| | Musharraf Hussain rendition of Surah The Spoils of War(al-Anfal)
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| 8:1 | | They ask you about the spoils of war, say: “The spoils belong to Allah and the Messenger. So, fear Allah and make peace among yourselves, and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are true believers.” |
| 8:2 | | The believers’ hearts tremble with fear at the mention of Allah, their faith grows stronger whenever His verses are recited, and they put trust in their Lord. |
| 8:3 | | They perform the prayer and spend from what We have provided, |
| 8:4 | | they’re true believers; reserved for them are lofty ranks near their Lord, and forgiveness and a generous provision |
| 8:5 | | It was your Lord Who led you out of your home for a purpose, though a group of the believers disliked it, |
| 8:6 | | they argue with you about its purpose that has become apparent, as though they were being led to their deaths as they looked on. |
| 8:7 | | Remember when Allah promised that one of the two parties would be yours, while you were longing for the weaker target. Allah wanted by the power of His words, to establish the truth and to break the back of the disbelievers’ might, |
| 8:8 | | to establish the truth and to overturn falsehood, though the sinful hate it |
| 8:9 | | Remember when you prayed to your Lord for help, and He answered: “I will help you with a thousand angels in rows upon rows.” |
| 8:10 | | Allah made it glad tidings and to boost your morale. Victory is from Allah alone. Allah is Almighty, Wise. |
| 8:11 | | Remember when He caused drowsiness to overtake you, granting you of His reassurance, and He sent rain from the sky for you so you could clean yourselves, remove Satan’s filth from you, strengthen your hearts, and help you to stand firm. |
| 8:12 | | Remember when Your Lord revealed to the angels: “I am with you, so make the believers stand their ground, while I strike terror into the disbelievers’ hearts. So, beat your wings above their necks and beat each of their limbs.” |
| 8:13 | | Since they opposed Allah and His Messenger, and anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger will have severe punishment, |
| 8:14 | | a taste for you of what is to come for the disbelievers, the torment of the Fire is waiting |
| 8:15 | | Believers, whenever you meet disbelievers in battle advancing towards you, don’t turn your backs to them to flee. |
| 8:16 | | On that day, whoever turns his back except in tactical retreat to attack again, or else to rejoin another fighting party, will suffer the fury of Allah, and Hell will be his home. What an evil destination! |
| 8:17 | | You didn’t kill them, but Allah killed them nor did you throw the pebbles when you threw, Messenger, but it was Allah Who threw it. This was as a positive test of the believers from Him. Allah is the Hearer, the Knower. |
| 8:18 | | That was a sign for you, that Allah will weaken the disbelievers’ plot. |
| 8:19 | | If you are seeking a clear outcome, disbelievers, then that was an outcome clearly against you. Were you to put an end to your harassment, that would be better for you; but if you return to it, then so shall We. Your army will not benefit you at all, no matter how large it is. Allah is with the believers |
| 8:20 | | Believers, obey Allah and His Messenger and don’t turn away from him while you can hear him calling you; |
| 8:21 | | and don’t be like those who said, “We have heard,” while they were not listening at all. |
| 8:22 | | The worst of creatures in the sight of Allah are the wilfully deaf and dumb who refuse to think. |
| 8:23 | | If Allah saw any good in them, He would have made them hear; but even if He had made them hear, they would still have turned away, rejecting the message. |
| 8:24 | | Believers, answer Allah and His Messenger when they call to that which will give you life; and beware Allah intervenes between a man and his heart, and that you’ll be gathered before Him. |
| 8:25 | | Be mindful of a future test that wouldn’t just affect the wrongdoers amongst you, and know that Allah’s punishment is severe |
| 8:26 | | Remember when you were an oppressed few in the land, afraid of being wiped out; Allah gave you protection and strengthened you with His help and provided you with wholesome things so you might be thankful. |
| 8:27 | | Believers, don’t betray Allah and the Messenger knowingly, nor be disloyal to your trusts; |
| 8:28 | | and know that your wealth and children are a test, and that Allah has a great reward in store for you. |
