Skip to content

Al-Anfal 68

Ayah 68 of 75 · Medinan

لَّوۡلَا كِتَٰبٞ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمۡ فِيمَآ أَخَذۡتُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٞ ٦٨

If not for a decree from Allāh that preceded,1 you would have been touched for what you took by a great punishment.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Three interpretations of the "decree" are given: that by which the companions of Badr were forgiven, that by which indeliberate errors in judgement by believers are not punished, and that which made lawful the spoils of war.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. لَّوۡلَاHad notlawlā
  2. كِتَٰبٞan ordainmentkitābun
  3. مِّنَfrommina
  4. ٱللَّهِAllahl-lahi
  5. سَبَقَprecededsabaqa
  6. لَمَسَّكُمۡsurely (would) have touched youlamassakum
  7. فِيمَآfor whatfīmā
  8. أَخَذۡتُمۡyou took akhadhtum
  9. عَذَابٌa punishmentʿadhābun
  10. عَظِيمٞgreatʿaẓīmun

Tafsir

Were it not for a decree from Allah – in which it had already been decided that He would make the gains of war lawful for you and permit you to ransom captives – a severe punishment from Allah would have afflicted you because of the gains of war and ransom you took from the captives at Badr before the coming of revelation from Allah that permitted it.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran