Surah Al-Anfal — Ayah 41 (Anglo-Saxon English) — Video

In ancient times it was the custom that after a battle whatever enemy property (ghanimah) the victors could lay their hands on was treated as their property. However, Islam laid down the rule that whatever one got from the battlefield should be brought back and deposited with the chief. After gathering all the spoils of war in this way, one-fifth part of it was kept aside in the name of God. This was received by the Prophet, who acted on God’s behalf, and was spent in this way: one part was spent on himself, then on his relatives who supported him in his religious mission in difficult times, then on the destitute, orphans, the needy and travellers. The remaining four-fifths were distributed among the soldiers. Islam wants man to develop the outlook of considering whatever he gets as God-given. In the battle of Badr a weak group overcoming an extremely powerful group was extraordinary proof of the fact that whatever happened was at the behest of God. Keeping a share of booty for other deserving brethren teaches the lesson that the bases for entitlement to a share in property are not merely effort and inheritance; there are other bases which do not fall within these spheres. The acknowledgement of others’ entitlement amounts to one’s admitting that everything belongs to God and not to oneself. The third important lesson taught by this law of ghanimah is that the basis of ownership is not possession but principle. Nobody will become the owner of a thing merely on the basis of it having accidentally come into his possession. In spite of being in possession of something, the individual must hand over the item to the responsible persons and should be content with receiving whatever is due to him as a matter of principle and as per the law.