Surah Al-Anfal 8:5

Following the Messenger is Better for the Believers

Allah said,

كَمَآ أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ

(As your Lord caused you to go out...) After Allah described the believers as fearing their Lord, resolving matters of dispute between themselves and obeying Allah and His Messenger , He then said here, "since you disputed about dividing war spoils and differed with each other about them, Allah took them away from you. He and His Messenger then divided them in truth and justice, thus ensuring continued benefit for all of you. Similarly, you disliked meeting the armed enemy in battle, who marched in support of their religion and to protect their caravan. You disliked fighting, so Allah decided that battle should occur and made you meet your enemy, without planning to do so on your part.' This incident carried guidance, light, victory and triumph. Allah said;

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

(Jihad is ordained for you though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.) 2:216

As-Suddi commented,

وَإِنَّ فَرِيقاً مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَـِّرِهُونَ

(And verily, a party among the believers disliked) to meet the armed idolators. "

يُجَـدِلُونَكَ فِي الْحَقِّ بَعْدَمَا تَبَيَّنَ

(Disputing with you concerning the truth after it was made manifest,)

Some have commented, "(Allah says:) they ask and argue with you about Al-Anfal just as they argued with you when you went out for the battle of Badr, saying, `You marched with us to confiscate the caravan. You did not inform us that there will be fighting and that we should prepare for it."'

وَيُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُحِقَّ الحَقَّ بِكَلِمَـتِهِ

(but Allah willed to justify the truth by His Words)

Allah says, `He willed for you to meet the armed enemy rather than the caravan so that He makes you prevail above them and gain victory over them, making His religion apparent and Islam victorious and dominant above all religions. He has perfect knowledge of the consequences of all things, you are surrounded by His wise planning, although people only like what appears favorable to them,'

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ

(Jihad (fighting in Allah's cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you) 2:216.

Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that `Abdullah bin `Abbas said, "When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard that Abu Sufyan had left the Sham area (headed towards Makkah with Quraysh's caravan), he encouraged the Muslims to march forth to intercept them, saying,

«هَذِهِ عِيرُ قُرَيْشٍ فِيهَا أَمْوَالُهُمْ، فَاخْرُجُوا إِلَيْهَا لَعَلَّ اللهَ أَن يُّنَفِّلَكُمُوهَا»

(This is the caravan of Quraysh carrying their property, so march forth to intercept it, Allah might make it as war spoils for you.)

The people started mobilizing Muslims, although some of them did not mobilize, thinking that the Prophet would not have to fight. Abu Sufyan was cautiously gathering information on the latest news spying on travelers he met, out of fear for the caravan, especially upon entering the area of Hijaz (Western Arabia). Some travelers told him that Muhammad ﷺ had mobilized his companions for his caravan. He was anxious and hired Damdam bin `Amr Al-Ghifari to go to Makkah and mobilize the Quraysh to protect their caravan, informing them that Muhammad ﷺ had mobilized his Companions to intercept the caravan. Damdam bin `Amr went in a hurry to Makkah. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ marched with his companions until he reached a valley called Dhafiran. When he left the valley, he camped and was informed that the Quraysh had marched to protect their caravan. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ consulted the people for advice and conveyed the news about Quraysh to them. Abu Bakr stood up and said something good, and so did `Umar. Al-Miqdad bin `Amr stood up and said, `O Allah's Messenger! March to what Allah has commanded you, for we are with you. By Allah! We will not say to you what the Children of Israel said to Musa,

فَاذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَاتِلا إِنَّا هَـهُنَا قَـعِدُونَ

("So go you and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting right here") 5:24. Rather, go you and Your Lord and fight, we will be fighting along with you both. By He Who has sent you with Truth! If you decide to take us to Birk-ul-Ghimad, we will fight along with you until you reach it.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said good words to Al-Miqdad and invoked Allah for his benefit. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ again said,

«أَشِيرُوا عَلَيَّ أَيُّهَا النَّاس»

