Whatever spoils God has given to His Messenger from the people of the towns such as al-Safrā’ Wādī al-Qurā and Yanbu‘ belong to God dispensing with it as He will and to the Messenger and to the near of kin the Prophet’s kin from among the Banū Hāshim and the Banū al-Muttālib and the orphans the orphaned children of Muslims those whose parents have died and who are impoverished and the needy those Muslims in need and the traveller the Muslim who may be cut off from all resources on a remote journey in other words they these spoils are the due of the Prophet s and those of the four categories divided up in the way that he used to where each category received a fifth of the fifth with the rest being his the Prophet’s so that these the spoils — this being the justification for the division of these spoils in this way do not kay-lā kay functions like lā with a following implied an sc. an-lā become a thing circulating handed round between the rich among you. And whatever the Messenger gives you of spoils or otherwise take it; and whatever he forbids you abstain from it. And fear God. Surely God is severe in retribution.
