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8. Al-Anfaal

The Spoils of War · Medinan · 75 ayahs

سُورَةُ الأَنفَالِ

Reading Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti

Ayahs 31–40 of 75

31

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالُوا۟ قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَآءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَٰذَآ ۙ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

And when Our verses are recited to them, they say, "We have heard. If we willed, we could say [something] like this. This is not but legends of the former peoples."

And when Our verses namely the Qur’ān were being recited to them they said ‘We have already heard! If we wish we can speak the like of this — al-Nadr b. al-Hārith said this for he used to travel on trading business to al-Hīra where he would buy books containing the tales of the Persians and would recount these to the Meccans; this Qur’ān is nothing but the fables the lies of the ancients’.

Al-Anfaal 8:31Listen in Qur'an →
32

وَإِذْ قَالُوا۟ ٱللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَٰذَا هُوَ ٱلْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَوِ ٱئْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍۢ

And [remember] when they said, "O Allah, if this should be the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment."

And when they said ‘O God! If this that Muhammad (s) recites be indeed the truth revealed from You then rain down stones upon us from the heaven or bring on us a painful chastisement’ in return for our denial of it this was said by al-Nadr and others in mockery and in delusion that he had some insight and certainty about it the Qur’ān being false.

Al-Anfaal 8:32Listen in Qur'an →
33

وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ

But Allah would not punish them while you, [O Muhammad], are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.

God then says But God was not about to chastise them for what they requested while you were among them for when chastisement is sent down it is all-encompassing and no community was ever chastised except after its prophet and the believers had departed from it; nor was God about to chastise them while they sought forgiveness crying as they performed the circumambulations ‘Your forgiveness! Your forgiveness!’; it is also said that this last clause refers to those oppressed believers among them similar to where God says Had they been clearly separated verily We would have chastised the disbelievers among them with a painful chastisement Q. 4825.

Al-Anfaal 8:33Listen in Qur'an →
34

وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلَّا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوٓا۟ أَوْلِيَآءَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنْ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

But why should Allah not punish them while they obstruct [people] from al-Masjid al- Haram and they were not [fit to be] its guardians? Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know.

But what plea have they now that God should not chastise them with the sword after your departure and that of the oppressed believers — if this verse is understood in accordance with the first opinion that it refers to the idolaters asking forgiveness then it abrogates the previous one for God had chastised them at Badr and in other instances — when they bar prevent the Prophet s and the Muslims from the Sacred Mosque from performing circumambulations there though they are not its guardians? as they claim? Its only rightful guardians are the God-fearing but most of them do not know that they have no rightful custodianship over it.

Al-Anfaal 8:34Listen in Qur'an →
35

وَمَا كَانَ صَلَاتُهُمْ عِندَ ٱلْبَيْتِ إِلَّا مُكَآءًۭ وَتَصْدِيَةًۭ ۚ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ

And their prayer at the House was not except whistling and handclapping. So taste the punishment for what you disbelieved.

And their prayer at the Sacred House is nothing but whistling and hand-clapping in other words they do this in place of the prayer which they were ordered to perform — therefore taste now at Badr the chastisement for your unbelief!

Al-Anfaal 8:35Listen in Qur'an →
36

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَسَيُنفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةًۭ ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ

Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert [people] from the way of Allah. So they will spend it; then it will be for them a [source of] regret; then they will be overcome. And those who have disbelieved - unto Hell they will be gathered.

The disbelievers expend their wealth in waging war against the Prophet s in order to bar from God’s way and they will expend it until in the end it will be a source of anguish for them a regret for having lost it and lost what they had intended by expending it; then they will be defeated in this world and the disbelievers among them will be gathered driven into Hell in the Hereafter

Al-Anfaal 8:36Listen in Qur'an →
37

لِيَمِيزَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْخَبِيثَ مِنَ ٱلطَّيِّبِ وَيَجْعَلَ ٱلْخَبِيثَ بَعْضَهُۥ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ فَيَرْكُمَهُۥ جَمِيعًۭا فَيَجْعَلَهُۥ فِى جَهَنَّمَ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرُونَ

[This is] so that Allah may distinguish the wicked from the good and place the wicked some of them upon others and heap them all together and put them into Hell. It is those who are the losers.

that God may distinguish read li-yamīza or li-yumayyiza is semantically connected to takūnu ‘it will be’ from the previous verse the wicked the disbeliever from the good the believer and place the wicked one upon another and heap them up all together and put them in Hell those they are the losers.

Al-Anfaal 8:37Listen in Qur'an →
38

قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَنتَهُوا۟ يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ سَلَفَ وَإِن يَعُودُوا۟ فَقَدْ مَضَتْ سُنَّتُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them. But if they return [to hostility] - then the precedent of the former [rebellious] peoples has already taken place.

Say to the disbelievers such as Abū Sufyān and his companions that if they desist from unbelief and from waging war against the Prophet s that which is past of their deeds will be forgiven them; but if they return to waging war against him the way of dealing with the ancients has already gone before! that is Our way in dealing with them by destroying them We will do the same with these ones.

Al-Anfaal 8:38Listen in Qur'an →
39

وَقَٰتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌۭ وَيَكُونَ ٱلدِّينُ كُلُّهُۥ لِلَّهِ ۚ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌۭ

And fight them until there is no fitnah and [until] the religion, all of it, is for Allah. And if they cease - then indeed, Allah is Seeing of what they do.

And fight them until sedition idolatry is exists no more and religion is all for God alone none other being worshipped; then if they desist from unbelief surely God sees what they do and will requite them for it.

Al-Anfaal 8:39Listen in Qur'an →
40

وَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ ۚ نِعْمَ ٱلْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ

But if they turn away - then know that Allah is your protector. Excellent is the protector, and Excellent is the helper.

But if they turn away from belief know that God is your Protector your Helper and the One Who takes charge of your affairs — an excellent Protector is He and an excellent Helper! He is for you.

Al-Anfaal 8:40Listen in Qur'an →

Commentary: Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.