| | Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar rendition of Surah The Spoils of War(al-Anfal)
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| 8:1 | | They ask thee about the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to God and the Messenger so be Godfearing of God and make things right among you and obey God and his Messenger if you had been ones who believe. |
| 8:2 | | The ones who believe are only those whose hearts took notice when God was remembered. When His signs were recounted to them, their belief increased and they put their trust in the Lord— |
| 8:3 | | those who perform the formal prayer and spend out of what We provided them, |
| 8:4 | | those, they are the ones who truthfully believe. For them are degrees with their Lord and forgiveness and generous provision. |
| 8:5 | | Just as thy Lord brought thee out from thy house with The Truth, and, truly, a group of people among the ones who believe were the ones who dislike it. |
| 8:6 | | They dispute with thee about The Truth—after it became clear—as if they had been driven to death and they look on at it. |
| 8:7 | | And when God promises you, one of the two sections: It will, truly, be for you. And you wish that the one that is unarmed should be yours. And God wants that He verify The Truth by His Words and to sever the last remnant of the ones who are ungrateful |
| 8:8 | | that He may verify The Truth and render the falsehood untrue even if the ones who sin disliked it. |
| 8:9 | | Mention when you cry for help from your Lord and He responded to you: Truly, I am One Who Reinforces you with a thousand angels, ones who come one after another. |
| 8:10 | | And did God make this as good tidings for you so that with it your hearts will be at rest in it? And there is no help but from God alone. Truly, God is Almighty, Wise. |
| 8:11 | | Mention when a sleepiness enwraps you as a safety from Him. He sends down water from heaven for you and He purifies you by it and causes to be put away from you the defilement of Satan. He invigorates your hearts and makes your feet firm by it. |
| 8:12 | | Mention when thy Lord reveals to the angels: I am, truly, with you, so make those who believed firm. I will cast alarm into the hearts of those who were ungrateful. So strike above their necks and strike each of their fingers from them. |
| 8:13 | | That is because they made a breach with God and His Messenger. And to whomever makes a breach with God and His Messenger, then, truly, God is Severe in repayment. |
| 8:14 | | That is for you, so experience it, and, truly, for the ones who are ungrateful, the punishment of the fire. |
| 8:15 | | O those who believed! When you met those who were ungrateful marching to battle, then, turn not your backs to them in flight. |
| 8:16 | | And whoever turns his back that Day—but one who withdraws from fighting for a purpose—or one who moves aside to another faction, he, surely, drew the burden of the anger from God and his place of shelter will be hell. And miserable will be the Homecoming! |
| 8:17 | | Then, you kill them not, but God killed them. And thou hadst not thrown when thou hadst thrown but God threw. He tries by experiment the ones who believe with a fairer trial from Him. Truly, God is Hearing, Knowing. |
| 8:18 | | That is so, and, truly, God is One Who Makes Frail the cunning of the ones who are ungrateful. |
| 8:19 | | If you seek a judgment then, surely, drew near to you the victory. And if you refrain yourselves, then, that would be better for you. And if you revert, We will revert. And your factions will not avail you at all even if they were many. And God is with the ones who believe. |
| 8:20 | | O those who believed! Obey God and His Messenger and turn not away from him when you hear his command. |
| 8:21 | | And be not like those who said: We heard, when they hear not. |
| 8:22 | | Truly, the worst of moving creatures with God are unwilling to hear and unwilling to speak, those who are not reasonable. |
| 8:23 | | If God knew any good in them He would have caused them to be willing to hear. And even if He had caused them to be willing to hear, truly, they would have turned away, and they are ones who turn aside. |
| 8:24 | | O those who believed! Respond to God and to the Messenger when He called you to what gives you life. And know, truly, that God comes between a man and his heart and that to Him you will assemble. |
| 8:25 | | Be Godfearing of a test which will not light on those of you, particularly, who did wrong. And know that God is, truly, Severe in repayment. |
| 8:26 | | And remember when you were few, ones taken advantage of due to weakness on the earth. You fear humanity would snatch you away so He gave you refuge and confirmed you with His help and provided you with what is good so that perhaps you will give thanks. |
| 8:27 | | O those who believed! Betray not God and the Messenger nor betray your trusts when you know. |
| 8:28 | | And know that your wealth and your children are a test and that God, with Him is a sublime compensation. |
