Background: A Prophet's Income Problem

When Muhammad arrived in Medina as a refugee, he faced a crisis: how would he and his 150+ Meccan followers survive? They had abandoned their trades and properties in Mecca. Medina's economy couldn't absorb them. The local Ansar (helpers) were already struggling.

Muhammad's solution was brutally simple: organized robbery.

Within months, he began launching raids on Meccan trade caravans. These weren't defensive actions—the caravans posed no threat to Medina. They were calculated attacks designed to plunder goods and capture people. Over the next decade, Muhammad personally led or authorized over 100 military expeditions, averaging one attack every 35 days.

The victims included not just enemy combatants, but entire families. Women and children were seized as slaves—not temporarily, but for life. Their children, and their children's children, were born into slavery, creating hereditary bondage that would last for generations. These innocent people had committed no crime except belonging to the "wrong" tribe or religion.

But even this systematic plunder wasn't enough for Muhammad.

He wanted more than an equal share. He wanted the lion's share. And conveniently, "divine revelations" began appearing that progressively increased his portion of the spoils—first claiming everything, then settling for one-fifth, and finally finding loopholes to take everything again.

This pattern of convenient revelations raises an unavoidable question: Were these messages truly from Allah, or were they the work of a man using religion to justify personal enrichment?

Read the evidence below and judge for yourself.

al-Anfal: Muhammad's Attempt to Claim All War Booty for Himself, Leaving Nothing for the Companions

Summary:

Muslims would engage in attacks on trade caravans to acquire war booty. Initially, these spoils were distributed equally among the participants. The raiding of trade caravans eventually led to the Battle of Badr in the 2nd year of Hijri.

In the Battle of Badr, the Muslims emerged victorious against the Meccans and obtained significant goods as war booty. However, this time Muhammad desired to keep the spoils for himself, denying the participants their rightful share. To justify this, he claimed a revelation of a new verse, 8:1, asserting that ALL spoils of war solely belonged to Allah and His Prophet (i.e., Muhammad), effectively excluding the companions from any share.

To further deny the companions their share, Muhammad argued that their participation in the war had no significant impact, as it was Allah who sent 1000 angels to fight and defeat the disbelievers. Consequently, Muhammad asserted that the entire spoils of the Battle of Badr belonged exclusively to Allah and His Messenger (practically only benefiting Muhammad).

Here is the verse where Muhammad claims his right over ALL the spoils of war:

Quran 8:01:

يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْأَنفَالِ ۖ قُلِ ٱلْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ

They ask you (Mohammed) concerning the war booty; say, “Allah and the Messenger are the owners of the war booty.

Then, Muhammad informed the participants of the war that their role in the victory was not significant, emphasizing that it was the 1000 angels who fought and defeated the disbelievers. As a result, he declared that the war booty belonged exclusively to Allah and His messenger (with Muhammad claiming sole rights over all the spoils of war), while the participants (i.e., the Sahaba) had no share in it.

Quran 8:9:

(Remember) when you sought help of your Lord and He answered you (saying):  "Indeed, I am going to help you with a thousand of the Angels, following one another."

Maulana Maududi wrote under the commentary of this Surah al-Anfal, footnote 11 (link):

11. Allah is telling the events one by one which happened on the day of Badr, so that they (i.e. Muslims) would understand the significance of the word al-anfal (i.e. spoils of war). In the opening verse of this surah, the Muslims were told why they were thinking to be the owner of the spoils of war as their own hard work and efforts? No, but it was only a bonus, and the owner of bonus is Allah himself. The Muslims could see themselves how much share did their efforts has in that victory and what was the share of Allah in that victory (i.e. sending of 1000 angels to fight and defeat the Kuffar)

Verse 8:12 raises an intriguing point, as it suggests that despite dispatching 1000 angels to engage in combat, Allah deemed it insufficient and chose to personally intervene in the battle by instilling terror directly into the hearts of the disbelievers.

Quran 8:12:

And recall when your Lord inspired the angels: 'I am certainly with you (i.e. the angels). So make firm the feet of those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. So strike at their necks and strike at every pore and tip.

Please reflect upon the following thought-provoking points:

• Why was it necessary for Allah to inspire and assure the angels that Allah was with them? It appears that Muhammad overlooked the fact that angels, as innocent beings in Islamic teachings, do not require reassurance from Allah like humans do.
• Moreover, if 1000 angels were not sufficient to fight and overcome the disbelievers (who were also only 1000 in number), why did Allah need to directly involve Himself in the war and instill terror directly into the hearts of the disbelievers?