(Give me your opinion, O people! wanting to hear from the Ansar. This is because the majority of the people with him then were the Ansar. When the Ansar gave the Prophet their pledge of obedience at Al-`Aqabah, they proclaimed, `O Allah's Messenger! We are not bound by this pledge unless, and until, you arrive in our land. When you have arrived in our area, you are under our protection, and we shall protect you in the same manner we protect our children and wives.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ feared that the Ansar might think that they are not obliged to support him except from his enemies who attack Al-Madinah, not to march with him to an enemy in other areas. When the Prophet said this, Sa`d bin Mu`adh asked him, `O Allah's Messenger! Is it us whom you meant' The Prophet answered in the positive. Sa`d said, `We have faith and believed in you, testified that what you brought is the truth, and gave you our pledges and promises of allegiance and obedience. Therefore, march, O Allah's Messenger, for what Allah has commanded you. Verily, by He Who has sent you in Truth, if you decided to cross this sea (the Red Sea), we will follow you in it, and none among us would stay behind. We do not dislike that we meet our enemy tomorrow. Verily, we are patient in war, fierce in battle. May Allah make you witness what makes your eyes pleased with us. Therefore, march with us with the blessing of Allah.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was pleased with what Sa`d said and was encouraged by it. He proclaimed,

«سِيرُوا عَلَى بَرَكَةِ اللهِ وَأَبْشِرُوا فَإِنَّ اللهَ قَدْ وَعَدَنِي إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ وَاللهِ لَكَأَنِّي الْآنَ أَنْظُرُ إِلَى مَصَارِعِ الْقَوم»

(March with the blessing of Allah and receive the good news. For Allah has indeed promised me one of the two camps (confiscating the caravan or defeating the Quraysh army). By Allah! It is as if I am now looking at the demise of the people (the Quraysh).)"

Al-`Awfi reported similar from Ibn `Abbas. As-Suddi, Qatadah, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam; and several others among the Salaf and later generations mentioned similarly, We have just summarized the story as Muhammad bin Ishaq briefed it.

Allah menjelaskan bahwa Dia mengatur harta rampasan perang itu secara adil, sebagaimana juga Allah memerintahkan kepada mereka pergi bertempur untuk membela agama Allah secara adil pula. Kemudian timbullah perselisihan pendapat mengenai harta rampasan perang sama halnya dengan perselisihan pendapat sewaktu mereka pergi untuk menghadapi kafilah yang dipimpin Abu Sufyan atau pasukan kafir Quraisy yang datang dari Mekah untuk membela kafilah Abu Sufyan itu.

Apabila ada sebagian orang yang tidak menyukai ketetapan Allah mengenai pembagian harta rampasan perang, maka hal itu adalah tanda bahwa iman mereka belum sempurna, sebagaimana juga halnya yang demikian itu terjadi pada saat menjelang Perang Badar. Mereka tidak mengikuti perintah Allah dan Rasul-Nya enggan meninggalkan rumah untuk bertempur ke medan perang. Karena mereka masih belum menjadi orang mukmin yang sempurna imannya.

Di akhir ayat Allah menjelaskan bahwa sebagian dari orang mukmin ada yang tidak senang akan keputusan Nabi Muhammad untuk menyerang musuh ke luar kota. Hal ini disebabkan karena persiapan perang mereka belum lengkap. Namun anggapan serupa ini tidak benar, karena betapapun juga kesulitan yang akan mereka hadapi, semestinya mereka tidak boleh mengelak lagi, karena hal itu telah menjadi keputusan yang harus ditaati.

Perselisihan yang terjadi di antara mereka disebutkan dalam riwayat di bawah ini:

