8:63 Al-Anfaal (The Spoils of War)

‏{‏وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ‏}‏ فاجتمعوا وائتلفوا، وازدادت قوتهم بسبب اجتماعهم، ولم يكن هذا بسعي أحد، ولا بقوة غير قوة اللّه،فلو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا من ذهب وفضة وغيرهما لتأليفهم بعد تلك النفرة والفرقة الشديدة ‏{‏مَا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ‏}‏ لأنه لا يقدر على تقليب القلوب إلا اللّه تعالى‏.‏ ‏{‏وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ‏}‏ ومن عزته أن ألف بين قلوبهم، وجمعها بعد الفرقة كما قال تعالى‏:‏ ‏{‏وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنْتُمْ عَلَى شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّارِ فَأَنْقَذَكُمْ مِنْهَا‏}‏‏.‏

قوله: "لو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا ما ألفت بين قلوبهم" أي لما كان بينهم من العداوة والبغضاء فإن الأنصار كانت بينهم حروب كثيرة في الجاهلية بين الأوس والخزرج وأمور يلزم منها التسلسل في الشر حتى قطع الله ذلك بنور الإيمان كما قال تعالى "واذكروا نعمة الله عليكم إذ كنتم أعداء فألف بين قلوبكم فأصبحتم بنعمته إخوانا وكنتم على شفا حفرة من النار فأنقذكم منها كذلك يبين الله لكم آياته لعلكم تهتدون" وفي الصحيحين أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لما خطب الأنصار في شأن غنائم حنين قال لهم "يا معشر الأنصار ألم أجدكم ضلالا فهداكم الله بي وعالة فأغناكم الله بي وكنتم متفرقين فألفكم الله بي" كلما قال شيئا قالوا الله ورسوله أَمَنُّ ولهذا قال تعالى "ولكن الله ألف بينهم إنه عزيز حكيم" أي عزيز الجناب فلا يخيب رجاء من توكل عليه حكيم في أفعاله وأحكامه وقال الحافظ أبو بكر البيهقي أخبرنا أبو عبيد الله الحافظ أنبأنا علي بن بشر الصيرفي القزويني في منزلنا أنبأنا أبو عبدالله محمد بن الحسين القنديلي الاسترباذي حدثنا أبو إسحق إبراهيم بن محمد بن النعمان الصفار حدثنا ميمون بن الحكم حدثنا بكر بن الشرود عن محمد بن مسلم الطائفي عن إبراهيم بن ميسرة عن طاوس عن ابن عباس قال قرابة الرحم تقطع ومنه النعمة تكفر ولم ير مثل تقارب القلوب يقول الله تعالى "لو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا ما ألفت بين قلوبهم" وذلك موجود في الشعر: إذا بت ذو قربى إليك بزلة فغشك واستغنى فليس بذي رحم ولكن ذا القربى الذي إن دعوته أجاب وإن يرمي العدو الذي ترمي قال ومن ذلك قول القائل: ولقد صحبت الناس ثم سبرتهم وبلوت ما وصلوا من الأسباب فإذا القرابة لا تقرب قاطعا وإذا المودة أقرب الأسباب قال البيهقي لا أدري هذا موصول بكلام ابن عباس أو هو من قول من دونه من الرواة وقال أبو إسحق السبيعي عن أبي الأحوص عن عبدالله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه سمعه يقول "لو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا ما ألفت بين قلوبهم" الآية. قال هم المتحابون في الله. وفي رواية نزلت في المتحابين في الله. رواه النسائي والحاكم في مستدركه وقال صحيح وقال عبدالرازق أخبرنا معمر عن ابن طاوس عن أبيه عن ابن عباس قال: إن الرحم لتقطع وإن النعمة لتكفر وإن الله إذا قارب بين القلوب لم يزحزحها شيء ثم قرأ "لو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا ما ألفت بين قلوبهم". رواه الحاكم أيضا وقال أبو عمر والأوزاعي حدثني عبدة بن أبي لبابة عن مجاهد ولقيته فأخذ بيدي فقال: إذا التقى المتحابان في الله فأخذ أحدهما بيد صاحبه وضحك إليه تحاتت خطاياهما كما تحات ورق الشجر. قال عبدة فقلت له إن هذا ليسير فقال: لا تقل ذلك فإن الله يقول "لو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا ما ألفت بين قلوبهم" قال عبدة فعرفت أنه أفقه مني وقال ابن جرير حدثنا أبو كريب حدثنا ابن يمان عن إبراهيم الجزري عن الوليد بن أبي مغيث عن مجاهد قال إذا التقى المسلمان فتصافحا غفر لهما قال: قلت لمجاهد بمصافحة يغفر لهما؟ قال مجاهد أما سمعته يقول "لو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا ما ألفت بين قلوبهم ولكن الله ألف بينهم" فقال الوليد لمجاهد أنت أعلم مني وكذا روى طلحة بن مصرف عن مجاهد وقال ابن عون عن عمير بن إسحق قال: كنا نتحدث أن أول ما يرفع من الناس الألفة وقال الحافظ أبو القاسم سليمان بن أحمد الطبراني رحمه الله حدثنا الحسين بن إسحق التستري حدثنا عبدالله بن عمر القواريري حدثنا سالم بن غيلان سمعت جعدا أبا عثمان حدثني أبو عثمان النهدي عن سلمان الفارسي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قال "إن المسلم إذا لقي أخاه المسلم فأخذ بيده تحاتت عنهما ذنوبهمـا كما تحات الورق عن الشجرة اليابسة في يوم ريح عاصف وإلا غفر لهما ذنوبهما ولو كانت مثل زبد البحار".

