8:25 Al-Anfaal (The Spoils of War)

‏{‏وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً‏}‏ بل تصيب فاعل الظلم وغيره، وذلك إذا ظهر الظلم فلم يغير، فإن عقوبته تعم الفاعل وغيره، وتقوى هذه الفتنة بالنهي عن المنكر، وقمع أهل الشر والفساد، وأن لا يمكنوا من المعاصي والظلم مهما أمكن‏.‏ ‏{‏وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ‏}‏ من تعرض لمساخطه، وجانب رضاه‏.‏

يحذر تعالى عباده المؤمنين فتنة أي اختبارا ومحنة يعم بها المسيء وغيره لا يخص بها أهل المعاصي ولا من باشر الذنب بل يعمها لم تدفع وترفع كما قال الإمام أحمد: حدثنا أبو سعيد مولى بني هاشم حدثنا شداد بن سعيد حدثنا غيلان بن جرير عن مطرف قال: قلنا للزبير يا أبا عبدالله ما جاء بكم! ضيعتم الخليفة الذي قتل ثم جئتم تطلبون دمه؟ فقال الزبير رضي الله عنه: إنا قرأنا على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبي بكر وعمر وعثمان رضي الله عنهم "واتقوا فتنة لا تصيبن الذين ظلموا منكم خاصة" لم نكن نحسب أنَّا أهلها حتى وقعت منا حيث وقعت وقد رواه البزار من حديث مطرف عن الزبير وقال: لا نعرف مطرفا روي عن الزبير غير هذا الحديث وقد روى النسائي من حديث جرير بن حازم عن الحسن عن الزبير نحو هذا وقد روى ابن جرير حدثني الحارث حدثنا عبدالعزيز حدثنا مبارك بن فضالة عن الحسن. قال: قال الزبير لقد خوفنا يعني قوله تعالى "واتقوا فتنة لا تصيبن الذين ظلموا منكم خاصة "ونحن مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وما ظننا أنا خصصنا بها خاصة وكذا رواه حميد عن الحسن عن الزبير رضي الله عنه وقال داود بن أبي هند عن الحسن في هذه الآية قال نزلت في علي وعمار وطلحة والزبير رضي الله عنهم وقال سفيان الثوري عن الصلت بن دينار عن عقبة بن صهبان سمعت الزبير يقول: لقد قرأت هذه الآية زمانا وما أرانا من أهلها فإذا نحن المعنيون بها "واتقوا فتنة لا تصيبن الذين ظلموا منكم خاصة واعلموا أن الله شديد العقاب". وقد روي من غير وجه عن الزبير بن العوام وقال السدي: نزلت في أهل بدر خاصة فأصابتهم يوم الجمل فاقتتلوا وقال علي بن أبي طلحة عن ابن عباس في قوله تعالى "واتقوا فتنة لا تصيبن الذين ظلموا منكم خاصة" يعني أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خاصة. وقال في رواية له عن ابن عباس في تفسير هذه الآية: أمر الله المؤمنين أن لا يقروا المنكر بين ظهرانيهم فيعمهم الله بالعذاب وهذا تفسير حسن جدا ولهذا قال مجاهد في قوله تعالى "واتقوا فتنة لا تصيبن الذين ظلموا منكم خاصة" هي أيضا لكم وكذا قال الضحاك ويزيد بن أبي حبيب وغير واحد وقال ابن مسعود ما منكم من أحد إلا وهو مشتمل على فتنة إن الله تعالى يقول "إنما أموالكم وأولادكم فتنة" فأيكم أستعاذ فليستعذ بالله من مضلات الفتن رواه ابن جرير والقول بأن هذا التحذير يعم الصحابة وغيرهم وإن كان الخطاب معهم هو الصحيح ويدل عليه الأحاديث الواردة في التحذير من الفتن ولذلك كتاب مستقل يوضح فيه إن شاء الله تعالى كما فعله الأئمة وأفردوه بالتصنيف ومن أخص ما يذكر ههنا ما رواه الإمام أحمد حيث قال: حدثنا أحمد بن الحجاج أخبرنا عبدالله يعني ابن المبارك أنبأنا سيف بن أبي سليمان سمعت عدي بن عدي الكندي يقول: حدثني مولى لنا أنه سمع جدي يعني عدي بن عميرة يقول: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول "إن الله عز وجل لا يعذب العامة بعمل الخاصة حتى يروا المنكر بين ظهرانيهم وهم قادرون على أن ينكروه فلا ينكروه فإذا فعلوا ذلك عذب الله الخاصة والعامة" فيه