Had there not been a previous ordinance20 from God, a severe chastisement had befallen you, for the ransom which ye took.

Eat therefore of the spoils ye have taken what is lawful and good; and fear God:  God is Gracious, Merciful.

O prophet! say to the captives who are in your hands, “If God shall know good21 to be in your hearts, He will give you good beyond all that hath been taken from you, and will forgive you:  for God is Forgiving, Merciful.”

But if they seek to deal treacherously with you-they have already dealt treacherously22 with God before!  Therefore hath He given you power over them.  God is Knowing, Wise.

Verily, they who have believed and fled their homes and spent their substance for the cause of God, and they who have taken in the prophet and been helpful to him, shall be near of kin the one to the other.  And they who have believed, but have not fled their homes, shall have no rights of kindred with you at all, until they too fly their country.  Yet if they seek aid from you on account of the faith, your part it is to give them aid, except against a people between whom and yourselves there shall be a treaty.  And God beholdeth your actions.

The infidels lend one another mutual help.  Unless ye do the same, there will be discord in the land and great corruption.

But as for those who have believed and fled their country, and fought on the path of God, and given the prophet an asylum, and been helpful to him, these are the faithful; Mercy is their due and a noble provision.

And they who have believed and fled their country since, and have fought at your side, these also are of you.  Those who are united by ties of blood23 are the nearest of kin to each other.  This is in the Book of God.  Verily, God knoweth all things.

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1 On this Sura, which relates mainly to the battle of Bedr, see Weil’s M. der Prophet, p. 268.

2 At Medina.

3 The necessity for the combat and its probable result.

4 Muhammad had conceived the design of attacking an unarmed caravan belonging to the Koreisch on its way from Syria to Mecca.  Abu Sofian, who had charge of it, sent to Mecca for succour, whence a body of nearly 1000 armed men at once set out to his assistance.  Some of the Muslims were anxious to attack the caravan:  others, notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, proposed to throw themselves upon the succours.

5 Idolatry.

6 In Sura [xcvii.] iii. the angels are said to be 3000.

7 Lit. thou didst not cast when thou didst cast, but God cast.  This is explained of the miracle of the gravelstones and sand cast by God into the eyes of the Meccans at Bedr.

8 That is, by our victory over you.

9 Muhammad specially addresses the Mohadjers in this verse, i.e. those who had fled with him to Medin.

10 Twelve of the Koreisch had given camels and a large sum of money in aid of the Meccan succours.