The Command to Facilitate Peace when the Enemy seeks a Peaceful Resolution

Allah says, if you fear betrayal from a clan of people, then sever the peace treaty with them, so that you both are on equal terms. If they continue being hostile and opposing you, then fight them,

وَإِن جَنَحُواْ

(But if they incline), and seek,

لِلسَّلْمِ

(to peace), if they resort to reconciliation, and seek a treaty of non-hostility,

فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا

(you also incline to it), and accept offers of peace from them. This is why when the pagans inclined to peace in the year of Hudaybiyah and sought cessation of hostilities for nine years, between them and the Messenger of Allah he accepted this from them, as well as, accepting other terms of peace they brought forth. `Abdullah bin Al-Imam Ahmad recorded that `Ali bin Abi Talib said that the Messenger of Allah said,

«إِنَّهُ سَيَكُونُ بَعْدِي اخْتِلَافٌ أَوْ أَمْرٌ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ يَكُونَ السِّلْمَ فَافْعَل»

(There will be disputes after me, so if you have a way to end them in peace, then do so.)

Allah said next,

وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ

(and trust in Allah. ) Allah says, conduct a peace treaty with those who incline to peace, and trust in Allah. Verily, Allah will suffice for you and aid you even if they resort to peace as a trick, so that they gather and reorganize their forces,

فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ

(then verily, Allah is All-Sufficient for you).

Reminding the Believers of Allah's Favor of uniting Them

Allah mentioned His favor on the Prophet , in that He aided him with believers, the Muhajirin and the Ansar,

هُوَ الَّذِى أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَوَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ

(He it is Who has supported you with His help and with the believers. And He has united their hearts.)

The Ayah says, `it is Allah who gathered the believers' hearts, believing, obeying, aiding and supporting you -- O Muhammad,'

لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعاً مَّآ أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ

(If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts.) because of the enmity and hatred that existed between them. Before Islam, there were many wars between the Ansar tribes of Aws and Khazraj, and there were many causes to stir unrest between them. However, Allah ended all that evil with the light of faith,

وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُم أَعْدَآءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَاناً وَكُنتُمْ عَلَى شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُمْ مِّنْهَا كَذلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَـتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

(And remember Allah's favor on you, for you were enemies one to another, but He united your hearts, so that, by His grace, you became brethren, and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat clear to you, that you may be guided.) 3:103

In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave a speech to the Ansar about the division of war booty collected in the battle of Hunayn, he said to them,

«يَا مَعْشَرَ الْأَنْصَارِ أَلَمْ أَجِدْكُمْ ضُلَّالًا فَهَدَاكُمُ اللهُ بِي، وَعَالَةً فَأَغْنَاكُمُ اللهُ بِي، وَكُنْتُمْ مُتَفَرِّقِينَ فَأَلَّفَكُمُ اللهُ بِي»

(O Ansar! Did I not find you misguided and Allah guided you by me, poor and Allah enriched you by me, and divided and Allah united you by me) Every question the Prophet asked them, they said, "Truly, the favor is from Allah and His Messenger." Allah said,

وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

(But Allah has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise.)

He is the Most Formidable, and the hopes of those who have trust in Him, never end unanswered; Allah is All-Wise in all of His decisions and actions.

and reconciled brought together their hearts after old feuds had divided them. Had you expended all that is in the earth you could not have reconciled their hearts but God reconciled their hearts through His power. Truly He is Mighty His way prevailing Wise nothing being beyond the scope of His wisdom.

