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Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī Qurʾānic Rulings and Law · Juzʾ Tabārak and Juzʾ ʿAmma Surahs 67–114

Lesson 100

Sūrah Al-ʿĀdiyāt The Coursers

العاديات

Al-Qurṭubī derives from this surah's oath by war horses the fiqh ruling on ghanīmah distribution shares for mounted vs. foot soldiers the most practically significant military-legal calculation.

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahAl-ʿĀdiyātMeccanWar horses as oath and human ingratitude to Allah

Key Fiqh IssueGhanīmah shares mounted vs. foot soldier distributionLegal specification of sharesMounted soldiers receive more due to horse's military contribution

School ComparisonḤanafī: mounted gets double foot soldier (1 share self + 1 for horse); Mālikī: 1 share for self + 1 for horse = 2 total; Shāfiʿī: 3 shares for mounted (2 for horse, 1 for self); Ḥanbalī: same as Shāfiʿī (3 shares)2 shares (Ḥanafī/Mālikī) vs. 3 shares (Shāfiʿī/Ḥanbalī)Single most contested ghanīmah calculation

Uṣūl PrincipleTaqdīr al-ḥuṣaṣ apportioning shares by legal specificationLegal specificationSunnah texts specify mounted/foot ratios; Qurʾān provides the overall khums framework

Al-Qurṭubī derives from the surah's oath by war horses "by the racers, panting" the significance of the horse in Islamic military jurisprudence. He uses this to survey the ghanīmah distribution calculation for mounted soldiers. The Qurʾānic framework (8:41) specifies the khums (one-fifth) split; the Sunnah texts specify the mounted soldier's extra share beyond the foot soldier's single share.

The two-vs.-three shares disagreement is the most numerically significant difference: the Ḥanafī and Mālikī schools give a mounted soldier two shares total (one personal, one for the horse), making him receive twice a foot soldier's share; the Shāfiʿī and Ḥanbalī schools give three shares (two for the horse's combat contribution, one personal), making the mounted soldier receive three times a foot soldier's share. Al-Qurṭubī notes that only one horse per soldier is counted regardless of how many horses he brings; additional horses do not generate additional shares.

وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا Wa-l-ʿādiyāti ḍabḥā Meaning: "By the racers, panting" Al-Qurṭubī: "ḍabḥ" (panting/snorting of horses in motion) the horses' military contribution (speed, power, battlefield impact) is what justifies their additional ghanīmah share; al-Qurṭubī derives that the share is for the military asset, not personal ownership a rented horse does not grant its user an additional share per most schools.

إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ Inna l-insāna li-rabbihi la-kanūd Meaning: "Indeed man to his Lord is truly ungrateful" Al-Qurṭubī: ingratitude for divine gifts (including military resources and animals) is a moral failing; al-Qurṭubī derives that the proper use of ghanīmah (including fair distribution to all participants) is an act of gratitude for divine aid in battle.

Mounted soldier shares: Ḥanafī and Mālikī give 2 shares (1 personal + 1 for horse); Shāfiʿī and Ḥanbalī give 3 shares (1 personal + 2 for horse).
Foot soldier: 1 share in all four schools the baseline share.
One additional horse per soldier maximum bringing multiple horses does not generate multiple additional shares.
Rented horse: the rider does not get the horse's share (it goes to the horse's owner) per most school positions the share follows military ownership.
Ghanīmah fair distribution is itself an act of gratitude al-Qurṭubī connects the anti-ingratitude theme of this surah to the obligation of proper war spoils distribution.

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