Summary of Quran Chapter 8 Surah An-Fal the Spoils of War

This Surah was revealed in Madinah around the year 6 AH, and most of its articles are related to the Battle of Badr and its events and problems. This battle is the first regular battle between Islam and infidelity, in which Allah Almighty gave victory to the Muslims, and the Quraysh inflicted a humiliating defeat on Makkah.

Thus, in this Surah, Allah Almighty has reminded us of His rewards, and with the courage with which the Muslims fought this war, has also pointed out some of the weaknesses that came to the fore in this war. And for the future, some instructions can always lead to the success and victory of the Muslims. Many acts of jihad and the distribution of booty are also mentioned. Since the war took place against the backdrop of the oppression of the disbelievers of Makkah, the circumstances in which the Prophet (sws) was ordered to emigrate from Makkah are also mentioned. Also, the Muslims who remained in Makkah.

It has also been declared necessary for them to migrate to Madinah. Due to migration, some provisions regarding the distribution of inheritance were temporarily enforced. This is why at the end of the surah some permanent rules of inheritance are given.

Battle of Badr:

Since many of the articles in this surah deal with various incidents of the Battle of Badr, it is necessary to provide some basic information about this battle in order to understand them properly, so that the verses related to it are Understandable in the background.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) lived in Makkah for thirteen years after his prophethood. During this time, the disbelievers of Makkah did not spare any effort in persecuting him and his companions (RA) in various ways and inflicting unbearable hardships on them. Even before the migration, there was a formal plan to kill you, which is mentioned in this surah.

When he (peace be upon him) migrated and came to Madinah, the disbelievers of Makkah were constantly thinking that you should not be allowed to sit there comfortably. He wrote a letter to Abdullah ibn Abi in Madinah saying that you have sheltered Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions. Now either refrain from sheltering them or we will attack you. (See Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitabal-Kharaj, Chapter 23, Hadith No. 3004). Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, one of the Ansar's chiefs once went to Makkah.

During the Tawaf, Abu Jahl said to him, "You have given shelter to our enemies, and if you had not taken refuge in one of our chiefs." They could not return alive, which meant that if any man from Madinah came to Mecca in the future, he would be killed. Hazrat Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Abu Jahl, "If you prevent our men from coming to Makkah, we will make an even bigger obstacle for you, but when you go to Syria with caravans If so, your path passes near Madinah. We will now be free to stop your caravans and "act on them." (See Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi, Chapter 2, Hadith No. 3950).

After that, some forces of the infidels of Makkah came around Madinah and looted the cattle of the Muslims. Against this backdrop, Abu Sufyan (who was then the chief of the infidel Mecca) went to Syria with a large caravan. In this caravan, every man and woman from Makkah collected gold and silver and sent them to participate in trade. The caravan was returning from Syria with a hundred percent profit.

The caravan consisted of a thousand camels, carrying goods of fifty thousand dinars, with forty armed men assigned to guard it. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) found out about the return of this caravan, he decided to attack this caravan according to the challenge of Hazrat Saad bin Mu'adh. For this, there was no opportunity to recruit regular soldiers, so as many companions as could be prepared on time. They numbered three hundred and thirteen, seventy camels and two horses, sixty armor. You left Madinah with this baggage.

It is noteworthy that non-Muslim authors have objected to the incident saying that there was no justification for attacking a peaceful trade convoy. Some Muslim writers of our time, intimidated by this objection, have tried to claim that the Prophet (sws) did not intend to attack the caravan, but that Abu Sufyan, realizing the danger on his own, invited Abu Jahl's army. Was But this interpretation of the incident is not correct in the light of authentic hadiths and Qur'anic references. In fact, this objection is based on ignorance of the situation at that time and the political, defense, and social structure of that time.

First of all, in the light of the events we have described above, there was a constant state of war between the two sides. The two had not only challenged each other but had also been practically teased by the infidels. The other Sa'd ibn Mu'adh had already warned them that they would be free to attack their caravans. Third, there was no distinction between civilians and soldiers in those days. All the adult males of society were called 'combatants'.

Thus the leadership of the caravan was in the hands of Abu Sufyan who was the open enemy of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at that time, and with him was one of the forty armed men of Quraysh who were in the forefront of persecuting the Muslims. And they were preparing for war against the Muslims, and if this caravan had reached Mecca successfully, it would have caused a great increase in the fighting power of the Quraysh. In these circumstances, to call it an attack on a peaceful trade caravan is a mere manifestation of the stubbornness of ignorance of the situation at that time, and because of this, it is by no means correct to deny these incidents which are proved by the hadiths.

Anyhow! When Abu Sufyan realized his intentions, he sent a high-ranking envoy to Abu Jahl on the one hand to report the incident and advised him to attack you with all his troops, and on the other hand to change the route of his caravan. He set out for the shores of the Red Sea so that he could make a detour to Mecca. Taking this opportunity, Abu Jahl prepared a large army and left for Madinah.

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) found out that Abu Sufyan had left with a caravan, and that Abu Jahl's army was coming, he consulted the Companions. Everyone agreed that there should be a decisive battle with Abu Jahl. So the two armies clashed at Badr. The number and equipment of the Muslims were of no importance compared to the army of Abu Jahl, but by the grace of Allah Almighty, the Muslims achieved a great victory. Seventy Quraysh chiefs, including Abu Jahl, who was at the forefront of Muslim hostility, were killed, and seventy others were captured, and the rest fled the field.

Source: Mufti Taqi Usmani (Former Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan, a Renowned Islamic Scholar).