two thousand (infidels) with God’s permission; God is with those who are patient.
67. It does not befit a prophet (of God) to keep captives unless he has fought (the infidels in war) in the world; you desire the frail goods of this world, while God desires (for you) the hereafter; God is Almighty, all-Wise.
68. Had it not been for an Ordinance from God that had already gone before, surely a great chastisement would have afflicted you for what you took.
69. Eat then of what you acquired in war, of things that are lawful and good, and fear God; verily God is oft-Forgiving, Merciful.
70. O Our Prophet (Muhammad)! Say to the captives in your hands: “If God knows any good in your hearts, He will give you better than what has been taken away from you, and He will forgive you; indeed God is oft-Forgiving, Merciful.”
71. If they intend to be unfaithful towards you, so indeed have they been unfaithful to God before, but He gave you power over them, and God is all-Knowing, all-Wise.
72. Verily those who believed, migrated, and strove with their possessions and lives in the way of God, and those who sheltered and helped, are guardians of one another; those who believed and did not migrate, you are not their guardian until they migrate, and if they seek help from you in (any matter of) religion, then it is incumbent upon you to help them save against people between whom and you there is a covenant; God sees all that you do.
73. Some of those who disbelieve are guardians of others; unless you do this, there will be discord in the earth and a great mischief.
74. Those who believed, migrated, and strove in the way of God, and those who sheltered and helped, are truly believers, for them is forgiveness and an honourable provision.
75. And those who believed later, migrated and strove with you, are of you; blood relatives are nearer to each other in the Book of God; verily God knows everything.

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