رجل متهم ولم يخرجوه في الكتب الستة ولا واحد منهم والله أعلم. "حديث أخر" قال الإمام أحمد حدثنا سليمان الهاشمي حدثنا إسماعيل يعني ابن جعفر أخبرني عمرو بن أبي عمر عن عبدالله بن عبدالرحمن الأشهل عن حذيفة بن اليمان أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "والذي نفسي بيده لتأمرن بالمعروف ولتنهن عن المنكر أو ليوشكن الله أن يبعث عليكم عقابا من عنده ثم لتدعنه فلا يستجيب لكم". ورواه عن أبي سعيد عن إسماعيل بن جعفر وقال "أو ليبعثن الله عليكم قوما ثم تدعونه فلا يستجيب لكم". وقال الإمام أحمد: حدثنا عبدالله بن نمير قال حدثنا زر بن حبيب الجهني حدثني أبو الرقاد قال: خرجت مع مولاي فدفعت إلى حذيفة وهو يقول: إن كان الرجل ليتكلم بالكلمة على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيصير منافقا وإني لأسمعها من أحدكم في المقعد الواحد أربع مرات لتأمرن بالمعروف ولتنهن عن المنكر ولتحاضن على الخير أو ليسحتكم الله جميعا بعذاب أو ليؤمرن عليكم شراركم ثم يدعو خياركم فلا يستجاب لهم. "حديث آخر" قال الإمام أحمد أيضا: حدثنا يحيى بن سعيد عن زكريا حدثنا عامر رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت النعمان بن بشير رضي الله عنه يخطب يقول - وأومأ بأصبعيه إلى أذنه يقول: مثل القائم على حدود الله والواقع فيها والمداهن فيها كمثل قوم ركبوا سفينة فأصاب بعضهم أسفلها وأوعرها وشرها وأصاب بعضهم أعلاها فكان الذين في أسفلها إذا استقوا الماء مروا على من فوقهم فآذوهم فقالوا لو خرقنا في نصيبنا خرقا فاستقينا منه ولم نؤذ من فوقنا فإن تركوهم وأمرهم هلكوا جميعا وإن أخذوا على أيديهم نجوا جميعا. انفرد بإخراجه البخاري دون مسلم فرواه في الشركة والشهادات والترمذي في الفتن من غير وجه عن سليمان بن مهران الأعمش عن عامر بن شراحيل الشعبي به. "حديث آخر" قال الإمام أحمد حدثنا حسين حدثنا خلف بن خليفة عن ليث عن علقمة بن مرثد عن المعرور بن سويد عن أم سلمة زوح النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قالت سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول "إذا ظهرت المعاصي في أمتي عمهم الله بعذاب من عنده" فقلت يا رسول الله أما فيهم أناس صالحون؟ قال "بلى" قالت فكيف يصنع أولئك؟ قال "يصيبهم ما أصاب الناس ثم يصيرون إلى مغفرة من الله ورضوان". "حديث آخر" قال الإمام أحمد حدثنا حجاج بن محمد حدثنا شريك عن أبي إسحق عن المنذر بن جرير عن أبيه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "ما من قوم يعملون بالمعاصي وفيهم رجل أعز منهم وأمنع لا يغيره إلا عمهم الله بعقاب أو أصابهم العقاب". ورواه أبو داود عن مسدد عن أبي الأحوص عن أبي إسحق به. وقال الإمام أحمد أيضا حدثنا محمد بن جعفر حدثنا شعبة سمعت أبا إسحق يحدث عن عبيد الله بن جرير عن أبيه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "ما من قوم يعمل فيهم بالمعاصي هم أعز وأكثر ممن يعملون ثم لم يغيروه إلا عمهم الله بعقاب". ثم رواه أيضا عن وكيع عن إسرائيل وعن عبدالرزاق عن معمر وعن أسود عن شريك ويونس كلهم عن أبي إسحق السبيعي به وأخرجه ابن ماجه عن علي بن محمد عن وكيع به وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا سفيان حدثنا جامع بن أبي راشد عن منذر عن الحسن بن محمد عن امرأته عن عائشة تبلغ به النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم "إذا ظهر السوء في الأرض أنزل الله بأهل الأرض بأسه" فقلت وفيهم أهل طاعة الله؟ قال "نعم ثم يصيرون إلى رحمة الله".