| 8:29 | | Believers, if you are mindful of Allah He will give you the standard to judge between right and wrong, and He will cover up your wrongdoings and forgive you. Allah is Gracious in His favour |
| 8:30 | | Remember when the disbelievers plotted to imprison, kill or expel you. They plotted, and Allah planned something else, and Allah is the best of planners. |
| 8:31 | | When Our verses are recited to them, they say, “We’ve heard it all before. If we wanted, we could have said something similar. These are just legends of old.” |
| 8:32 | | They said, “Allah, if this is, indeed, the truth from You then pelt us with hailstones from the sky, or fetch us some other painful punishment.” |
| 8:33 | | But Allah will not punish them as long as you, Messenger, are among them; nor will Allah punish them if they repent and ask forgiveness. |
| 8:34 | | However, Allah will punish them for stopping people from the Sacred Mosque even though they are not its real keepers. Its real keepers are those who are mindful of Allah, but most of the disbelievers don’t know. |
| 8:35 | | Their worship at the Sacred House is merely whistling and clapping. So, taste the punishment for your disbelief |
| 8:36 | | The disbelievers spend their wealth to stop people from the path of Allah, they’ll continue doing so until it becomes a source of regret, and they are defeated. The disbelievers will be banished to Hell, |
| 8:37 | | so that Allah may sort out the wicked from the good; and He will pile up the wicked, layer on layer, in a heap and bulldoze them into Hell. Those are the losers |
| 8:38 | | Tell the disbelievers to stop their wrongdoings so they may be forgiven sins of the past. If they go back to their evil ways, the example of the people of old is there for them. |
| 8:39 | | Fight them so there is no more persecution, and people are free to worship Allah. But if they stop, then Allah sees what they do, |
| 8:40 | | but if they turn away then, know that Allah is your Protector. What a wonderful Protector, and what a wonderful Helper |
| 8:41 | | Whatever spoils of war you seize, know that a fifth of it belongs to Allah and to the Messenger and his relatives, to orphans, the needy and the traveller. That’s if you believe in Allah and in what We revealed to Our servant on the day of separation of truth from falsehood, the day the two armies met. Allah has power over all things |
| 8:42 | | Remember when you were grouped on the near side of the valley, and Makkans on the far side, and the caravan below you. If you had tried to reach a formal agreement to meet there, you would certainly have differed over the time and place; but that occurred so that Allah could accomplish what was preordained, so that whoever perished should do so on the basis of clear proof and whoever survived should do so on the same basis. Allah is the Hearer, the Knower. |
| 8:43 | | Remember when Allah showed them to you to be small in number as you dozed. If He had shown them to you as large in number, you would have lost heart and quarrelled over the matter amongst yourselves, but Allah saved you from disagreements. He knows well people’s innermost thoughts. |
| 8:44 | | And when you faced each other, He made them appear to be few in your eyes, and He made you seem even fewer in number in their eyes, so that He could accomplish what had been preordained. Eventually all matters return to Allah |
| 8:45 | | Believers, whenever you face an army in battle, stand firm and remember Allah a lot so you may triumph. |
| 8:46 | | Obey Allah and His Messenger; don’t quarrel among yourselves nor lose heart and become demoralised, but persevere. Allah is with those who persevere. |
| 8:47 | | And don’t be like those who set out from their homes pompously, showing off to people and stopping people from coming to Allah’s way. Allah has complete control of what they do. |
| 8:48 | | Remember when Satan made their action appear attractive to them and said, “No one will be able to defeat you today, with me close beside you.” However, when the two armies caught sight of each other, Satan turned on his heels, saying, “I have nothing to do with you, I see what you can’t see, and I fear Allah. Allah’s punishment is severe. |
| 8:49 | | Remember when the hypocrites and those with sickness in their hearts said, “Their religion has deceived these people.” Whoever puts his trust in Allah shall find Allah is Almighty, Wise. |
