َ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَاقُّوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَمَنْ يُشَاقِّ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ ﴿۴﴾ مَا قَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ لِينَةٍ أَوْ تَرَكْتُمُوهَا قَائِمَةً عَلَى أُصُولِهَا فَبِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَلِيُخْزِيَ الْفَاسِقِينَ ﴿۵﴾ وَمَا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ مِنْهُمْ فَمَا أَوْجَفْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ خَيْلٍ وَلَا رِكَابٍ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَلِّطُ رُسُلَهُ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿۶﴾

﴾4﴿ Zaalika bi annahum shaaqqul laaha wa Rasoolahoo wa many yushaaaqqil laaha fa innal laaha shadeedul-'iqaab
﴾5﴿ Maa qata'tum mil leenatin aw taraktumoohaa qaaa'imatan'alaaa usoolihaa fabi iznil laahi wa liyukhziyal faasiqeen
﴾6﴿ Wa maaa afaaa'al laahu 'alaaa Rasoolihee minhum famaaa awjaftum 'alaihi min khailiinw wa laa rikaabinw wa laakinnal laaha yusallitu Rusulahoo 'alaa many yashaaa'; wallaahu 'alaa kulli shai'in Qadeer

﴾4﴿ This is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. And whoever opposes Allah, then indeed, Allah is severe in punishment
﴾5﴿ Whatever palm trees you cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah’s command so that He may disgrace the disobedient
﴾6﴿ And whatever wealth Allah restored to His Messenger from them, you did not charge forward with horses or camels for it. But Allah gives authority to His messengers over whom He wills, and Allah is All-Powerful over everything

[4] This is the cause of their punishment and the central theme of the surah.
“Mushāqqah” is derived from shaqq, which means to split or tear apart — it refers to open and deliberate opposition.
A similar expression is found in Surah al-Anfāl (13) as well.
[5] This is the answer to a possible objection: “You (O Companions) prohibit corruption, yet you burned and cut down the date-palm trees of Banū Naḍīr — isn’t that also corruption?”
The essence of the response is: this was done by the command of Allah, and there were various benefits in it as well — therefore, it is legally and religiously permissible.
[6] Since the remaining wealth of Banū Naḍīr was considered fay’, this verse clarifies the difference between fay’ and war booty (ghanimah).
“Fama awjaftum” — refers to wealth acquired from disbelievers without battle or warfare; such wealth is called fay’, like the properties of Banū Naḍīr, or wealth obtained through jizyah (tribute), expulsion of disbelievers, or inheritance left behind with no heirs — all of these fall under fay’.
On the other hand, any wealth acquired through combat with disbelievers is termed ghanimah (spoils of war), and its distribution is detailed in Surah al-Anfāl (8:41).