Upon careful consideration, one may conclude that this revelation could not possibly originate from a divine and perfect Allah in the heavens. Rather, it seems to be a result of human errors, driven by the greed for war spoils.

Muhammad exploited the superstitions prevalent among his companions, who were products of the time of ignorance. Otherwise, how could his companions wholeheartedly believe in these fanciful tales that 1000 angels were actively fighting alongside them, and still they were not enough to defeat Kuffar, and therefore Allah also had to intervene directly.

Sahih Muslim, 1763:

Abu Zumail said that the hadith was narrated to him by Ibn `Abbas who said: While on that day a Muslim was chasing a disbeliever who was going ahead of him, he heard over him the swishing of the whip and the voice of the rider saying: Go ahead, Haizum! He glanced at the polytheist who had (now) fallen down on his back. When he looked at him (carefully he found that) there was a scar on his nose and his face was torn as if it had been lashed with a whip, and had turned green with its poison. An Ansari came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and related this (event) to him. He said: You have told the truth. This was the help from the third heaven (i.e. the angels who came from the third heaven were lashing the Kuffar with whip and kuffer were being killed due to the poison of whips). 

Sahih Bukhari, 3995:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said on the day (of the battle) of Badr, "This is Gabriel holding the head of his horse and equipped with arms for the battle.

But do you know that the Kuffar were still able to kill 14 Muslims in the Battle of Badr?

Muslims should ponder upon it:

• There were only 1000 Kuffar present there, while on the other side, there were 313 Muslims + 1000 Angels + Allah Himself casting terror in the hearts of Kuffar. 
• How can you accept such an entity to be a God, who promised to cast TERROR in the heart of Kuffar, and then also sent 1000 angels to participate in it, but still 14 Muslims got killed in the battle?

al-Khums: 

Summary:

• Earlier, Muhammad tried to put all the spoils of war in his pocket in the battle of Badr. He used verse 8:01 (Surah al-Anfal) for this purpose. 
• But later he failed in doing it despite the help of revelation. It was due to the reason that on the day of Badr, Muhammad had already promised his companions that they would get such and such share from war booty for killing a Kafir, and such and such share for capturing a Kafir. 
• Thus, Muhammad was compelled to give up his previous idea of taking the whole war booty of Badr for himself alone. 
• But later he changed his tactics, and claimed 1/5th part of the war booty of the battle of Badr, in the name of Khums. He again used revelation for this purpose. This time it was verse 41 of the same Surah al-Anfal (Qruan 8:41). 

Look at this Hadith, where Muhammad was telling his companions that they would get a such and such share in the war booty, before the start of the war:

Sunan Abu Dawud, 2738:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said on the day of Badr: He who kills a man will get such-and-such, and he who captivates a man will get such-and-such. 

Consequently, a significant contradiction arose when Muhammad initially attempted to claim the entire war booty solely for himself, thereby depriving the companions of their rightful shares. However, this stance was later modified to claim one-fifth of the war booty. Muhammad justified this change by proclaiming the revelation of the following verse regarding Khums, found within the same Surah al-Anfal.

Quran 8:41:

And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveller.

In practice, the entirety of the one-fifth share of the war booty went into the possession of Muhammad. He retained a significant portion for himself, claiming it as the share of Allah and His Messenger. Another portion was allocated to his close relatives. Additionally, the portion intended for the needy, orphans, and travellers also ended up under Muhammad's control, as he had the authority to distribute it at his discretion.

Muhammad got a big share of the spoils of every war in the name of Khums, which he used for his personal enrichment. For example, he got at least 7 slaves in the single war booty of Khaybar, which he used to trade for a single beautiful woman Saffiyah. (Note: It may be that Muhammad got an even bigger share than 7 slaves in the war)

Sunan Abu Dawud, 2997 and Sahih Muslim, 1365e:

Anas said “A beautiful (captive) slave girl (i.e. Safiyyah) fell to Dihyah (a companion of Muhammad)”. The Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) purchased her for seven slaves. He then gave her to Umm Sulaim for decorating her and preparing her for marriage.

Why did the relatives of Muhammad receive an additional share from the war booty, in the name of Khums, even if they were not needy?

And a very important question is, why the relatives of Muhammad got an extra share from the war booty? 

For example, Ali sexually exploited a minor slave girl on the same night when she was made captive after the war and gave it the name of Khums. 

Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 22967:

Narrated Buraydah: 
I hated Ali as I had never hated anyone. ... The Prophet sent to us Ali, and among the female captives was a slave girl who was the finest of the female captives, and he apportioned the Khums (one-fifth of war booty given to the Prophet and his family). Ali divided the shares, and his head was dripping (after taking a ritual bath following sexual intercourse with the slave-girl). We said: "O Abu al-Hasan (i.e. Ali), what is this?!" Ali replied: "Did you not see the slave-girl who was among the female captives? I divided the shares and apportioned Khumus. Then she became part of the Khumus. Then she became part of the household of the Prophet, and then she became part of the house of Ali, and (thus) I had sexual intercourse with her." ...
Grading: Classed Sahih by al-Arna'ut

Islamic apologists have put forth the explanation that Muhammad's relatives received an additional portion of the spoils of war because they were forbidden from receiving Sadaqa (charity). However, it is important to note that charity is meant for the poor and needy, while Muhammad's relatives were neither impoverished nor in need. Obtaining a slave girl in the name of Khums and then sexually exploitingher, contradicts the concept of being needy and destitute. Hence, the straightforward conclusion is that Muhammad sought to enrich himself and his family under the guise of Khums.

Al-Fay فيء : Muhammad finally succeeded in putting the entire war booty in his pocket

Summary:

In Medina, Muhammad came with the Muslim army to attack the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadhir. But instead of fighting, they peacefully accepted the condition to be expelled from Medina. 

Companions of Muhammad were again dreaming of a big share in War Booty, but Muhammad had another plan in his mind. 

This time, Muhammad claimed the revelation of the following verses:

Quran 59:6-7:

And from them (i.e. Banu Nadhir), the booty which Allah gave to His Noble Messenger – so you had not charged your horses or camels against them, but it is Allah Who gives whomever He wills within the control of His Noble Messengers; and Allah is Able to do all things. The booty which Allah gave to His Noble Messenger from the people of the townships (i.e. Banu Nadhir), is for Allah and His Noble Messenger, and for the relatives, and the orphans, and the needy and the travellers –   so that it does not concentrate in the hands of those who are rich among you;  and accept whatever the Noble Messenger gives you; and refrain from whatever he forbids you

This time, Muhammad did not merely take one-fifth of the spoils; instead, he claimed control over the entire war booty. With the journey that began with the verse of al-Anfaal (Quran 8:1) being completed by the verse of al-Fay (Quran 59:6-7), Muhammad successfully acquired authority over the entire spoils of war.

It is essential to note that even though there was no actual fighting, the companions participated in the campaign, deploying on their horses and on foot. Their actions played a significant role in Banu Nadhir accepting defeat and agreeing to their expulsion. However, the companions received no share from the war booty, as Muhammad deprived them of their rightful portion.

Islamic Apologists: Share of al-Fay was not given to the participants of the war, while Allah didn't want the "concentration" of money in a few hands

It is important to recognize that the claim that war booty was not distributed among the participants of the war, as it was not intended for them, is merely a deceptive explanation. This excuse, however, was not presented in the Quran or by Muhammad himself. Rather, it was later fabricated by subsequent Muslims to justify the withholding of the wealth by Muhammad.

It is important to highlight the following points:

• The Quran itself does not impose any condition of wealth concentration on Muhammad and his relatives by depriving them of the 1/5th share of Khums, even in cases where no fighting took place.
• Muhammad and his relatives continued to receive substantial shares from the spoils of war, including the wealth obtained through Khums and Al-Fay (the whole of the war booty).

An example of this is Muhammad granting his daughter, Fatima, a garden called Fadak, which had a value of 50,000 Dirhams. Later, during Umar's reign, Ali assumed control of Fadak. Ali's wealth was such that he could comfortably support his nine wives, several concubines, and 17 children.

These instances shed light on the deceptive notion of non-concentration of wealth in the context of Al-Fay.

Muhammad made money through RUQYAH (Spells of Quranic Verses)

Sahaba used Ruqyah to enrich themselves, but Muhammad also used the same excuse in order to take money out of Sahaba's pocket. 

Sahih Bukhari, 2276:

So:

• The companions resorted to collecting money from ordinary individuals under the guise of Ruqya (healing practices). 
• However, Muhammad devised a method to extract money from his companions, allocating a share for himself from those earnings.
•  Even today, thousands of religious leaders exploit unsuspecting Muslims in the name of following the example of Muhammad, using practices like Ruqya and claiming to counter the effects of the Evil Eye.

And that 'smile' of Muhammad is disturbing. It reminds us of another 'smile' of Muhammad, when Sahla (a young woman) hesitated to breastfeed a male adult, despite Muhammad's instructions. Upon that, Muhammad smiled too. 

Sahih Mulsim, 1453a: