Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 72

(Ayah 72) ➊ From the end of Surah Al-Anfal, it becomes clear from these verses that during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), there were four types of Muslims: first, those who were the earliest emigrants (Muhajirun al-awwalin), second, the Ansar of Madinah, third, those believers who did not emigrate, and fourth, those who emigrated after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
➋ { اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ هَاجَرُوْا … :} refers to the earliest emigrants, who are the most virtuous.
➌ {وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰوَوْا وَّ نَصَرُوْۤا:} These are the Ansar, whose virtues are also countless, but it is agreed upon that the Muhajirun are superior to the Ansar. Abdullah bin Zayd bin Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "If it were not for the virtue of emigration, I would have been one of the Ansar." [ بخاری، المغازی، باب غزوۃ الطائف… : ۴۳۳۰ ]
➍ { اُولٰٓىِٕكَ بَعْضُهُمْ اَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ: ’’ اَوْلِيَآءُ ‘‘} can mean friends, supporters, and helpers, and also heirs to one another. According to the second meaning, it refers to the brotherhood (mu’akhah) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) established between the Muhajirun and the Ansar after the emigration, due to which, according to the custom of the Age of Ignorance, those who became brothers to each other would inherit from one another, until the verse of inheritance: «وَ اُولُوا الْاَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ اَوْلٰى بِبَعْضٍ فِيْ كِتٰبِ اللّٰهِ » [الأنفال : ۷۵ ] was revealed, and this practice was abrogated.
➎ { وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ لَمْ يُهَاجِرُوْا:} These are the third category of Muslims of that era. Despite the establishment of Dar al-Islam, being content to remain in the servitude of the disbelievers and not emigrating means that their faith is weak; these people cannot participate in jihad, so friendship and support like the first two groups cannot be established with them in any way, until they emigrate.
➏ {وَ اِنِ اسْتَنْصَرُوْكُمْ فِي الدِّيْنِ …:} For example, if the disbelievers are oppressing them and they seek your help, then it is obligatory upon you to rescue them from the clutches of the oppressors. Allah said: «وَ مَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُوْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَآءِ وَ الْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِيْنَ يَقُوْلُوْنَ رَبَّنَاۤ اَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ اَهْلُهَا » [ النساء : ۷۵ ] "And what is [the matter] with you that you do not fight in the way of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, 'Our Lord, take us out of this city whose people are oppressors.'"
➐ { اِلَّا عَلٰى قَوْمٍۭ بَيْنَكُمْ وَ بَيْنَهُمْ مِّيْثَاقٌ:} That is, if you have a treaty with the disbelievers that you will not fight each other, then you cannot help those Muslims by breaking the treaty; rather, those Muslims will be told to leave the "abode of disbelief" and come to the "abode of Islam."

72. 1 These are called the Muhajirun companions, who are ranked first in virtue among the companions.

72. 2 These are called the Ansar. They are ranked second in virtue.

72. 3 That is, they are supporters and helpers of one another, and some have said that they are heirs of one another. Just as after the Hijrah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ established a bond of brotherhood between each Muhajir and each Ansari, to the extent that they would even inherit from one another (later, the ruling of inheritance was abrogated).

72. 4 This is the third category of companions, who are other than the Muhajirun and Ansar. After becoming Muslim, they remained in their own regions and tribes. Therefore, it is stated that they are not entitled to your support or inheritance.

72. 5 If they need your help against the polytheists, then it is necessary to help them.

72. 6 However, if they seek your help against a people with whom you have a treaty of peace and non-aggression, then upholding the treaty is more important than supporting these Muslims.

Those who believed and emigrated and strove with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah, and those who gave them shelter and helped them—these are allies [74] of one another. But as for those who believed but did not emigrate, you have no obligation of alliance with them until they emigrate. But if they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them, except against a people with whom you have a treaty. And Allah is Seeing of what you do.

[74]
The Meaning of Wali, Brotherhood, and Inheritance:

The word "wali" in the Arabic language is very broad in meaning, and it is used in the sense of friend, supporter, helper, guardian, heir, patron, and close relative—all these meanings are included. Generally, it refers to a person who, at the time of someone's death or calamity, is the closest in terms of help, payment of blood money, or inheritance. In these verses, the rulings regarding the mutual relations of Muslims living in Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb are being explained. The Muslims who migrated from Makkah to Madinah had a fundamental issue regarding their settlement and livelihood. To solve this issue, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ established the system of brotherhood (mu’akhah) between the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and according to the narration of Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ, the Prophet ﷺ, in his house, in three gatherings at different times, connected about forty-three Muhajirin and Ansar in the bond of brotherhood. That is, one Muhajir was paired with one Ansari, making them brothers, and the issues and basic needs of the Muhajir were placed upon the Ansari, which the Ansar accepted with great generosity and happiness. This brotherhood or "wilayah" reached such a level that, leaving aside the real heirs, these brothers became each other's wali and heirs. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير زير آيت : __QUR_0__]
Now, it is evident that at that time, Dar al-Islam was only Madinah, where Muslims from Makkah and other areas were migrating, and except for Madinah, the rest of Arabia was Dar al-Harb or Dar al-Kufr, while Muslims were also present in Makkah and other areas. In this background, in the last four verses of Surah Al-Anfal, rulings are given regarding the relations among Muslims of Dar al-Islam, their relations with external Muslims, and intergovernmental treaties, which are presented here.

Various Forms of Mutual Relations Among Muslims Living in Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam and the Foreign Policy of Islam:

1. The Ansar and Muhajirin who have come to Madinah—all of them, by virtue of brotherhood (mu’akhah), are each other's wali and heirs, as is also clear from Surah An-Nisa, verse 33.
2. And those Muslims who have not migrated to Madinah—they are neither your wali nor heirs, nor can you be their wali or heirs, unless they migrate and come to you. This means that a Muslim living in Dar al-Harb cannot be the heir of a Muslim living in Dar al-Islam, and vice versa, just as a Muslim cannot be the heir of a disbeliever, nor a disbeliever the heir of a Muslim.
3. No responsibility is placed upon the Muslims or their government living in Dar al-Islam regarding the Muslims living in Dar al-Harb. According to this ruling, the root of all international disputes is cut off, where one government assumes responsibility for minorities living in another government.
4. If Muslims living in Dar al-Harb are subjected to excess and oppression, and they seek help from the Muslims or their government in Dar al-Islam in response, then it becomes obligatory upon the Muslims of Dar al-Islam to help them.
5. And if the Muslims seeking help are living in a country with which the Islamic government has a treaty of peace and reconciliation, then in this case, it is more important to honor the international treaty rather than help the Muslims, and even if they seek help, they will not be helped.
6. However, such Muslims who live outside the borders of the treaty-making Islamic government are not bound by this additional restriction. If they wish, they can help such oppressed Muslims in any way they want. The treaty-making Islamic government will not be responsible for them.