Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
Al-W¥^idÏ's Asb¥b al-Nuz‰l - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies ...
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Chapter 8: Surah <strong>al</strong>-Anf<strong>al</strong><br />
In the name of <strong>Al</strong>lah, the Beneficent, the Merciful<br />
(<strong>The</strong>y ask thee (O Muhammad) of the spoils of war. Say: <strong>The</strong> spoils of war belong to <strong>Al</strong>lah and the<br />
messenger…) [8:1].<br />
Abu Sa‘id <strong>al</strong>-Nasruyiyy informed us> Abu Bakr <strong>al</strong>-Qati‘i> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanb<strong>al</strong>> his father><br />
Abu Mu‘awiyah> Abu Ishaq <strong>al</strong>-Shaybani> Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd <strong>Al</strong>lah <strong>al</strong>-Thaqafi> Sa‘d ibn Abi<br />
Waqqas who said: “On the day of Badr my brother ‘Umayr was killed and I killed Sa‘id ibn <strong>al</strong>-‘As and<br />
took his sword which was named <strong>al</strong>-Kifah. I went to the Prophet, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace,<br />
and he told me to go and put the sword with the captured booty which was still undivided. I went back<br />
in a state which only <strong>Al</strong>lah knew as a result of the killing of my brother and the loss of my spoil. I did<br />
not go very far when Surah <strong>al</strong>-Anf<strong>al</strong> was reve<strong>al</strong>ed. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him<br />
peace, c<strong>al</strong>led me and said: ‘Go and take back your sword!’ ”. 1<br />
‘Ikrimah reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “On the day of Badr, the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and<br />
give him peace, said: ‘Whoever does such-and-such will get such-and-such’. And so the younger men<br />
went and the old remained under the banners. When it was time to divide the booty, those younger men<br />
came to ask for their share, but the old said: ‘Do not exclude us, for we were under the banners, and if<br />
you had been defeated, we would have been a shield for you’. And so <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, reve<strong>al</strong>ed (<strong>The</strong>y<br />
ask thee (O Muhammad) of the spoils of war. Say: <strong>The</strong> spoils of war belong to <strong>Al</strong>lah and the messenger…),<br />
and the booty was divided on them in equ<strong>al</strong> shares”. 2<br />
Abu Bakr ibn <strong>al</strong>-Harith informed us> ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja‘far> Abu Yahya> Sahl ibn ‘Uthman><br />
Yahya ibn Abi Za’idah> Ibn Abi <strong>al</strong>-Zinad> ‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman ibn <strong>al</strong>-Harith> Sulayman ibn Musa<br />
ibn <strong>al</strong>-Ashdaq> Makhul> Abu S<strong>al</strong>am <strong>al</strong>-Bahili> Abu Umamah <strong>al</strong>-Bahili> ‘Ubadah ibn <strong>al</strong>-Samit who said:<br />
“When the enemy was defeated on the day of Badr, a group of men followed them to exterminate them,<br />
while one group surrounded the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, [to protect<br />
him] and another group seized the booty and spoils. When <strong>Al</strong>lah banished the enemy and those who<br />
went after came back, they said: ‘<strong>The</strong> booty belongs to us, we have chased the enemy and it is through us<br />
that <strong>Al</strong>lah has defeated and banished them’. Those who surrounded the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless<br />
him and give him peace, said: ‘By <strong>Al</strong>lah, you do not have more right to it than we do. We have surrounded<br />
the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him peace, lest the enemy attack him by surprise.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, the booty is ours’. Those who had seized the spoils and booty said: ‘By <strong>Al</strong>lah, you do not have<br />
more right to it than we do. We have seized, it is therefore ours’. <strong>Al</strong>lah, ex<strong>al</strong>ted is He, then reve<strong>al</strong>ed (<strong>The</strong>y<br />
ask thee (O Muhammad) of the spoils of war) and so the Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless him and give him<br />
peace, divided it on them in equ<strong>al</strong> shares”. 3<br />
(And thou (Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw, but <strong>Al</strong>lah threw…) [8:17].<br />
‘Abd <strong>al</strong>-Rahman ibn Ahmad <strong>al</strong>-‘Attar informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd <strong>Al</strong>lah ibn Muhammad <strong>al</strong>-<br />
Bayya‘> Isma‘il ibn Muhammad ibn <strong>al</strong>-Fadl <strong>al</strong>-Sha‘rani> his grandfather> Ibrahim ibn <strong>al</strong>-Mundhir <strong>al</strong>-<br />
Hizami> Muhammad ibn Fulayh> Musa ibn ‘Uqbah> Ibn Shihab> Sa‘id ibn <strong>al</strong>-Musayyab> his father<br />
who said: “On the Day of the Battle of Uhud, Ubayy ibn Kh<strong>al</strong>af came looking for the Prophet, <strong>Al</strong>lah<br />
bless him and give him peace but some believing men stopped him. <strong>The</strong> Messenger of <strong>Al</strong>lah, <strong>Al</strong>lah bless<br />
him and give him peace, ordered them to let him go and they did. He was then received by Mus‘ab ibn<br />
1<br />
Tabari, :173 (in Tabari, the sword is named Dhu’l-Kutayfah); Durr, :3 (here, the sword is c<strong>al</strong>led Dhu’l-Kutay‘ah)<br />
2<br />
Durr, :6; Tabari, :171-172.<br />
3<br />
Musnad of Ahmad.
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