| 8:29 | | O those who believed! If you are Godfearing of God, He will assign you a Criterion between right and wrong and will absolve you of your evil deeds and will forgive you. And God is Possessor of Sublime Grace. |
| 8:30 | | And mention when those who were ungrateful plan against thee to bring thee to a standstill or to kill thee or to drive thee out. And they plan and God plans, but God is Best of the ones who plan. |
| 8:31 | | And when Our signs are recounted to them, they said: We heard this. If we will, we would say the like of this. Truly, this is only fables of ancient ones. |
| 8:32 | | And when they said: O God! Truly, if this had been The Truth from Thee, rain down rocks on us from heaven or bring us a painful punishment. |
| 8:33 | | But God had not been punishing them with thee among them. Nor had God been One Who Punishes them while they ask for forgiveness. |
| 8:34 | | And what is with them that God should not punish them while they bar worshipers from the Masjid al-Haram and they had not been its protectors? Truly, its protectors are but ones who are Godfearing except most of them know not. |
| 8:35 | | Their formal prayer at the House had been nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. So experience the punishment because you had been ungrateful. |
| 8:36 | | Truly, those who were ungrateful spend their wealth so that they bar the way of God. They will spend it. Again, it will become a regret for them. Again, they will be vanquished. And those who were ungrateful will be assembled in hell. |
| 8:37 | | God will differentiate the bad from what is good. And He will lay the bad, some on some other, and heap them up altogether and lay them into hell. Those, they are the ones who are losers. |
| 8:38 | | Say to those who were ungrateful: If they refrain themselves, what is past will be forgiven. And if they repeat then, surely, a custom passed of the ancient ones as a warning. |
| 8:39 | | And fight them until there be no persecution and the way of life—all of it—be for God. Then, if they refrained themselves, then, truly, God is Seeing of what they do. |
| 8:40 | | And if they turned away, then, know that God is your Defender. How excellent a Defender and how excellent a Helper! |
| 8:41 | | And know that whatever thing you gain as booty, then, truly one-fifth of it belongs to God and to the Messenger and to the possessors of kinship and the orphans and the needy and the traveler of the way. if you had been believing in God and in what We caused to descend to Our servant on the Day of the Criterion between right and wrong, the day when the two multitudes met one another. And God is Powerful over everything. |
| 8:42 | | Mention when you were on the nearer bank of the valley and they were on the farther bank of the valley and the cavalcade was below you. Even if you made a promise together, you would be, certainly, at variance as to the solemn declaration because God decrees a command that had been one that is accomplished so that he who perishes would have perished by a clear portent and he who lives would live on by a clear portent. And, truly, God is Hearing, Knowing. |
| 8:43 | | Mention when God causes thee to see them as few in thy slumbering. If He caused thee to see them as many, you would have lost heart and contended with one another about the command except God saved you. Truly, He is Knowing of what is in the breasts. |
| 8:44 | | And mention when He causes you to see them when you met one another as few in your eyes and He makes you few in their eyes so that God decrees a command that had been one that is accomplished. And commands are returned to God. |
| 8:45 | | O those who believed! When you met a faction, then, stand firm and remember God frequently so that perhaps you will prosper. |
| 8:46 | | And obey God and His Messenger and contend not with one another. Then, you lose heart and your competence go. And have patience. Truly, God is with the ones who remain steadfast. |
| 8:47 | | And be not like those who went forth from their abodes recklessly to show off to personages and bar them from the way of God. And God is One Who Encloses what they do. |
| 8:48 | | And mention when Satan made to appear pleasing their actions to them and said: No one will be ones who are victors against you this day from among all personages. And, truly, I will be your neighbor. But when the two factions sighted one another, he receded on his two heels and said: Truly, I am free of you. Truly, I see what you see not. Truly, I fear God. And God is Severe in repayment. |
| 8:49 | | Mention when the ones who are hypocrites say and those who, in their hearts, is a sickness: Their way of life deluded these, but whoever puts his trust in God. Then, truly, God is Almighty, Wise. |
| 8:50 | | And if thou wouldst see when those who were ungrateful are called to themselves by the angels, they are striking their faces and their backs saying: Experience the punishment of the burning. |