Warning against an encompassing Fitnah

Allah warns His believing servants of a Fitnah, trial and test, that encompasses the wicked and those around them. Therefore, such Fitnah will not be restricted to the sinners and evildoers. Rather, it will reach the others if the sins are not stopped and prevented. Imam Ahmad recorded that Mutarrif said, "We asked Az-Zubayr, `O Abu `Abdullah! What brought you here (for the battle of Al-Jamal) You abandoned the Khalifah who was assassinated (`Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him) and then came asking for revenge for his blood' He said, `We recited at the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman,

وَاتَّقُواْ فِتْنَةً لاَّ تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنكُمْ خَآصَّةً

(And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong,) We did not think that this Ayah was about us too, until it reached us as it did."' `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said that the Ayah,

وَاتَّقُواْ فِتْنَةً لاَّ تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنكُمْ خَآصَّةً

(And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong,) refers to the Companions of the Prophet in particular. In another narration from Ibn `Abbas, he said, "Allah commanded the believers to stop evil from flourishing among them, so that Allah does not encompass them all in the torment (Fitnah). " This, indeed, is a very good explanation, prompting Mujahid to comment about Allah's statement,

وَاتَّقُواْ فِتْنَةً لاَّ تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنكُمْ خَآصَّةً

(And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong,)

"Is for you too!" Several said similarly, such as Ad-Dahhak and Yazid bin Abi Habib and several others. Ibn Mas`ud said, "There is none among you but there is something that represents a Fitnah for him, for Allah said,

إِنَّمَآ أَمْوَلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ

(Your wealth and your children are only a trial (Fitnah)...) 64:15. Therefore, when you seek refuge, seek it with Allah from the Fitnah that causes misguidance." Ibn Jarir collected this Hadith. The view that the warning in this Ayah addresses the Companions and all others is true, even though the speech in the Ayah was directed at the Companions. There are Hadiths that warn against Fitnah in general, thus providing the correctness of this explanation. Similarly there will be a separate book in which this subject will be discussed, Allah willing, as also is the case with the Imams, there being a number of writings about this. Of the most precise things that have been mentioned under this topic, is what was recorded by Imam Ahmad from Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَتَنْهَوُنَّ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ أَوْ لَيُوشِكَنَّ اللهُ أَنْ يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عِقَابًا مِنْ عِنْدِهِ ثُمَّ لَتَدْعُنَّهُ فَلَا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَكُم»

(By He in Whose Hand is my soul! You will enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, or Allah will send a punishment upon you from Him; you will supplicate then to Him, but He will not answer your supplication.)

