Al-Anfal 8:40
The Spoils of War · Juz 9 · Page 181
وَإِن تَوَلَّوۡاْ فَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَوۡلَىٰكُمۡۚ نِعۡمَ ٱلۡمَوۡلَىٰ وَنِعۡمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ ٤٠
But if they turn away - then know that Allāh is your protector. Excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper.
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Tazkirul Quran
Brief · Short modern reflections on each passage.
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Commentary on 8:40
It is a principle of Islam that the individual is rewarded according to his deeds. However, by His grace Almighty God has made special exemptions to this general principle: when a man is truly repentant, he will not be punished thereafter for his earlier deeds. Suppose a man spent his life in ungodliness, then he received the light of guidance, became a true believer and adopted the righteous life. In this case, he will be forgiven for the evil deeds done by him earlier; he will not be seized on the basis of his earlier crimes. This very principle is also operative in collective and political matters. Sometimes the struggle between Truth and falsehood develops into a clash. During this clash the opponents commit atrocities on the believers. Finally, the supporters of the truth are dominant and the opponents are overcome and subdued. In this matter also, the principle of Islam is the same as stated above, that is, people will not be punished for committing atrocities in the past. Rather, if, after the victory anybody indulges in criminal acts will, after due procedure, receive the punishment prescribed in the Islamic law for such a criminal. In ancient times the establishment of chieftains and rulers was based on polytheism. Today, rulers hold sway as representatives of the people, but in the past they ruled as representatives of God or God’s so called partners. Consequently, in ancient society, polytheism enjoyed a position of power. Polytheists used to harass the believers in the one God. Persecution (fitnah) was common. So God commanded His Prophet and His companions to disrupt the link between polytheism and power so that the polytheists should be deprived of the power to persecute the monotheists. Accordingly, the universal revolution brought about by the Prophet snapped forever the link between polytheism and the political system. Now, polytheism is simply a religious practice in some parts of the world and is not a political theory on the basis of which governments are formed. In Arabia an end had to be put to both polytheists and polytheism, so that the precincts of Makkah and Madinah could be made the eternal centre of pure monotheism.
Page 181
8:34
وَمَا لَهُمۡ أَلَّا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَهُمۡ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوٓاْ أَوۡلِيَآءَهُۥٓۚ إِنۡ أَوۡلِيَآؤُهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ ٣٤
But why should Allāh not punish them while they obstruct [people] from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and they were not [fit to be] its guardians? Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know.
8:35
وَمَا كَانَ صَلَاتُهُمۡ عِندَ ٱلۡبَيۡتِ إِلَّا مُكَآءٗ وَتَصۡدِيَةٗۚ فَذُوقُواْ ٱلۡعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡفُرُونَ ٣٥
And their prayer at the House [i.e., the Kaʿbah] was not except whistling and handclapping. So taste the punishment for what you disbelieved [i.e., practiced of deviations].
8:36
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُنفِقُونَ أَمۡوَٰلَهُمۡ لِيَصُدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۚ فَسَيُنفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَسۡرَةٗ ثُمَّ يُغۡلَبُونَۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحۡشَرُونَ ٣٦
Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert [people] from the way of Allāh. So they will spend it; then it will be for them a [source of] regret; then they will be overcome. And those who have disbelieved - unto Hell they will be gathered.
8:37
لِيَمِيزَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡخَبِيثَ مِنَ ٱلطَّيِّبِ وَيَجۡعَلَ ٱلۡخَبِيثَ بَعۡضَهُۥ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖ فَيَرۡكُمَهُۥ جَمِيعٗا فَيَجۡعَلَهُۥ فِي جَهَنَّمَۚ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَٰسِرُونَ ٣٧
[It is] so that Allāh may distinguish the wicked from the good and place the wicked some of them upon others and heap them all together and put them into Hell. It is those who are the losers.
8:38
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِن يَنتَهُواْ يُغۡفَرۡ لَهُم مَّا قَدۡ سَلَفَ وَإِن يَعُودُواْ فَقَدۡ مَضَتۡ سُنَّتُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ٣٨
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them. But if they return [to hostility] - then the precedent of the former [rebellious] peoples has already taken place.1
1 translator’s note
- This is a warning that punishment is always the result of rebellion against Allāh and His messengers. ↩
8:39
وَقَٰتِلُوهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتۡنَةٞ وَيَكُونَ ٱلدِّينُ كُلُّهُۥ لِلَّهِۚ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوۡاْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا يَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ ٣٩
And fight against them until there is no fitnah1 and [until] the religion [i.e., worship], all of it, is for Allāh.2 And if they cease - then indeed, Allāh is Seeing of what they do.
8:40
وَإِن تَوَلَّوۡاْ فَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَوۡلَىٰكُمۡۚ نِعۡمَ ٱلۡمَوۡلَىٰ وَنِعۡمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ ٤٠
But if they turn away - then know that Allāh is your protector. Excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper.