Surah 8. Suratul Anfal (The Spoils of War)
Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
- They ask you about the spoils of war.
Say: “The spoils of war are for Allah and the Messenger.”
Therefore, be conscious of Allah and do not quarrel among yourselves,
And obey Allah and His Messenger,
If you have certainty of faith. - Indeed, only they have certainty of faith,
Whose hearts tremble with the remembrance of Allah,
And their faith grows stronger,
As His Signs are recited to them,
And who have trust in their Rabb; - Those who establish prayer,
And set aside (in charity) from what We have provided them, - They are in truth the ones with certainty of faith;
For them there are rankings (of honor) from their Rabb,
And forgiveness and bountiful provisions. - Just as your Rabb enabled you
To march forth from your home in the cause of Truth (and justice),
While indeed, a group among the believers did not like it. - They argued with you about the Truth,
Even after it was made clear to them,
As if they were being led to their deaths,
While they were watching (their own march to death). - And when Allah promised you
That one of the two groups (of enemies) would fall before you,
And it was your desire that the unarmed group be the one to fall to you,
While Allah willed (with His plan) to confirm the Truth of His Words,
And cut off the roots of the disbelievers, - So as to confirm the Truth,
And discredit falsehood,
However much the guilty hated it. - And when you made supplications before your Rabb,
He accepted your (prayer),
(And promised): “Verily, I will help you
With a thousand angels,
Arrayed in formations.” - And Allah did not make this happen
Except as glad tidings,
So that your hearts were satisfied with it.
Lo! There is no help except from Allah,
And indeed, Allah is the Mighty, the Wise! - (Remember) when drowsiness overtook you
And you rested therewith,
And a rain (of Divine Grace) was sent down upon you from the heavens,
So as to cleanse you (cleanse your hearts),
And remove from you the stain of Satan,
And to bond your hearts,
And firm up your steps. - (Remember) when revelation came from your Rabb,
To the angels: “Indeed, I am with you!
Stay firmly with the believers;
Soon shall I instill awe in the hearts of the disbelievers.
So, strike them on their necks,
And strike them on each finger tip.” - That (was so) because they opposed Allah and His Messenger,
And whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger,
Lo! Allah is intense in His punishment! - So, (O disbelievers!) taste (the punishment)!
Indeed, for the disbelievers,
There is the punishment of the Fire! - O you who have certainty of faith!
When you meet the disbelievers in combat,
Do not turn your backs to them. - And whoever turns his back that day,
Except as a (tactical) move in battle,
Or a move to join his own party,
(Such as one) has turned towards the wrath of Allah,
And his destination is Hell,
And it is an awful destination. - So, it was not you who fought them,
But it was Allah who fought them.
And you did not strike when you struck,
But it was Allah, who struck,
So that He may try the believers,
With an exemplary trial from Him.
Lo! Allah is the Hearer, the Knower. - That was how it was. And indeed!
Allah frustrates the plots of the disbelievers. - And if you yearned for a decision (O disbelievers!),
Then indeed, a decision has reached you.
So, if you desist, it is better for you,
But if you return (to confront the people of faith), We too shall return.
Of not the least benefit will your forces be to you,
Even if they are numerous.
Lo! Allah is with those
Who have certainty of faith. - O you who have certainty of faith!
Obey Allah and His Messenger,
And do not turn away from them.
After you have heard (the call to faith). - And be not like those
Who say, “We hear”,
But they do not hear. - Lo! Worse than the beasts
In the sight of Allah
Are those who are deaf and dumb,
And are without sense. - And if Allah had seen in them any inclination to do good,
He would certainly have made them hear,
And even if they were made to hear,
Those who excuse themselves
Would yet turn back (from the call to Truth). - O you who have certainty of faith!
Accept Allah and His Messenger,
When they invite you to what gives you (spiritual) life,
And know that (the presence of) Allah surrounds
What is between a person and his heart,
And indeed! You shall be gathered towards Him. - And be aware of the corruption,
This comes not just in the way
Of those among you who transgress,
And be aware that Allah
Is intense in retribution.
(Note: Oppression affects the oppressor as well as the oppressed) - And remember when you were few (in number)
And considered to be of no consequence in the land,
And you were concerned
That people would capture and finish you off,
Then, He gave you refuge,
And strengthened your hands with His power,
And gave you provisions pure and wholesome,
So that you may be thankful. - O you who have certainty of faith!