"Setelah Rasulullah mendengar berita bahwa Abu Sufyan bin Harb membawa rombongan unta dari Syam, Nabi menggerakkan kaum Muslimin untuk menghadangnya. Nabi bersabda, "Kafilah ini membawa harta benda (barang dagangan) maka pergilah kamu untuk menghadapinya boleh jadi Allah menjadikan harta benda itu sebagai rampasan perang bagi kamu." Maka bergeraklah para sahabat. Di antara kaum Muslimin itu ada yang tidak merasa keberatan, dan ada pula yang merasa keberatan, hal ini karena mereka tidak yakin bahwa Rasulullah saw akan menghadapi peperangan, sedang Abu sufyan ketika mendekati Hijaz telah mengerahkan beberapa orang yang mematai-matai, untuk memperoleh keterangan dengan jalan menanyakan kepada orang-orang yang berkendaraan yang ditemuinya, sehingga ia memperoleh berita dari mereka bahwa Muhammad telah mengerahkan para sahabatnya untuk menghadang kafilahnya. Maka Abu Sufyan mengupah amdham bin Amr al-Giffari untuk pergi ke Mekah dan menyuruhnya agar menemui orang-orang Quraisy agar mereka mengirim orang-orang yang akan melindungi harta mereka dan agar disampaikan berita bahwa Muhammad telah menghadang harta benda itu. Maka pergilah amdham bin Amr dengan segera ke Mekah, dan rasul pun pergi bersama para sahabatnya sehingga sampai ke lembah, yang disebut ¨afran. Setelah beliau sampai di wadi itu, sampailah berita keberangkatan orang-orang Quraisy kepada beliau untuk melindungi kafilah mereka. Karena itu Rasulullah bermusyawarah dengan para sahabatnya. Lalu Abu Bakar bangkit dan berkata mengemukakan tanggapan yang baik pula. Sesudah itu Miqdad bin Amir bangkit dan berkata, "Ya Rasulullah! Laksanakanlah apa yang telah diperintahkan Allah, kami selalu menyertaimu. Demi Allah, kami tidak akan berkata kepadamu seperti apa yang telah dikatakan Bani Israil kepada Musa pergilah kamu bersama Tuhanmu dan berperanglah kamu berdua, sesungguhnya kami hanyalah duduk menanti di sini saja, tetapi pergilah engkau bersama-sama Tuhanmu, maka sungguh kami akan menyertaimu demi Tuhan yang mengutusmu dengan benar. Andaikata kamu pergi membawa kami ke Barkil Gimad (sebuah kota di Habasyah) niscaya kami tetap bersamamu menuju kota itu, sehingga engkau sampai ke sana." Kemudian Rasulullah saw mengucapkan perkataan yang baik dan berdoa untuknya dengan doa yang baik pula. Sesudah itu Rasullah saw bersabda, "Wahai manusia, berilah pertimbangan kepadaku. Perkataan itu ditujukan kepada orang-orang Anshar. Hal ini karena mereka telah membaiat Nabi di Aqabah. Mereka berkata, "Hai Rasulullah! Sebenarnya kami telah melindungi engkau sebagaimana kami melindungi anak-anak kami dan isteri-isteri kami." Rasulullah saw sebenarnya khawatir bahwa orang-orang Anshar tidak merasa perlu membantunya, terkecuali apabila musuh menyerang ke dalam kota, dan mereka tidak merasa berkewajiban membela Nabi apabila Nabi menyerang. Maka setelah Rasulullah saw mengatakan demikian, Saad bin Muadh berkata, "Demi Allah! Rupanya yang engkau maksud ialah kami (para Anshar)." Nabi menjawab, "Ya". Kemudian Saad berkata, "Sebenarnya kami telah beriman kepadamu dan telah membenarkan agamamu, serta menyaksikan bahwa apa yang engkau bawa itu telah memberikan perjanjian untuk dipatuhi, maka laksanakanlah apa yang telah diperintahkan Allah. Maka demi Tuhan yang mengutusmu dengan benar, andaikata engkau mengajak kami menyeberang lautan, tentulah kami akan menyeberanginya, tidak ada seorangpun di antara kami yang berkeberatan dan tidak pula yang mengingkari, apabila engkau mengajak kami menghadap musuh esok pagi. Sebenarnya kami ini adalah orang-orang yang tabah dalam peperangan serta ikhlas menghadapi musuh.

Semoga Allah menampakkan kepadamu apa yang menyenangkan hatimu." Maka pergilah bersama kami di bawah lindungan Allah. Rasulullah merasa gembira dengan pendapat Saad dan ketangkasannya menghadapi perang. Kemudian Rasulullah saw bersabda, "Pergilah kamu di bawah lindungan Allah dan bergembiralah bahwa Allah telah menjanjikan kemenangan di antara dua barisan musuh. Demi Allah seolah-olah kami melihat musuh dalam keadaan tersungkur." (Riwayat Ibnu Ishak dari Ibnu Abbas)