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Ar-Riqad said, "I heard Hudhayfah saying, `A person used to utter one word during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and become a hypocrite on account of it. I now hear such words from one of you four times in the same sitting. Surely, you will enjoin good, forbid evil and encourage each other to do good or Allah will surround you all with torment, or make the wicked among you become your leaders. The righteous among you will then supplicate, but their supplication will not be accepted."' sImam Ahmad recorded that An-Nu`man bin Bashir said that the Prophet gave a speech in which he said, while pointing to his ears with two of his fingers,

«مَثَلُ الْقَائِمِ عَلَى حُدُودِ اللهِ وَالْوَاقِعِ فِيهَا وَالْمُدَاهِنِ فِيهَا كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ رَكِبُوا سَفِينَةً فَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَسْفَلَهَا وَأَوْعَرَهَا وَشَرَّهَا وَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَعْلَاهَا فَكَانَ الَّذِينَ فِي أَسْفَلِهَا إِذَا اسْتَقَوُا الْمَاءَ مَرُّوا عَلَى مَنْ فَوقَهُمْ فَآذُوْهُمْ فَقَالُوا: لَوْ خَرَقْنَا فِي نَصِيبِنَا خَرْقًا فَاسْتَقَيْنَا مِنْهُ وَلَمْ نُؤْذِ مَنْ فَوْقَنَا: فَإِنْ تَرَكُوهُمْ وَأَمْرَهُمْ هَلَكُوا جَمِيعًا وَإِنْ أَخَذُوا عَلَى أَيْدِيهِمْ نَجَوْا جَمِيعًا»

(The parable of the person abiding by Allah's order and restrictions in comparison to those who violate them, or sit idle while they are being violated, is that of those who drew lots for their seats in a boat. Some of them got seats in the lower part, which is the most rough and worst part, and the others in the upper. When the former needed water, they had to go up to bring water and that troubled the others, so they said, `Let us make a hole in our share of the ship and get water, saving those who are above us from troubling them, so, if the people in the upper part let the others do what they suggested, all the people of the ship would be destroyed, but if they prevented them, both parties would be safe.)

This was recorded by Al-Bukhari, but not Muslim, in the Book of Partnerships and the Book of Witnesses. It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi through a different route of narration.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Umm Salamah, the Prophet's wife, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying,

«إِذَا ظَهَرَتِ الْمَعَاصِي فِي أُمَّتِي عَمَّهُمُ اللهُ بِعَذَابٍ مِنْ عِنْدِه»

(If sins become apparent in my Ummah, Allah will surround them with punishment from Him.) I said, `O Allah's Messenger! Will they have righteous people among them then' He said,

«بَلَى»

(Yes.) I asked, `What will happen to them' He said,

«يُصِيبُهُمْ مَا أَصَابَ النَّاسَ ثُمَّ يَصِيرُونَ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنَ اللهِ وَرِضْوَان»

(They will be striken as the people, but they will end up with Allah's forgiveness and pleasure.)"

Imam Ahmad recorded that Jarir said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«مَا مِنْ قَوْمٍ يُعْمَلُ فِيهِمْ بِالْمَعَاصِي هُمْ أَعَزُّ وَأَكْثَرُ مِمَّنْ يَعْمَلُونَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يُغَيِّرُوهُ إِلَّا عَمَّهُمُ اللهُ بِعِقَاب»

(Every people among whom sins are being committed, while they are mightier and more numerous than those who do wrong, yet they did nothing to stop them, then Allah will surround them all with punishment.)

Ibn Majah collected this Hadith.

And be afraid of a trial which if it were to fall upon you would certainly not fall exclusively upon the evildoers among you but would encompass them and others and the way to guard against it is to repudiate that evil which necessarily results in precipitating it; and know that God is severe in retribution against those who oppose Him.

Commentary

After having described some details of the battle of Badr and Divine blessings conferred on Muslims therein, the Holy Qur'an has offered words of good counsel to Muslims as based on the outcome of the Battle. This presentation begins from: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّـهِ وَلِلرَّ‌سُولِ (0 those who believe, respond to Allah and His Messenger - 8:24). The verses cited immediately above appear in continuation to the same.

Out of these, the first verse (25) carries an instruction to stay safe from a sin particularly, a sin the severe punishment of which does not remain restricted to only those who commit sins in a society. In fact, people who have committed no sin also get afflicted by it.

