and those who remained steadfast beneath the standards. He did not give a preferential share to any one of the groups that claimed it for itself. This, however, does not abolish the practice of setting aside one-fifth and distributing it to its rightful recipients, as some scholars—among them Abū ʿUbayd (1) and others—have imagined; and Allah knows best.

Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took his sword Dhū al-Faqār from the spoils of Badr as an individual grant (nafal).

Ibn Jarīr (2) likewise reports that he selected a camel that had belonged to Abū Jahl, whose nose bore a silver ring (3); this too occurred before the one-fifth was removed.

Imām Aḥmad (4) narrated: Muʿāwiyah ibn ʿAmr told us, [Abū Isḥāq] (5) told us, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥārith ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAyyāsh (6) ibn Abī Rabīʿah, from Sulaymān ibn Mūsā, from Abū Sallām, from Abū Umāmah, from ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit, who said:

We set out with the Prophet ﷺ and I was present with him at Badr. When the forces met, Allah routed the enemy. One party pursued them, striking and killing; another fell upon the camp, gathering and securing the booty; and a third encircled the Messenger of Allah ﷺ so that the enemy could not take him unawares. When night came and the people reassembled,

those who had collected the spoils said, “We took possession of them and gathered them, so no one else has any share.”

Those who had gone in pursuit of the enemy replied, “You have no greater right to them than we do; we are the ones who drove the enemy away and routed them.”

Those who had surrounded the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “We feared the enemy might catch him off guard, so we remained occupied with protecting him.”

Then the verse was revealed: “They ask you about the spoils. Say, ‘The spoils belong to Allah and the Messenger. So be mindful of Allah, set matters right among yourselves, and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers.’” (al-Anfāl 1)

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ thereupon divided the spoils among the Muslims. Whenever he raided enemy territory he would grant one quarter as extra shares, and on the return journey he would grant one third, though he disliked giving such bonuses (anfāl).

Al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah (10) transmitted the ending of this report through al-Thawrī, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥārith, and al-Tirmidhī said, “This is a ḥasan ḥadīth.”