Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anfal Verse 60

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Prepare against them whatever force you can, and the trained horses whereby you frighten Allah’s enemy and your own enemy and others besides them whom you do not know. Allah knows them. Whatever thing you spend in the way of Allah, it will be paid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Prepare against them what you ˹believers˺ can of ˹military˺ power and cavalry to deter Allah’s enemies and your enemies as well as other enemies unknown to you but known to Allah. Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be paid to you in full and you will not be wronged.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Prepare against them whatever force you can and cavalry, to deter Allah’s enemies and your enemies, and others besides them whom you do not know, but Allah knows them. Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

A. J. Arberry

Make ready for them whatever force and strings of horses you can, to terrify thereby the enemy of God and your enemy, and others besides them that you know not; God knows them. And whatsoever you expend in the way of God shall be repaid you in full; you will not be wronged.

Abdul Haleem

Prepare whatever forces you [believers] can muster, including warhorses, to frighten off God’s enemies and yours, and warn others unknown to you but known to God. Whatever you give in God’s cause will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And get ready against them whatsoever ye can of force and wellfed horses whereby ye may overawe the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom ye know not Allah knoweth them. And whatsoever ye expend in the way of Allah shall be repaid to you in full; and ye shall not be wronged.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly.

Abul Ala Maududi

Make ready for an encounter against them all the forces and well-readied horses you can muster that you may overawe the enemies of Allah and your own enemies and others besides them of whom you are unaware but of whom Allah is aware. Whatever you may spend in the cause of Allah shall be fully repaid to you, and you shall not be wronged.

Ahmed Ali

Prepare against them whatever arms and cavalry you can muster, that you may strike terror in (the hearts of) the enemies of God and your own, and others besides them not known to you, but known to God. Whatever you spend in the way of God will be paid back to you in full, and no wrong will be done to you.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And keep ready for them the maximum of forces you can and the maximum number of horses you can keep tethered, in order to instil awe in the hearts of those who are the enemies of Allah and who are your enemies, and in the hearts of some others whom you do not know; Allah knows them; and whatever you spend in Allah's cause will be repaid to you in full and you will never be in a loss.

Ali Quli Qarai

Prepare against them whatever you can of [military] power and war-horses, awing thereby the enemy of Allah, and your enemy, and others besides them, whom you do not know, but Allah knows them. And whatever you spend in the way of Allah will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

Ali Ünal

(Believers:) make ready against them whatever you can of force and horses assigned (for war), that thereby you may dismay the enemies of God and your enemies and others besides them, of whom (and the nature of whose enmity) you may be unaware. God is aware of them (and of the nature of their enmity). Whatever you spend in God’s cause will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Believers! it is your duty also that you) keep prepared to meet them with whatever you can afford of armed force and of mounted pickets at the frontier, to strike terror thereby into the hearts of the enemies of Allâh and your enemies and such others besides them that you do not know, (but) Allâh knows them. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allâh, it shall be repaid to you in full and you will not be dealt with unjustly.

English Literal

And prepare for them what you were able from strength/power and from the horses`/horsemens` ties/strings/strength , you terrorize/terrify with it God`s enemy, and your enemy, and others from other than them, you do not know them, God knows them, and what you spend from a thing in God`s sake/way is fulfilled/completed to you, and you are not being caused injustice to/oppressed.

Faridul Haque

And keep ready for them the maximum of forces you can and the maximum number of horses you can keep tethered, in order to instil awe in the hearts of those who are the enemies of Allah and who are your enemies, and in the hearts of some others whom you do not know; Allah knows them; and whatever you spend in Allah´s cause will be repaid to you in full and you will never be in a loss.

Hamid S. Aziz

Prepare you against them what strength of forces and horses you have to the utmost of your power, that thereby you may dismay the enemies of Allah, and your enemies, and others beside them whom you know not. You do not know them, but Allah knows them! Whatever you spend in the Way of Allah, it will be repaid you in full; and you shall not be wronged.

Hilali & Khan

And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides whom, you may not know but whom Allah does know. And whatever you shall spend in the Cause of Allah shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And let not those who disbelieve think that they can outstrip (Us). Surely they cannot escape.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And prepare against them what force you can and horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them, whom you do not know (but) Allah knows them; and whatever thing you will spend in Allah's way, it will be paid back to you fully and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom ye know not. Allah knoweth them. Whatsoever ye spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.

