59:7
What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger (and taken away) from the people of the townships,-belongs to Allah,- to His Messenger and to kindred and orphans, the needy and the wayfarer; In order that it may not (merely) make a circuit between the wealthy among you. So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah; for
Allah is strict in Punishment.
Historically, Jewish tribes had migrated into the region of Arabia and established settlements in areas surrounding Madinah. Over time, tensions developed between these communities and the local Arab population, as the Jewish tribes maintained distinct social and political identities and did not fully integrate with the surrounding society. Their later displacement was therefore interpreted by some commentators as a restoration of the land to its earlier inhabitants. In the context of Qur’anic terminology, the term fayʾ refers specifically to property obtained from an opposing group without direct combat, such as property abandoned or surrendered by the enemy. This category differs from anfāl, which denotes spoils acquired following actual fighting (see Qur’an 8:1, 8:41). The phrase “people of the townships” refers to the Jewish settlements located around Madinah, particularly those of the Banū Naḍīr, and possibly other nearby tribes mentioned later in the same chapter (59:14). The reference is unlikely to apply to Wādī al-Qurā (modern Madāʾin Ṣāliḥ), which came under Muslim control only after the campaigns of Khaybar and Fadak in 7 A.H., unless the verse were revealed later than the rest of the sūrah. The statement that such property “belongs to Allah” indicates that it is to be used for purposes aligned with the cause of God, with distribution determined by the leadership of the Muslim community according to prevailing circumstances. Unlike the fixed categories of charity recipients listed elsewhere in the Qur’an (e.g., 2:177), the beneficiaries of fayʾ are determined more flexibly and reflect different social and political considerations (Ali).
References:
Yusuf Ali, Abdullah. Translation and Commentary of the Quran. (surah 59 verse 7