The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 687
PT. 10 AL-ANFĀL CH. 8 يَا يُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِمَنْ فِي أَيْدِيكُمْ مِنَ the R. 10. 71. 0 Prophet, say to captives who are in your hands, your hearts, He will give you الْأَسْرَى إِنْ يَعْلَمِ اللهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ If Allah knows any good in خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا مِّمَّا أُخِذَ مِنْكُمُ better than that which has been taken from you, and will forgive you. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. '1158 وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمُ وَاِنْ يُرِيدُوا خِيَانَتَكَ فَقَدْ خَانُوا اللهَ And if they intend to deal. 72 مِنْ قَبْلُ فَآمُكَنَ مِنْهُمْ وَاللهُ عَلِيمٌ have already dealt treacherously treacherously with thee, they with Allah before, but He gave thee power over them. And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise. 1159 verses. As the booty taken was obtained after regular fighting and the victory came as a result of God's help, so the booty taken in the battle and the ransom-money realized from the enemy-prisoners are both "lawful and good". God has been here spoken of as "Forgiving" because He covered up the weaknesses of Muslims and made them appear strong in the sight of the enemy; and He has been spoken of as "Merciful" because He granted Muslims a decisive victory against overwhelming odds. 1158. Commentary: The words of this verse, addressed to the Meccan prisoners in the hands of the Muslims, are meant by way of consolation. If they have been made to pay ransom for their release, they should not grieve, for if God sees some good in their hearts, He will not only forgive them their past errors but will also amply repay them for their financial loss. One of the prisoners taken at Badr was 'Abbas, an uncle of the Holy Prophet. Some Muslims recommended him to the Holy Prophet for a free release in consideration of his near relationship to the Prophet and of his being a believer at heart, but the Holy Prophet refused to make any exception in his favour and declared that like other prisoners, he too should pay ransom for his release. When, however, he subsequently embraced Islam openly and came over to the Holy Prophet, he requested, on the basis of the verse under comment, that as God had promised to give the prisoners more than was taken from them as ransom, the promise may be fulfilled in his case, and the Holy Prophet granted his request (Jarīr, x. 31). 1159. Commentary: 1127 The treacherous dealing mentioned