Muhammad Sarwar

Mobilize your (defensive) force as much as you can to frighten the enemies of God and your own enemies. This also will frighten those who are behind them whom you do not know but God knows well. Whatever you spend for the cause of God, He will give you sufficient recompense with due justice.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Muster against them whatever you are able of force and tethers (ropes) of horses, so that you strike terror into the enemies of Allah and your enemy, and others besides them whom you do not know but Allah does. All that you spend in the Way of Allah shall be repaid to you. You shall not be wronged.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides them, whom you may not know but whom Allah does know. And whatever you shall spend in the cause of Allah shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly.

Wahiduddin Khan

Prepare any strength you can muster against them, and any cavalry with which you can overawe God's enemy and your own enemy as well, and others besides them whom you do not know, but who are known to God. Anything you spend in the way of God will be repaid to you in full. You will not be wronged.

Talal Itani

And prepare against them all the power you can muster, and all the cavalry you can mobilize, to terrify thereby God’s enemies and your enemies, and others besides them whom you do not know, but God knows them. Whatever you spend in God’s way will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

Tafsir jalalayn

Make ready for them, for fighting them, whatever force you can, the Prophet (s) said that this refers to `archers', as reported by Muslim, and of horses tethered (ribt is a verbal noun, meaning, `restraining them [for use] in the way of God') that thereby you may dismay, terrify, the enemy of God and your enemy, namely, the disbelievers of Mecca, and others besides them, that is, other than those -- namely, the hypocrites or the Jews, whom you know not; God knows them. And whatever thing you expend in the way of God, its requital, shall be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged, [you will not] be diminished anything thereof.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَأَعِدُّواْ لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم

And make ready against them all you can,

whatever you can muster,

مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ

of power, including steeds of war.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Uqbah bin Amir said that;

he heard the Messenger of Allah saying, while standing on the Minbar;
وَأَعِدُّواْ لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ
(And make ready against them all you can of power),

أَلَا إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْيُ أَلَا إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْي

Verily, Power is shooting! Power is shooting.

Muslim collected this Hadith.

Imam Malik recorded that Abu Hurayrah said,

"The Messenger of Allah said,

الْخَيْلُ لِثَلَثَةٍ

لِرَجُلٍ أَجْرٌ

وَلِرَجُلٍ سِتْرٌ

وَعَلَى رَجُلٍ وِزْرٌ

Horses are kept for one of three purposes;

for some people they are a source of reward,

for some others they are a means of shelter, and

for some others they are a source of sin.

فَأَمَّا الَّذِي لَهُ أَجْرٌ فَرَجُلٌ رَبَطَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَأَطَالَ لَهَا فِي مَرْجٍ أَوْ رَوْضَةٍ فَمَا أَصَابَتْ فِي طِيَلِهَا ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْمَرْجِ أَوِ الرَّوْضَةِ كَانَتْ لَهُ حَسَنَاتٍ وَلَوْ أَنَّهَا قَطَعَتْ طِيَلَهَا فَاسْتَنَّتْ شَرَفًا أَوْ شَرَفَيْنِ كَانَتْ اثَارُهَا وَأرْوَاثُهَا حَسَنَاتٍ لَهُ وَلَوْ أَنَّهَا مَرَّتْ بِنَهَرٍ فَشَرِبَتْ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يَسْقِيَ بِهِ كَانَ ذَلِكَ حَسَنَاتٍ لَهُ فَهِيَ لِذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ أَجْرٌ

The one for whom they are a source of reward, is he who keeps a horse for Allah's cause (Jihad) tying it with a long tether on a meadow or in a garden. The result is that whatever it eats from the area of the meadow or the garden where it is tied, will be counted as good deeds for his benefit; and if it should break its rope and jump over one or two hillocks then all its dung and its footmarks will be written as good deeds for him. If it passes by a river and drinks water from it, even though he had no intention of watering it, then he will get the reward for its drinking. Therefore, this type of horse is a source of good deeds for him.

