Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 41

(Ayah 41) ➊ {وَ اعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ:} Ghanimah is the wealth obtained from the disbelievers in the case of war; if any wealth is obtained from them without war, it is called Fay, which is mentioned in Surah Hashr (6 to 9), for example, if the disbelievers themselves lay down their arms, or if jizyah is collected from them in the case of a treaty, or if it is the land tax, etc. Sometimes, Ghanimah and Fay are also used interchangeably. The meaning of {’’ غَنَمٌ‘‘} is sheep and goats, which often used to come into the possession of the victorious party after war in Arabia. Later, everything that came into possession was called Ghanimah.

➋ At the beginning of the Surah, "Anfal" was declared to be the property of Allah and His Messenger; now the method of distribution of Ghanimah is being stated. One relevance is that previously in «وَ قَاتِلُوْهُمْ حَتّٰى لَا تَكُوْنَ فِتْنَةٌ» the command for fighting was given, as a result of which Ghanimah is usually obtained, so now the places for its expenditure are being mentioned.

➌ { مِنْ شَيْءٍ:} This means that no matter how big or small a thing is, no one can keep it for himself; according to the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), even a needle and thread, or a tuft of camel's wool, must be handed over; if someone keeps it, it will be considered Ghulul (embezzlement), for which there is a warning in Surah Al-Imran (161).

➍ { فَاَنَّ لِلّٰهِ خُمُسَهٗ وَ لِلرَّسُوْلِ …:} This means that the total Ghanimah will be divided into five parts; four parts will be given to those who participated in the battle, and among them, a foot soldier will get one share and a horseman will get three shares—one for himself and two for the horse—and the Khums (fifth part) will be set aside for the purposes mentioned in the verse. This is also a favor upon the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), otherwise, in previous nations, the wealth of Ghanimah was not even lawful; rather, it used to be burnt. Here, the name of Allah has come as a blessing and preamble, because all wealth belongs to Allah. Originally, there are five recipients of the Khums: one share the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would spend for his and his wives' needs, and after that for the general welfare of the Muslims, for example, weapons and mounts for the Mujahideen, etc. After him, the Caliph of the time, wherever he deems appropriate, will be his successor in spending it. Apart from the Khums, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had the right to keep any one thing from the entire Ghanimah for himself, for example, a weapon, a horse, or a slave girl; this is called {’’صَفِيٌّ‘‘}. By {’’ وَ لِذِي الْقُرْبٰى ‘‘} is meant the relatives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); the descendants of his great-grandfather Abd Manaf were four clans: Banu Hashim, Banu Muttalib, Banu Abd Shams, and Banu Nawfal. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was from Banu Hashim, and he gave a share from the Khums to the first two clans from {’’ ذَوِي الْقُرْبٰي‘‘}, not to the latter two, and when they asked, you explained that Banu Muttalib were companions of Banu Hashim even before Islam, while the last two clans were actively opposing at that time. {’’ الْيَتٰمٰى ‘‘} are those minor children whose fathers have died. {’’ الْمَسٰكِيْنِ ‘‘} are those needy people whose income is less than their needs. {’’ ابْنِ السَّبِيْلِ ‘‘} is the wayfarer traveler. What will be the method of dividing this Khums into five parts? Should all be given equally, or should it be spent according to need? Imam Malik and most of the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) are of the opinion that the Imam (Caliph of Islam) has the authority to distribute or spend it as he wishes, keeping in view the collective welfare of the Muslims, such as preparation for Jihad, purchase of weapons, etc. This was also the practice of the four rightly guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them). (Qurtubi) The hadith of Nasa'i also indicates this; Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took a little wool from the hump of a camel between two fingers and said: "There is nothing for me from Fay (Ghanimah), not even this (wool), except the fifth part, and that fifth part will also be returned among you." [ نسائی،أول کتاب قسم الفیٔ : ۴۱۴۴، و صححہ الألبانی ] Then it is not necessary to divide it equally into five parts; where there is a need to spend more, more can be spent. Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on them) have declared this to be the most Sahih opinion.

➎ {وَ مَاۤ اَنْزَلْنَا عَلٰى عَبْدِنَا:} That is, the angels, signs, miracles, and divine help that Allah sent down at Badr. In {’’ عَبْدِنَا ‘‘}, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is given special honor by being called His servant, as in «سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِيْۤ اَسْرٰى بِعَبْدِهٖ» [ بنی إسرائیل : ۱ ] and «وَ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِيْ رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلٰى عَبْدِنَا» [ البقرۃ : ۲۳ ]. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cherished this honor very much; his famous supplication is: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ عَبْدُكَ وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ نَاصِيَتِيْ بِيَدِكَ ] [ أحمد : 391/1، ح : ۳۷۱۱، عن ابن مسعود رضی اللہ عنہ ]

➏ {يَوْمَ الْفُرْقَانِ: ’’ الْفُرْقَانِ ‘‘} Clear decision, that is, the Day of Badr in which the decision between truth and falsehood was made, truth was victorious and falsehood was defeated. (Ibn Kathir) This was the first formal battle between truth and falsehood, which took place on 17th Ramadan, Friday (according to the narration of Ibn Jarir from Ali).