| 8:51 | | That is because of what your hands put forward of evil and, truly, God is not unjust to His servants. |
| 8:52 | | In like manner of the people of Pharaoh—and of those before them— they were ungrateful for the signs of God so God took them for their impieties. Truly, God is Strong, Severe in repayment. |
| 8:53 | | Know that God will never be One Who Causes to Alter a divine blessing when He was gracious to a folk unless they first alter what is within themselves. And, truly, God is Hearing, Knowing. |
| 8:54 | | In like manner of the people of Pharaoh, and those before them, they denied the signs of their Lord, so We caused them to perish for their impieties. And We drowned the people of Pharaoh. And they all had been ones who are unjust. |
| 8:55 | | Truly, the worst of moving creatures with God are those who were ungrateful, so they will not believe. |
| 8:56 | | Those with whom thou hast made a contract, again, they break their compact every time and they are not Godfearing. |
| 8:57 | | So if thou hast come upon them in war, then, break them up, whoever is behind them, so that perhaps they will recollect. |
| 8:58 | | And if thou hast feared treachery from a folk, then, dissolve the relationship with them equally. Truly, God loves not the ones who are traitors. |
| 8:59 | | Assume thou not that those who were ungrateful will outdo Me. Truly, they will never weaken Him. |
| 8:60 | | And prepare for them whatever you were able of strength, including a string of horses, to put fear in the enemy of God and your enemy and others besides whom you know them not. God knows them. And whatever thing you spend in the way of God, the account will be paid in full to you and you will not be wronged. |
| 8:61 | | And if they tended towards peace, then, tend thou towards it and put thy trust in God. Truly, He is The Hearing, The Knowing. |
| 8:62 | | And if they want to deceive thee, then, truly, God is Enough. It is He Who confirmed thee with His help and with the ones who believe. |
| 8:63 | | And He brought their hearts together. If thou hadst spent all that is in and on the earth, thou wouldst not have brought together their hearts, except God brought them together. Truly, He is Almighty, Wise. |
| 8:64 | | O Prophet! God is Enough for thee and for whoever followed thee among the ones who believe. |
| 8:65 | | O Prophet! Encourage fighting to the ones who believe. If there be twenty of you, ones who remain steadfast, they will vanquish two hundred. And if there be a hundred of you, they will vanquish a thousand of those who were ungrateful because they are a folk who understand not. |
| 8:66 | | Now God lightened your burden from you for He knew that there was a weakness in you. So if there would be a hundred of you, ones who remain steadfast, they will vanquish two hundred. And if there would be a thousand of you, they will vanquish two thousand with the permission of God. And God is with the ones who remain steadfast. |
| 8:67 | | It had not been for a Prophet that he would have prisoners of war unless he gives a sound thrashing in the region. You want the advantages of the present, but God wants the world to come. And God is Almighty, Wise. |
| 8:68 | | Were it not for a preceding prescription from God, you would, certainly, be afflicted with a tremendous punishment for what you took. |
| 8:69 | | Eat of what you gained as booty, lawful, what is good. And be Godfearing of God. Truly, God is Forgiving, Compassionate. |
| 8:70 | | O Prophet! Say to whom are in your hands of the prisoners of war: If God knows any good in your hearts, He will give you better than what was taken from you and He will forgive you. And God is Forgiving, Compassionate. |
| 8:71 | | But if they want treachery against thee, they, surely, betrayed God before, so He gave thee power over them. And God is Knowing, Wise. |
| 8:72 | | Truly, those who believed and emigrated and struggled with their wealth and their lives in the way of God, and those who gave refuge and helped, those are protectors, some of some others. And those who believed, but emigrate not, you have no duty of friendship to them at all until they emigrate. And if they asked you for help in the way of life, then, it would be upon you to help them, but against the folk whom between you and between them there is a solemn promise. And God is Seeing of what you do. |
| 8:73 | | And those who were ungrateful, some are protectors of some others. If you accomplish not allying with other believers there will be persecution on the earth and the hateful sin of corruption. |
| 8:74 | | And those who believed and emigrated and struggled in the way of God and those who gave refuge and helped, those, they are the ones who truthfully believe. For them is forgiveness and generous provision. |
| 8:75 | | And those who believed afterwards, and emigrated and struggled beside you, then, those are of you. And those imbued through wombs, blood relations, some are more deserving than some others in what is prescribed by God, truly, God is Knowing of everything. |