وَرَجُلٌ رَبَطَهَا تَغَنِّيًا وَتَعَفُّفًا وَلَمْ يَنْسَ حَقَّ اللهِ فِي رِقَابِهَا وَلَا ظُهُورِهَا فَهِيَ لَهُ سِتْرٌ

As for the man who tied his horse maintaining self - sufficiency and abstinence from begging, all the while not forgetting Allah's right concerning the neck and back of his horse, then it is a means of shelter for him.

وَرَجُلٌ رَبَطَهَا فَخْرًا وَرِيَاءً وَنِوَاءً فَهِيَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وِزْر

And a man who tied a horse for the sake of pride, pretense and showing enmity for Muslims, then this type of horse is a source of sins.

When Allah's Messenger was asked about donkeys, he replied,

مَا أَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَلَيَّ فِيهَا شَيْيًا إِلاَّ هَذِهِ الاْايَةَ الْجَامِعَةَ الْفَاذَّة

Nothing has been revealed to me from Allah about them except these unique, comprehensive Ayat;

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ

وَمَن يَعْـمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ

Then anyone who does an atom's weight of good, shall see it. And anyone who does an atom's weight of evil, shall see it. (99;7-8)"

Al-Bukhari and Muslim collected this Hadith, this is the wording of Al-Bukhari.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Prophet said,

الْخَيْلُ ثَلَثَةٌ

فَفَرَسٌ لِلرَّحْمَنِ

وَفَرَسٌ لِلشَّيْطَانِ

وَفَرَسٌ لِلِْنْسَانِ

There are three reasons why horses are kept;

A horse that is kept for Ar-Rahman (the Most Beneficent),

a horse kept for Shaytan and

a horse kept for the man.

فَأَمَّا فَرَسُ الرَّحْمَنِ فَالَّذِي يُرْبَطُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَعَلَفُهُ وَرَوْثُهُ وَبَوْلُهُ وَذَكَرَ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ وَأَمَّا فَرَسُ الشَّيْطَانِ فَالَّذِي يُقَامَرُ أَوُ يُرَاهَنُ عَلَيْهَا وَأَمَّا فَرَسُ الاْأِنْسَانِ فَالْفَرَسُ يَرْبِطُهَا الاْأِنْسَانُ يَلْتَمِسُ بَطْنَهَا فَهِيَ لَهُ سِتْرٌ مِنَ الْفَقْر

As for the horse kept for Ar-Rahman, it is the horse that is being kept for the cause of Allah (for Jihad), and as such, its food, dung and urine, etc., (he made mention of many things).

As for the horse that is for Shaytan, it is one that is being used for gambling.

As for the horse that is for man, it is the horse that one tethers, seeking its benefit. For him, this horse will be a shield against poverty.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Urwah bin Abi Al-Ja`d Al-Bariqi said that the Messenger of Allah said,

الْخَيْلُ مَعْقُودٌ فِي نَوَاصِيهَا الْخَيْرُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ الاَْجْرُ وَالْمَغْنَم

Good will remain in the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection, (that is) reward, and the spoils of war.

Allah said next,

تُرْهِبُونَ

to threaten, (or to strike fear),

بِهِ عَدْوَّ اللّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ

the enemy of Allah and your enemy,

the disbelievers,

وَاخَرِينَ مِن دُونِهِمْ

and others besides them,

According to Mujahid,such as Bani Qurayzah, or Persians, according to As-Suddi.

لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ

whom you may not know but whom Allah does know.

Muqatil bin Hayyan and Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said that this Ayah refers to hypocrites, as supported by Allah's statement,

وَمِمَّنْ حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ الاٌّعْرَابِ مُنَـفِقُونَ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ مَرَدُواْ عَلَى النَّفَاقِ لَا تَعْلَمُهُمْ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ

And among the Bedouins around you, some are hypocrites, and so are some among the people of Al-Madinah who persist in hypocrisy; you know them not, We know them. (9;101)

Allah said next,

وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِن شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ




And whatever you shall spend in the cause of Allah shall be repaid to you, and you shall not be treated unjustly.

Allah says, whatever you spend on Jihad will be repaid to you in full.

We also mentioned Allah's statement,

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَلَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّاْيَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللَّهُ يُضَـعِفُ لِمَن يَشَأءُ وَاللَّهُ وَسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah, is that of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower. (2;261