Surah Al-Anfal

Al-Anfal, "The Spoils of War", is the eighth surah of the Quran. A Medinan surah of 75 verses, it is 88th in the traditional order of revelation. Revealed after the battle of Badr in 2 AH, the first great victory of the Muslims over the Quraysh, it teaches that victory comes from God, settles the question of the spoils and lays down rules for war, treaties and peace.

Name and context

The surah takes its name from its first verse: the believers ask the Prophet ﷺ about the spoils (anfal) and are told that they belong to God and His Messenger, and that they should set things right among themselves (8:1). Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas related that this verse came down after he had asked the Prophet for a sword taken at Badr (Muslim 1748). Asked about the surah, Ibn Abbas simply answered: "It was revealed about Badr" (al-Bukhari 4882).

Main themes

• The true believers, whose hearts tremble when God is mentioned and whose faith grows when His verses are recited (8:2–4).
• The battle: the believers' reluctance, God's promise that one of the two parties would be theirs, the thousand angels sent in support, the rain and the calm sleep before the fight (8:5–14); "You did not throw when you threw; it was God who threw" (8:17).
• Answering God and His Messenger "when he calls you to what gives you life" (8:24), and the Meccans' plot to imprison, kill or expel the Prophet (8:30).
• The division of the spoils, a fifth being set aside for God and the Messenger, his kin, orphans, the poor and travellers (8:41), on "the day of the Criterion, the day the two armies met".
• Steadfastness and unity: "Do not quarrel, lest you lose heart and your strength departs" (8:45–47).
• Treaties and war: dealing with those who betray their pledges (8:55–58), preparing strength (8:60), which the Prophet explained as skill in shooting (Muslim 1917), and accepting peace "if they incline to peace" (8:61).
• The captives of Badr (8:67–71), a passage Umar ibn al-Khattab linked to the ransom taken for them (Muslim 1763), and the bonds between the Emigrants and the Helpers (8:72–75).

Place in the Mushaf

Al-Anfal is followed by At-Taubah with no Basmala between them. A report attributed to Uthman says he placed them side by side because their subjects were close and the Prophet had not said whether they formed one surah (at-Tirmidhi 3086, Abu Dawud 786); al-Albani and Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut graded it weak. The next battle, Uhud, is the subject of a long passage of Aal-e-Imran.