Surah 8. Al-Anfal, Ayah 1

The term nafl (of which anfal is the plural) denotes, in its purely linguistic sense, "an accretion or addition received beyond one's due" or "something given in excess of one's obligation" (from which latter meaning the term salat an-nafl - i.e., a "supererogatory prayer" - is derived). In its plural form anfal, which occurs in the Qur'an only in the above verse, this word signifies "spoils of war", inasmuch as such spoils are an incidental accession above and beyond anything that a mujahid ("a fighter in God's cause") is entitled to expect. The statement that "all spoils of war belong to God and the Apostle" implies that no individual warrior has a claim to any war booty: it is public property, to be utilized or distributed by the government of an Islamic state in accordance with the principles laid down in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet. For further details relating to the division of spoils of war, see verse {41} of this surah. - The immediate occasion of this revelation was the question of the booty acquired by the Muslims in the battle of Badr (an account of which is given in the introductory note to this surah); but the principle enunciated above is valid for all times and circumstances.

Lit., "set to rights the relationship between yourselves" - i e., "remain conscious of your brotherhood in faith and banish all discord among yourselves".

The occasion was the question of the division of the booty after the battle of Badr. See Introduction to this Sura.

Booty taken in a lawful and just war. It belongs to the Cause, in this case the Cause of Allah, as administered by His Messenger. The chief thing is to remain staunch to the Cause of Allah, and have no differences among those who stand for the Cause. Our internal relations must be kept straight: they must not be disturbed by cupidity or worldly considerations of gain, for any windfalls of this kind should be outside our calculations.