وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَّآ أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ
"He joined their hearts together. Had you spent everything on the earth, you could not have joined their hearts together."
The same measure had occurred in al-Zumar 39/47 and in al-Raʿd 13/18 in the context of ransom. In al-Anfāl the same measure is used for what cannot be bought.
| Place | Mā fi'l-arḍi jamīʿā |
|---|---|
| al-Zumar 39/47 · al-Raʿd 13/18 | It would not be accepted if offered as ransom |
| al-Anfāl 8/63 | It would not join hearts if spent |
I record this as my own reading: in all three sūras the same measure is used to point out the place where money does not reach.
And its link with the first verse of the sūra must be recorded: there aṣliḥū dhāta baynikum had been commanded. The sixty-third verse says who the real agent of that work is. The sūra gives the command and at the end draws its limit.