Al-Hashr • EN-TAFSIR-MAARIF-UL-QURAN
﴿ وَمَآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ مِنْهُمْ فَمَآ أَوْجَفْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ خَيْلٍۢ وَلَا رِكَابٍۢ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسَلِّطُ رُسُلَهُۥ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ﴾
“Yet [remember:] whatever [spoils taken] from the enemy God has turned over to His Apostle, you did not have to spur horse or riding-camel for its sake: but God gives His apostles mastery over whomever He wills - for God has the power to will anything.”
[ 1] fai' is a term for the properties left over by the non-Muslims and possessed by a Muslim state without fighting. As opposed to this, ghanimah (booty) is a property taken over by fighting. The properties of Bani Nadir were taken over without fighting, hence the word fai'. That is why we did not translate fai' as 'booty'. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)