Quran Garden

Session 491

Chapter 3

Verse 161

It is inconceivable that a prophet would illegally withhold spoils of war.  And whoever does so, it will be held against them on the Day of Judgment.  Then every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and none will be wronged.  (Chapter 3: Verse 161)

"To illegally withhold" is translated from the Arabic الغلول (Al-Ghulool.)  It means taking something in secret and owes its origin to meat butchers.  When butchers skinned an animal, a few would dig their blade a little deep to carve some of the meat, then quickly fold the skin to hide the meat underneath.  In Islamic law, الغلول (Al-Ghulool) refers to skimming the spoils of war where, in the heat of battle, a fighter may find something valuable and hide it.  In Arabic, the word غل (Ghil) is used to express the hatred hidden within one's heart.  As you may have noticed, all the uses of this term relate to hiding or concealing something from others.

Badr was the first battle in Islam, and in order to encourage the fighters, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever kills a person has the right to take his spoils."  In other words, in Badr, the booty was not distributed among the fighters; instead, it was available for all to take.  During the Battle of Uhud, some soldiers thought the situation would be similar, while others feared the Prophet would not give them any spoils.  So, Allah clarified that things are different now, and whoever takes the spoils during battle has committed a sin.   

The phrase "It is inconceivable that a prophet would illegally withhold spoils of war" means that it is not in the Prophets' character to do so.  God's messengers have no interest in worldly gains and do not concern themselves with the spoils; It is against their very nature.  Unsurprisingly, the priorities of some of their followers are different.  Therefore, there is a difference between a Prophet refraining from grabbing some war loot because it is not his nature and a believer refraining from doing so because he or she does not want to sin.  The crown of Khosrow of Persia was bejewelled with the finest gemstones from around the world.  When the Caliph Omar saw his commanders bring the crown to him fully intact after their victory, he said: "Truly, honest are the people who bring such a priceless piece to their leader!"  Omar knew it would have been easy for them to hide the crown altogether or simply pick a few gems from it.

Why are the spoils of war considered evil? We answer that during combat, every fighter should be on the sole mission to make God's word superior.  How can he or she be preoccupied with grabbing and hiding the loot?  

When you hear the phrase, "It is inconceivable that a prophet would illegally withhold spoils of war," you may think it only concerns God's messengers.  Thus, Allah follows with a general rule for all humanity, "Anyone who does so will carry it with him on the Day of Resurrection."  So if you are dishonest in any matter, God will bring it forth on the Day of Resurrection, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, told us:

"By God, if you take anything unlawfully, you will meet your Lord carrying it on the Day of Resurrection.  I do not want to see any of you meeting God with a camel growling, a cow mooing, or a sheep bleating on his back, then approach me for help and call 'O Messenger of God, O Muhammad, O Muhammad!' for I cannot avail you anything against Allah." Then he, peace be upon him, raised his hands to the heavens until the whiteness of his armpits was visible and said, "My Lord, I have conveyed the message."

The Prophet informs you that if you cheat others or take something unlawfully in secret, you will carry it on your back on the Day of Resurrection, even if it is a camel or a cow.  And rest assured that whatever you carry will not stay quiet.  To the contrary, it will loudly announce itself for all creations to see.  How regrettable it would be if you had taken a donkey, for it would loudly bray!  This is why one of the names of the Day of Judgment is al-Fadihah -the day when people's evil deeds are exposed- and al-Tammah -the great calamity-.  And if you get yourself in this kind of trouble, Prophet Muhammad tells us that he will not be able to help you.  So do not count on his help if you commit (Al-Ghulool.) 

You may be able to hide from the eyes of others and get away with betraying the trust in this world, but you will never hide from the watchful eye of your Lord.   

The verse continues, "Then every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and none will be wronged." This general rule encompasses everything from hiding war loot to stealing a pencil.  If you betray any trust, you will be exposed.  On the Day of Resurrection, we will surely see a contractor carrying an entire building on his back because he betrayed the trust, used substandard material, and did shoddy work.  Likewise, a warehouse guard will come burdened with the loads of office supplies he skimmed from his boss, while a merchant will be seen carrying the tons of expired cheese he or she knowingly imported and sold.  People hate being exposed before their peers.  Think about the disgrace one would feel when exposed before all creation from Adam till the Hour comes.  So guard yourself and your family from such humiliation by being honest and trustworthy in all your dealings, big and small. 

The verse ends with, "and none will be wronged." The Almighty will compensate every soul for what it has earned; no one will hide anything from God, and no one will get away with anything, regardless of how small.  God says,

Still, the disbelievers say, "The Last Hour will never come upon us." Say, "Yes, by my Lord, by Him who knows the unseen! Not even the weight of a speck of dust in the heavens or earth escapes His knowledge, nor anything smaller or greater. It is all recorded in a clear Record." (34:3)

And in another verse,

Whoever has done an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever has done an atom’s weight of evil will see it. (99:7-8)