Page 550
wa-ʾin fātakum shayʾun min ʾazwājikum ʾilā l-kuffāri fa-ʿāqabtum fa-ʾātū lladhīna dhahabat ʾazwājuhum mithla mā ʾanfaqū wa-ttaqū llāha lladhī ʾantum bihī muʾminūna
If anything [of the dowries] pertaining to your wives is not reclaimed from the faithless and then you have your turn, then give to those whose wives have left the like of what they have spent, and be wary of Allah in whom you have faith.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Mumtahana - Verse 11
The losses incurred by Muslims owing to their conversion to the Islamic faith should be compensated by the Islamic state. It is in this vein that the blessed Verse is saying that in case some of your wives turn away from the Islamic faith and join disbelievers and you conquer disbelievers and gained booties, those who have lost their wives are to be compensated for their bridal gifts.
The preceding blessed Verse is saying that the bridal gifts of such women are supposed to be borne by disbelievers as it is considered the disbelievers' right to receive compensation for the bridal gifts which they had paid to their former wives who had converted to the Islamic faith and thereby had emigrated to Medina. Nonetheless, according to some traditions, despite the fact that Muslims acted upon such just decree, Meccan polytheists failed to do the same.
Thus, is was decreed that to compensate the losses incurred by men whose wives had turned away from the Islamic faith and had joined Meccan polytheists, they were supposed to receive booties equivalent to the losses incurred by them and thereafter the remainder of the booties gained from the enemy could be distributed amongst Muslims. According to Qur’an exegetes, the Arabic verbal form
connotes the victory of the Muslims over disbelievers and the retribution of the latter and gaining booties. The blessed Verse closes by calling all Muslims to fear God Almighty saying:
"Fear Allah in Whom you believe and refrain from disobeying Him.”