Which sin is that? The answers given by commentators vary. Some say: This sin is the forsaking of the struggle to Bid the Fair and Forbid the Unfair (amr bi'l-ma` ruf and nahy'l-munkar). Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: Allah Ta` ala has commanded Muslims that they should not allow any crime or sin to take roots in their social environment because, if they failed to do so, that is, did not forbid it despite seeing such crimes and sins and despite having the ability or capacity to stop it or to forbid it, then, Allah Ta` ala will universalize His punishment for all of them which will spare neither the sinners nor the sinless.

The sinless mentioned here are people who are no accomplices of sinners in their initial sin, but they have certainly committed the sin of avoiding or abandoning the Divinely ordained duty of Bidding the Fair. Therefore, let there be no doubt here about the statement made. For example, here it is not valid to say that the passing on of the punishment of a sin committed by someone else to another person is injustice and that it is contrary to the Qur'anic injunction: لَا تَزِرُ‌ وَازِرَ‌ةٌ وِزْرَ‌ أُخْرَ‌ىٰ (No bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another person - 35:18) - because, here the sinners have been seized for the initial sin they themselves had committed while the sinless were seized for the sin of having abandoned the obligation of Bidding the Fair. Thus, no one's sin was placed on the shoulders of someone else.

According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ and Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ appearing in Sharh al-Sunnah and Ma’ alim of Imam al-Baghawi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said : Allah Ta` ala does not subject common people with the punishment of some sin committed by a particular group among them - unless, there emerges a situation in which they see sin being committed around them and have the ability to stop it as well, yet, if they did not stop it, then, at that time, the punishment from Allah surrounds all of them.

Also reported authentically in Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and elsewhere is that Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ said in one of his sermons: I have heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ say: When people see an oppressor and do not step forward and hold his hand from inflicting injustice, then, the time is near that Allah Ta` ala makes His punishment fall on all of them alike.

According to a narration from Sayyidna Nu` man ibn Bashir reported in the Sahih of al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Those who commit the sin of transgressing the limits set by Allah and those who ignore them knowingly or accommodate them psychophantly, that is, they do not try to stop them from that sin, are like passengers on two decks of a ship, the upper and the lower. People on the lower deck come up to procure water from the upper deck which causes discomfort for people there. Keeping this in view, the people of the lower deck opt for making a hole in the bottom of the boat and get their sup-ply of water from there. Now, if the people of the upper deck see this misconduct and elect not to check and stop them from doing something like that, then, it is obvious, the water will fill into the whole boat and when the people of the lower deck will drown in it, those on the upper deck will not remain safe either, for they too will drown with the others.

It is on the basis of these narrations that many commentators have declared that the word: فِتنَہ (fitnah) in this verse refers to this very sin, that is, the forsaking of the obligation of Bidding the Fair and Forbidding the Unfair.

It appears in Tafsir Mazhari that this sin means the sin of the abandonment of Jihad especially at a time when a general call for Jihad is given to common Muslims from their Amir, a call on which depends the security and defence of Islamic hallmarks. The reason is that this is a time when the curse of forsaking Jihad does not fall only on those who forsake Jihad but it also falls on the whole body of Muslims. Because Kuffar run over Muslim areas, women and children and old people and many innocent Muslims become victims of their killing and plunder. Their lives and properties are endangered. If that be the situation, 'punishment' would mean worldly distress and hardships.

The factual evidence of this explanation is that those who forsake Jihad have been condemned in the previous verses as well. Previous verses, such as: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ‌ ﴿15﴾ (while a group from the believers were averse to it - 8:5) and: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ‌ ﴿15﴾" ( O those who believe, when you face the disbelievers marching to battle, then do not turn your backs on them - 8:15) have appeared in support of this approach to the problem.

The same thing happened at the battle of Badr when some Muslims wavered with their choice of suitable conduct. They left their security post on the hills and came down. When this happened, the ill effects of their action did not remain restricted to those who had made the error, in fact, they hit the entire Muslim army, so much so that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was himself injured in this battle.