al-Anfal is the 8th sura of the Qur’an, which means ‘The Spoils of War’ and belongs to the Medinan period. It takes its name from verses 1 and 41, which discuss the matter of the spoils of war and their distribution. This sura contains 75 verses, 1,195 words, 5,280 letters, and 10 segments. It is the 88th sura in chronological order, revealed after Sura al-Baqara, explaining how the spoils of war would be distributed among the believers. These instructions were required soon after the victory of Badr, which was fought a year after the migration from Mecca to Medina in 2 AH. It is also known as the Sura of Badr because a significant portion of the themes and details discussed in this chapter are related to the Battle of Badr. Many strategic and spiritual dimensions of the Battle of Badr are discussed in this chapter. These include the assistance of the angels and the intervention of God’s divine Will in facilitating victory. This chapter further describes the challenges and trials of the Battle of Badr and the steadfastness of the sincere and loyal Companions (may God be pleased with them) of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) during this highly challenging time.

This sura also provides important guidelines regarding the prisoners of war and the treaties between different hostile nations. This chapter addresses the nature of the responsibility of Muslims who had already migrated to Medina towards those who could not migrate and were still being persecuted by the Meccans. This sura also includes commandments regarding the superiority of faith-based brotherhood over blood-based brotherhood, rulings on dealings with disbelievers in times of peace and war, favouring peace if the adversary seeks a truce, as well as defining the consequences of their violation of peace treaties.