Commentary

The first (63) of the four verses from Surah Al-Anfal cited above describes the cause of Muslim victory and the method through which it was achieved. In the verse appearing previous to it (62), the address was to the Holy Prophet ﷺ where he was told that it was but Allah who had helped him in His own special way, and through the community of Muslims with him. This verse is telling us that help from the community of Muslims can only be made available when this community is mutually in agreement with each other and united as one. Thus, the power and weight it carries emerges to the measure of cohesion and unity it has. If relationship based on mutual unity is strong, the whole community is strong and if this mesh of relationships is loose, the whole community turns incoherent and weak. In this verse, Allah Ta` ala has mentioned his particular blessing which was bestowed on common Muslims for their help and support to the Holy Prophet ﷺ whereby their hearts were filled with perfect unity and love. Though, before the migration of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to Madinah, deadly wars had been fought between two of their tribes, Aws and Khazraj. As for mutual disputes, they were a regular feature of their lives. But, it was the barakah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that Allah Ta` ala made sworn enemies loving brothers to each other. So, the real cause of the establishment and survival of the new Islamic state at Madinah and that of its dominance over enemies was nothing but the help and support given by Allah Ta` ala - and the apparent cause was the mutual love and unity among Muslims.

Alongwith it, also made clear in this verse is the fact that uniting the hearts of different people and infusing them with love and concern for each other is something beyond human control. This can be done only by Him who has created all. If someone were to spend the entire wealth of the world to make this happen by creating love in the hearts of people who hate each other, even then, this feat shall remain beyond his reach and control.

Real and Lasting Unity among Muslims depends on Obedience to Allah Ta` ala

This also tells us that uniting the hearts of people and making them mutually filled with love for each other is a blessing from Allah and it is also obvious that this blessing cannot be hoped for in the presence of disobedience to Allah Ta` ala, in fact, for any hope to have His blessing, obedience to Him and the seeking of His pleasure are binding conditions.

No sensible person from any religion or community would differ about unity among individual and social groups as being commendable and beneficial. Therefore, everyone who is concerned about reforming people puts stress on uniting them together. But, the world at large (as we have found it and fashioned it) is unaware of the reality of things - that full and lasting unity cannot be forged and received on an assembly line through pragmatic designs. This can be achieved only through obedience to Allah Ta` ala and the seeking of His pleasure. The Holy Qur'an has pointed out to this reality in several verses. For instance, at one such place, it was said: وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّ‌قُوا (Hold the cord of Allah firmly, all of you, and do not be divided - 3:103). Given here is the method of avoiding differences and dissensions. The method is that everyone should firmly hold on to the cord of Allah - the Qur'an or the Shari'ah of Islam - and, as a result, everyone shall stand united together all by themselves and all mutual differences would evaporate from the scene. As for the normal difference of opinion, that is something else. If it remains within its limits, it never becomes the cause of dissensions and disputes. Dispute and disorder erupt only when the limits of Shari’ ah are crossed. In our day, everyone loves to harp on unity. But, the meaning of unity everyone is fond of taking is: If people agree to what I say, everyone will stand united. And others too who are equally concerned about unity would very much like them to agree to what they say, and thus claim that this is the only way for all to be united. Although, when a normal difference of opinion is inevitable, even necessary, among reasonable and honest people, then, it is evident that should everyone make his or her agreement with the other person depend on the eventuality that the other person agrees to what he or she says, then, mutual unity cannot materialize until the Day of Doom. Instead of all that, there is just no sound and natural format of unity other than that which has been given by the Holy Qur'an - that both parties sit together and agree to what a third party has to say, and this third party has to be the one about whom it is certain that the decision of this party will be free of error. It goes without saying that Allah alone can be such a decision-maker. It is for this reason that, in the present verse, it has been advised that everyone should hold on to the cord of Allah firmly and jointly whereby mutual disputes will evaporate in thin air and perfect unity shall prevail.

In Surah Maryam, it was said: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنُ وُدًّا ﴿96﴾ (Surely, among those who believe and do good deeds, the All-Merciful [ Allah ] generates love - 19:96). This verse makes it clear that the real method through which hearts shall be filled with genuine love and intense fellow feeling is adherence to the dictates of Faith and insistence on doing what is good and right. Without it, even if some kind of unity could be artificially arrived at, that 'unity' will be simply baseless and weak making it disintegrate at the slightest provocation or pressure - something commonly noticed in the experiences of peoples around the whole world. In short, for our instant purpose, this verse explains how the blessing which was bestowed by Allah Ta` ala on the Holy Prophet ﷺ - a blessing which was to generate mutual love into the hearts of all tribes of Madinah making them all set to help and support the Holy Prophet ﷺ went on to turn his supporters into an iron wall for him.