ghanīmah, in the early Islāmic community (7th century ad), booty taken in battle in the form of weapons, horses, prisoners, and movable goods. In pre-Islāmic Bedouin society, where the ghazw (razzia, or raid) was a way of life and a point of honour, ghanīmah helped provide the material means of existence. After the leader of the ghazw received a fourth or a fifth of the booty, the rest was divided among the raiders according to tribal precedents.
Under Muḥammad and his immediate successors, the sheer size of the raids and the ghanīmah demanded a more precise distribution of spoils. Accordingly, the commander of the raid or battle received one-fifth of the total ghanīmah; every man who was responsible for victory, whether he participated in battle or not, received one share of the remaining ghanīmah; the cavalry received one or two extra shares for each horse. A man was always entitled to the equipment of anyone he personally killed; those who distinguished themselves in battle were also eligible for bonus shares, anfāl, though it is not clear how these were taken out of the general ghanīmah. Prisoners taken in battle, including women and children, were treated as movable property and distributed as slaves among the soldiers.
Of the leader’s share, one-fifth was earmarked for community needs and originally was managed at his discretion. Eventually this fifth was distributed, in accordance with the Qurʾānic injunction, among five classes: the Prophet, his close relatives, orphans, the poor, and travelers.