| 8:50 | | If you could see, as the disbelievers’ souls were taken from them, the angels striking their faces and backs, saying, “Taste the punishment of the Blaze. |
| 8:51 | | This is in return for what your hands produced. Allah never wrongs His servants.” |
| 8:52 | | The same happened to Pharaoh’s people and those before them: they rejected Allah’s signs, so Allah punished them for their sins. Allah is Strong, Severe in His punishment. |
| 8:53 | | That is because Allah does not change a favour that He bestowed on a people until they change what is within themselves; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing. |
| 8:54 | | Similar to Pharaoh’s people and those before them: they denied their Lord’s signs, so We destroyed them for their sins, and We caused Pharaoh’s people to be drowned. They were all wrongdoers |
| 8:55 | | The worst of creatures in the sight of Allah are the deniers, they don’t believe; |
| 8:56 | | and those you made a treaty with, and each time they broke their treaty they weren’t mindful of Allah. |
| 8:57 | | Whenever you come across them in battle crush them so that those who come after them may learn a lesson. |
| 8:58 | | If you fear treachery from someone, then tackle them in the same way. Allah dislikes traitors |
| 8:59 | | Don’t let the disbelievers think they have won, they can’t undo Allah’s decree. |
| 8:60 | | So prepare whatever force you can against them, and cavalry, to deter Allah’s and your enemies, and others beside them whom you don’t know, but Allah knows them. Whatever you spend in Allah’s way will be reimbursed to you, and you will not be deprived. |
| 8:61 | | However, if they incline towards peace you incline towards it, and put your trust in Allah. He is the Hearer, the Knower. |
| 8:62 | | Should they wish to trick you, Messenger, then Allah is sufficient for you, He strengthened you with His support and with the believers. |
| 8:63 | | He united their hearts together. Even if you spent all that there is on Earth, you couldn’t unite their hearts together, but Allah united them. He is Almighty, the Wise |
| 8:64 | | Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you and who follow you into battle from among the believers. |
| 8:65 | | Prophet, urge the believers to fight in His way. It may be that your twenty steadfast men can defeat a force of two hundred, and a hundred of you can defeat a thousand of the disbelievers, because they are people who don’t understand. |
| 8:66 | | But for now Allah has lightened your load, knowing that there is some weakness in you. So it may be that a hundred steadfast men amongst you can defeat two hundred, and that a thousand of you can defeat two thousand with Allah’s help; and rest assured, Allah is with the steadfast |
| 8:67 | | It is not fitting for a prophet to take captives until he has won on the battle field. Believers, you want what this world offers,but Allah desires the Hereafter for you. Allah is Almighty, Wise. |
| 8:68 | | Had it not been for a decree issued in advance from Allah, you would have been mightily punished for the action that you took. |
| 8:69 | | So enjoy of your spoils of war, the lawful and healthy, and be ever mindful of Allah. Allah is Forgiving, Kind. |
| 8:70 | | Prophet, tell the captives you are holding: “If Allah finds any good in your hearts, He will give you better than what has been taken from you and will forgive you. Allah is Forgiving, Kind.” |
| 8:71 | | If they act treacherously towards you, they have done so previously with Allah, yet He has given you control over them. Allah is the Knower, the Wise |
| 8:72 | | The believers who emigrated and struggled with their wealth and lives in Allah’s way, and those who offered them refuge and support, they are each other’s protectors. Those who believed but didn’t emigrate, you are not responsible for them until they emigrate. If they should seek your help on religious grounds, then you must help them except against a people with whom you have a treaty. Allah sees what you do. |
| 8:73 | | The disbelievers protect each other. If you don’t do likewise, there will be a lot of persecution and violence in the land. |
| 8:74 | | The believers who emigrated and struggled in Allah’s way, and those who offered them refuge and support in Madinah are the true believers; they shall have forgiveness and a generous provision. |
| 8:75 | | And those later believers who emigrated and struggled with you in Allah’s way, they are one with you. However, blood relationships give them even greater rights over each other in Allah’s Book. Allah knows everything |
