Sūrat al-Anfāl Is Revealed

Sūrat al-Anfāl was revealed after the ghazwah of Badr. Al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib says about the first verses of Sūrat al-Anfāl that they were revealed about the Muslims at Badr, when they disputed the issue of booty — kāda yahliku fīhā ahlunā, it nearly ruined those of them who took part in it — and they were disputing with one another about it. What happened was that the Muslims were three groups: one group was protecting the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the second group was pursuing the enemy, and the third group were collecting the spoils of war. So the ones who collected the spoils of war said: these belong to us. The ones who protected the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: no, we want our share, because we are protecting the Messenger of Allah. And the ones who were pursuing the enemy said: if it wasn't for us, you wouldn't have any spoils of war. So they disputed, and they were arguing, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed the āyah of Sūrat al-Anfāl:

They ask you, O Muḥammad, about the bounties of war. Say: the decision concerning bounties is for Allah and the Messenger. Therefore, all of the bounties of war were taken from them and given to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) — it belongs to Allah and the Messenger; all of it was taken away. And Allah says: so fear Allah, and amend that which is between you, and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you should be believers. So this āyah is teaching the mujāhidīn that they should have taqwā — one cannot fight fī sabīlillāh without taqwā. Number two, "and amend that which is between you" — there has to be unity; fighters fī sabīlillāh have to be one. And number three, "and obey Allah and His Messenger" — there has to be discipline; fighters without discipline aren't going to succeed, so they have to have discipline and obedience of the leader. So these are three essential qualities for those who fight fī sabīlillāh: taqwā, unity, and discipline and obedience of the leader.