Clarification on Qur’an 3:161 and hadith reports about missing spoils after Badr

Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, I came across a confusion in some discussions and would appreciate clarification. In Sahih al-Bukhari (3074), a man named Karkara was found to have stolen a cloak from the war booty (ghulul). In other reports (e.g., Sunan Abu Dawood) related to Qur’an 3:161, it is mentioned that after the Battle of Badr a garment was missing and some people expressed suspicion, after which the verse was revealed stating that a Prophet does not misappropriate booty. Some claim these refer to the same incident and use this to suggest the Prophet (peace be upon him) took the item. My questions: 1. Are these reports about the same event or separate incidents? 2. Is there any authentic evidence that the Prophet (peace be upon him) took anything from war booty? 3. How should Qur’an 3:161 be correctly understood? Jazakum Allahu khayran.

Dear Brother / Sister,

No, they are not the same; they are different incidents.

For the incident involving the cloak, please read the following;

Is there a hadith stating that one who steals even a single cloak from public property will not be counted among the martyrs?

Answer

There are hadiths with this meaning.

It is narrated from ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:

"On the day of the Battle of Khaybar, some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and said, 'So-and-so is a martyr, and so-and-so is a martyr.' Then they came to a certain man and said, 'He too is a martyr.'

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:

'No. I saw him in the Fire because of a cloak or a mantle that he had misappropriated from the spoils of war.'"

(Muslim, Iman 182; also see Darimi, Siyar 48)

It is also narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him):

"We went out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to Khaybar, and Allah granted us victory. We did not acquire any gold or silver as spoils, only goods, food, and clothing. Then we proceeded to Wadi al-Qura. A servant of the Messenger of Allah stood up to enter a shaded area when an arrow struck him and killed him.

The people said, 'Congratulations to him, Paradise!'

But the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

'No. By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, the cloak that he took from the spoils of Khaybar before they were distributed has become a blazing fire upon him.'

The people became frightened. Then a man came with one or two shoelaces and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I took these on the day of Khaybar.'

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

'A shoelace of fire, or two shoelaces of fire.'"

(Muslim, Hadith no. 115)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said:

"Whoever dies free from three things will enter Paradise: arrogance, betrayal, and debt."

(Tirmidhi; Ibn Majah)

It is narrated from ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs (may Allah be pleased with them):

"There was a man named Karkarah who looked after the Prophet's belongings during expeditions. One day he died, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

'This man is in the Fire.'

The Companions went to investigate and found a cloak that he had stolen from the spoils of war."

(Bukhari, Jihad 190; also Ibn Majah, Jihad 34)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said:

"It is not lawful for one who believes in Allah and the Last Day to ride an animal belonging to the public treasury until he weakens it and then returns it. Nor is it lawful for him to wear a garment belonging to the public treasury until he wears it out and then returns it."

(Abu Dawud)

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) to guard the spoils of war. A man came and said: "O Salman, my garment was torn, so I took a needle and thread from the spoils and repaired it. Is there any sin upon me?" Salman replied: "Everything is accounted for according to its measure." The man then removed the thread from his garment and returned it to the spoils.

In another narration, a man said:

"I took one or two shoelaces from the spoils on the day of Khaybar."

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:

"One or two shoelaces from the Fire." (Bukhari, Maghazi 38, Ayman 33; Abu Dawud, Jihad 2711; Nasa'i, Ayman 38)

As for the other issue:

The commentators of the Qur'an (mufassirun) have narrated several different reports regarding the reason for the revelation (asbab al-nuzul) of Qur'an 3:161. According to one of these reports, on the day of the Battle of Badr, a red velvet cloth or a piece of fabric went missing, and some people entertained inappropriate suspicions regarding it. Thereupon, the verse was revealed, declaring such suspicions to be false.

The scholars of tafsir explain that reports concerning the circumstances of revelation may vary, and that a verse can be connected to more than one incident.

Is there any authentic evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took anything from the war booty?

No, there is not. On the contrary, the relevant Qur'anic verse explicitly rejects such a possibility:

"It is inconceivable for a prophet to misappropriate any part of the booty..." (Āl ʿImrān 3:161)

The purpose of the verse is not to accuse the Prophet, but rather to refute such an accusation, whether it had already been made or might be made.

Indeed, throughout the Qur'an, many false accusations directed against the prophets are mentioned and then rejected. The fact that an accusation is mentioned in the Qur'an does not mean it is true; rather, it demonstrates that the accusation is false.

The correct understanding of the verse is:

"It is unthinkable for any prophet to betray a trust, secretly take a share from the war booty, or act unjustly toward his community."

The statement is therefore not an accusation, but a defense emphasizing the innocence and trustworthiness of the prophets.

*

What is the reason for the revelation of the verse: "No prophet could (ever) be false to his trust. If any person is so false, He shall, on the Day of Judgment, restore what he misappropriated..." (Ali Imran 3:161)?

"No prophet could (ever) be false to his trust. If any person is so false, He shall, on the Day of Judgment, restore what he misappropriated; then shall every soul receive its due, whatever it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly." (Āl ʿImrān 3:161)

During the Battle of Uhud, some of the archers whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had stationed at a strategic position saw that the Muslim army had initially repelled the attacks of the polytheists. Thinking that victory had already been secured and that everyone would receive their share of the spoils, they abandoned their posts. Their leaving their positions caused the battle to turn against the Muslims.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Did you think that we would not distribute the spoils of war and conceal them?"

By this statement, he alluded to the doubts that had arisen in their minds and indicated that such conduct would never befit him. It has been narrated that this verse was revealed in response to such suspicions.

According to another report, the verse was revealed during the distribution of the spoils from the Battle of Badr, when a certain item went missing and some hypocrites said:

"Perhaps Muhammad took it."¹

The verse emphasizes that betrayal of public property is incompatible with prophethood, that such misconduct is unthinkable for any prophet, and therefore that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is completely free from such accusations. He was the most truthful of people, the noblest in character, and the most God-fearing. It is inconceivable that such a person would commit the unlawful act of misappropriating war booty or abusing public funds. Indeed, historical and biographical sources testify that he did not attach importance to worldly possessions.

Just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was an example to people in many other respects,² he was also the perfect example as a leader. He possessed the qualities required of rulers, foremost among them honesty. He showed the utmost care in safeguarding the trusts of the state and the community, and he instructed public officials not to take anything from public property beyond their genuine needs and to protect it diligently.³

In many hadiths, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned that a person who misappropriates public property will come before Allah on the Day of Resurrection carrying that property upon his back. All the people gathered on that Day will witness this scene, and such a person will be disgraced before the entire assembly even before his reckoning and punishment take place. He repeatedly warned public officials about this matter.⁵

The statement:

"Then every soul will be paid in full for what it earned, and none shall be wronged."

indicates that the misappropriation of public property will not go unpunished.

References

1. Ibn ʿAtiyyah, 1/534; Rashid Rida, IV, 215
2. See Qur'an 33:21
3. Musnad Ahmad, IV, 229
4. Musnad Ahmad, V, 424
5. See Ibn Majah, Jihad, 34; al-Tabari, IV, 158–161

(Diyanet Tafsir, Kur'an Yolu, I/526–527)

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