Betray not your trust with Allah and His Messenger,
And betray not the trusts you are entrusted with, knowingly. - And know that your wealth and your children
Are but a test for you,
And (remember that) it is with Allah
That there is a greater reward. - O you who have certainty of faith!
If you are conscious of Allah,
He will unveil for you the Criterion (between right and wrong),
And veil your sins,
And forgive you.
Lo! Allah is the Lord
Of bounties supreme. - And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you
To capture you or assassinate you or expel you,
Lo! They plotted and Allah planned,
And Allah is the most effective of planners! - And when Our Signs are recited to them,
They say: “Indeed we have heard!
If we wish to do so,
We can recite something similar;
These are but tales of the ancients.” - And when they said: “O Allah!
If this is the Truth from you,
Then pelt us with stones from the heavens,
Or send upon us a painful punishment.” - But Allah will not punish them,
While you are among them;
And Allah is not disposed to punish them,
When they are asking for forgiveness. - What excuse do they offer now (that they have expelled you)
For Allah not to punish them –
Now that they prevent (people)
From (entering) Masjid al Haram (in Mecca),
And they guard it not?
Its guardians are only those
Who are conscious of Allah,
But most of them do not know this. - And their prayers near the Sanctuary
Are nothing but whistles and claps.
So, let them taste the punishment
For what they reject! - Indeed, the disbelievers
Spend of their wealth
To keep people away from the path of Allah.
Let them spend it now,
They shall be remorseful later,
When they are subdued (in the presence of Allah).
Lo! Those who reject the Truth
Will be assembled together in Hell. - So that Allah may separate the pure from the impure,
And sift the impure one from the other,
Then assemble them together,
And throw them into Hellfire.
Such are those who are lost. - Say to those who oppose the Truth,
If you repent, then you will be forgiven
For what you did before,
And if you repeat (your errors),
Then lo! The ways (erroneous deeds) of those who lived before you
Have already come to pass (as a warning). - And fight them until there is no more persecution,
And the deen (the moral code) is entirely for (serving) Allah.
But if they desist,
Then Allah is the Seer of what they do. - But if they turn away,
Then know that Allah is your protector,
What an ideal protector!
And what an ideal helper! - And know that from whatever you take
As spoils of war,
A fifth is for Allah and His Messenger,
And for the near ones,
And the orphans and the wayfarer,
If you have certainty of faith in Allah,
And in what We revealed to our Servant,
On the Day of the Decision –
The Day when the two armies met.
Lo! Allah is the Power over all things. - (Remember) when you were on the near bank,
And they were on the far bank,
And your caravan was below you,
And if you had agreed among yourselves (to face the enemy)
You would certainly not have kept your promise,
But in order that the command of Allah must come to pass,
He who died, died as a witness,
And he who lived, lived as a witness.
Lo! Allah is the Hearer, the Knower! - (Remember) when He showed them to you
In your dreams as few (in number),
And if He had showed them as large (in number),
You would have been disheartened,
And you would disagree about the command,
But Allah gave you peace (of mind),
Indeed! He knows the very essence of hearts. - And (remember), as you faced each other,
They were shown as few in your eyes,
And you were shown in their eyes as few (insignificant),
In order that the command of Allah must come to pass,
And to Allah is the return of all commands. - O you who have certainty of faith!
When you face a group of adversaries,
Be steadfast, and always remember Allah,
So that you may attain felicity. - And obey Allah and His Messenger,
And do not quarrel among yourselves,
Otherwise, you will be weakened,
And your steadfastness will abandon you,
And persevere with fortitude,
Indeed, Allah is with those who persevere. - And do not be like the arrogant ones who came out of their homes,
Showing themselves off to the people,
And obstructing them from the path of Allah.
Lo! Allah encompasses what they do! - And (remember) when Satan praised their deeds,
And said, “This day, there is none more powerful
Than you among humankind,
And, I am your well wisher.”
Then, when the two armies faced off,
He turned on his heels,
And said, “I have indeed no concern with you,
Of a certainty, I see what you do not see,
Indeed! I am fearful of Allah,
And Allah is intense in His retribution!” - (Remember) when the hypocrites and those
In whose hearts is a disease, said:
“Their deen has made them over confident”.
Lo! Whoever has trust in Allah,
Indeed, (knows that) Allah is the Mighty, the Wise. - And if you were to see the angels
Take the lives of the disbelievers,
Beating their faces and their backs,
And (saying): “Taste the punishment
From a blaze surging up”. - “That is because of what you sent
With your own hands before you.
Indeed, Allah is not in the least unjust
To His servants.” - As it transpired with the people of the Pharaoh,
And those before them –
They denied the Signs of Allah,
So, Allah seized them for their wrong doings.
Lo! Allah is Powerful, intense in His retribution! - That because Allah will never change
The blessings He has conferred on a people
Unless they change what is in their own souls.
Lo! Allah is the Hearer, the Knower! - As it transpired with the people of the Pharaoh,
And those before them –
They gave the lie to Our Signs,
So We destroyed them for their wrong doings,
And drowned the people of the Pharaoh;
They were all transgressors. - Lo! The worst of the beasts
In the sight of Allah
Are those who cover up the Truth;
And, they have no certainty of faith. - They with whom you make a covenant,
But then they break their covenant every time,
Are not conscious of the Divine. - So if you confront them in war,
Scatter them so that those who support them take heed. - And if you fear deception
From a people,
Then break with them equitably (terminate the treaty honorably);
Lo! Allah does not love the deceivers! - And let not the disbelievers reckon
That they shall escape (the Divine writ);
Indeed, they shall not frustrate (the Divine writ). - And prepare against them your power
According to your capability,
And with steeds trained,
Strike fear into the enemies of Allah,
And your enemies,
And others besides them you do not know,
But whom Allah knows.
And whatever you set aside
In the path of Allah,
Shall be returned to you,
And you shall not suffer injustice. - And if they are disposed towards peace,
Then make peace
And trust in Allah;
Indeed, He it is Who is the Hearer, the Knower! - And if they seek to deceive you,
Then, indeed Allah is sufficient,
To keep your accounts,
He it is who reinforced you,
With His own help,
And (with the help) of the believers, - And fostered love between their hearts.
Lo! Even if you had spent
All that is on earth,
You could not have placed love
Between their hearts.
But Allah fostered love between them.
Indeed, He is the Mighty, the Wise! - O Prophet! Sufficient is Allah for you,
And for those who have certainty of faith. - O Prophet! Train those who have certainty of faith
In the arts of defense,
If there are twenty of you who persevere,
They will overcome two hundred,
And if there are a hundred of you,
They will overcome a thousand of the disbelievers.
That is because they
Are a people without sense (and reject the Truth). - Allah has now lightened your burden,
And He has indeed understood your weakness,
So if there are a hundred among you who persevere,
They will triumph over two hundred,
And if there are a thousand among you,
They will triumph over two thousand
By the command of Allah.
Lo! Allah is ever present
With those who persevere. - It is not (befitting) for a Prophet
To have prisoners of war,
Until he (has stopped) bloodshed in the land,
You seek the material (benefits) of this world,
While Allah desires the hereafter (for you).
Lo! Allah is the Mighty, the Wise! - Lo! Were it not for what is decreed
Beforehand from Allah,
A mighty punishment would have descended on you
For what you had taken (of the booty). - Therefore, use what you have secured
As booty that is permitted and pure,
And be aware of Allah.
Indeed, Allah is the Forgiver, the Merciful! - O Prophet! Say to those who are
Your prisoners of war:
“If Allah knows there is any goodness in your hearts,
He will give you something better
Than what has been taken from you,
And He will forgive you,
Indeed, Allah is the Forgiver, the Merciful.” - But if they seek to betray you,
Then (know that) they have already betrayed Allah,
So Allah has given you authority over them.
Lo! Allah is the Knower, the Wise! - Indeed, those who have certainty of faith,
And migrate,
And struggle with their wealth and their souls
In the path of Allah,
And those who gave refuge and helped,
They are the protectors, one of the other,
As for those who have believed but have not migrated,
There is no obligation on you until they migrate.
But if they seek your help in the name of their deen (moral code),
Then you are obligated to help them,
Except against a people with whom you have a treaty.
Lo! Allah is the Seer of what you do! - Those who reject the Truth,
They are protectors one of another.
Unless you do the same,
There will be convulsion in the land,
And a mighty strife. - Those who have proclaimed their faith,
And migrated, and struggled in the path of Allah,
And those who offered refuge and provided help,
They are in truth the ones who have certainty of faith.
For them there is forgiveness and a bounty, honored. - Those who believed later,
And migrated and struggled with you,
They are of you.
And the kinsfolk are tied to one another
According to the Book of Allah.
Lo! Allah is the Knower of all things!