The Prophetic Treatment of Captives of War - I
31/03/2010| IslamWeb
The Prophet 
treated the captives mercifully, justly, firmly, and observed the Da‘wah (propagation) objectives. This was why he varied his ways of treatment. Hence, he killed some of the captives, took ransom for some, released some of them and made a condition for others to teach ten Muslims how to read and write so that he would release them.
A. Observing the right of protection of Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adiyy
The Prophet said about the captives of Badr: “Had Al-Mut‘im bin `Adiyy been alive and negotiated with me regarding those foul people, I would have released them for him.” [Abu Daawood with a Saheeh chain of transmission]
said about the captives of Badr: “Had Al-Mut‘im bin `Adiyy been alive and negotiated with me regarding those foul people, I would have released them for him.” [Abu Daawood with a Saheeh chain of transmission]This Hadeeth is an expression of loyalty and gratitude as Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adiyy had been kind to the Prophet . The Prophet entered Makkah under the protection of Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adiyy when he was returning back from At-Taa’if, as mentioned in an earlier article. Also, Al-Mut‘im was one of those who were fiercely calling for the ending of the boycott against the Muslims and Banu Haashim. This shows the utmost loyalty of men, even if they are disbelievers.
. The Prophet entered Makkah under the protection of Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adiyy when he was returning back from At-Taa’if, as mentioned in an earlier article. Also, Al-Mut‘im was one of those who were fiercely calling for the ending of the boycott against the Muslims and Banu Haashim. This shows the utmost loyalty of men, even if they are disbelievers.B. The execution of ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt and An-Nadhr bin Al-Haarith
Just as there was such great loyalty to Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adiyy, then there was also firmness with the criminals of war and the leaders of strife, such as ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt and An-Nadhr bin Al-Haarith, as they were among the firmest adversaries of Islam who had schemed against the Muslims to afflict them with misfortunes. Hence, their very existence posed a grave threat to Islam, especially during the critical circumstances that the Muslim Da‘wah was encountering. If these two men were released, they would have used every possible way to plot against Muslims and Islam. Therefore, executing them, amidst these circumstances, was a necessity for the public interest of the emerging Muslim Da‘wah.
When he arrived at As-Safraa’, a valley that had many palm trees and plants, on his way back to Madeenah, the Prophet ordered the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, to execute ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt and An-Nadhr bin Al-Haarith. When he knew that he was about to be executed, ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt asked, “Why did you decide to kill me?” The Prophet replied: “We choose you to be executed because of your enmity to Allah and His Prophet.” ‘Uqbah said, “O Muhammad, your grace is better. So, treat me the same as my people. If you will kill them, kill me, if you will forgive them, forgive me. If you will take ransom from them, take from me. O Muhammad, who will take care of my boys?” The Prophet said: “Fire. O ‘Aasim, take him and strike his neck.” ‘Aasim then took him and struck his neck.
ordered the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, to execute ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt and An-Nadhr bin Al-Haarith. When he knew that he was about to be executed, ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt asked, “Why did you decide to kill me?” The Prophet replied: “We choose you to be executed because of your enmity to Allah and His Prophet.” ‘Uqbah said, “O Muhammad, your grace is better. So, treat me the same as my people. If you will kill them, kill me, if you will forgive them, forgive me. If you will take ransom from them, take from me. O Muhammad, who will take care of my boys?” The Prophet said: “Fire. O ‘Aasim, take him and strike his neck.” ‘Aasim then took him and struck his neck.As for An-Nadhr bin Al-Haarith, he was one of the devils among the Quraysh who would harm the Prophet . An-Nadhr had been to Al-Heerah and learned the speeches of the Persian kings such as the speeches of Rostam and Esfandiyar. Whenever the Prophet sat and began to teach people and warn them against similar punishments as what had happened to the previous nations, An-Nadhr would say, “O people of the Quraysh, I can deliver a speech that is better than Muhammad; so, come and listen to me.” He would then start telling them about the Persian kings, other than Rostam and Esfandiyar. After this he would ask, “In what respect is Muhammad’s speech better than mine”?
. An-Nadhr had been to Al-Heerah and learned the speeches of the Persian kings such as the speeches of Rostam and Esfandiyar. Whenever the Prophet sat and began to teach people and warn them against similar punishments as what had happened to the previous nations, An-Nadhr would say, “O people of the Quraysh, I can deliver a speech that is better than Muhammad; so, come and listen to me.” He would then start telling them about the Persian kings, other than Rostam and Esfandiyar. After this he would ask, “In what respect is Muhammad’s speech better than mine”?Indeed, that man was arrogant and felt superior to Allah The Almighty. He claimed that his speech was better than that of the Prophet’s. Anyone who thought or acted in the same manner had to be avenged. This was why the Prophet did not ask the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, about this man and ordered them to execute him. Thus, ‘Ali bin Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, executed him.
did not ask the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, about this man and ordered them to execute him. Thus, ‘Ali bin Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, executed him.By executing these two tyrants, the Muslims realized that they should not be tolerant or lenient to such oppressors as they were the leaders of evil and deviation and they exceeded the limits of pardon and forgiveness because of their awful deeds. These two men were among the most evil men who despised Islam and Muslims.
C. Entrusting the honoring of the captives to the Muslims was an aspect of the Prophetic methodology
When the Prophet returned to Madeenah, he distributed the captives among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and advised them saying: “Treat the captives well.” This advice conforms with the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive.} [Quran 76:8] Abu ‘Azeez bin ‘Umayr, the brother of Mus‘ab bin ‘Umayr, narrated what he saw in this regard and said, “I was one of the captives of the Battle of Badr and the Prophet had said: ‘Treat the captives well.’ I was among the Ansaar [helpers] and they would eat dates for lunch and dinner and give me bread made of wheat in order to abide by the advice of the Prophet .”
returned to Madeenah, he distributed the captives among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and advised them saying: “Treat the captives well.” This advice conforms with the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive.} [Quran 76:8] Abu ‘Azeez bin ‘Umayr, the brother of Mus‘ab bin ‘Umayr, narrated what he saw in this regard and said, “I was one of the captives of the Battle of Badr and the Prophet had said: ‘Treat the captives well.’ I was among the Ansaar [helpers] and they would eat dates for lunch and dinner and give me bread made of wheat in order to abide by the advice of the Prophet .”Abu Al-‘Aas bin Ar-Rabee’ said, “I was among a group of the Ansaar, may Allah reward them, and they would treat me altruistically. At lunch or dinner time, they would give me bread and eat dates. This was so in spite of the fact that they did not have much bread or many dates. This was their custom. When any of them would find a crust of bread, he would give it to me.” Al-Waleed, the son of Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah, and Yazeed would say the same. The captives said that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, would walk on foot and let them ride.
These were the merciful morals that the noble Quran established when praising the believers and of which the Prophet reminded his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. The Muslims adopted these morals so that they became their nature. These morals affected a group of the honorable captives and encouraged them to convert to Islam. Abu ‘Azeez converted immediately after the Battle of Badr and the arrival of the captives to Madeenah, and As-Saa’ib bin ‘Ubayd also embraced Islam after he ransomed himself. The Islamic Da’wah touched their hearts and purified their souls. These captives returned to their tribes and families to talk about Muhammad his noble manners, his loving heart, his tolerance and his Da’wah that entailed righteousness, piety, reformation and goodness. The good treatment of the captives shows lofty morals as the Muslims showed the enemies of Islam the highest degrees of noble morals, and that is altruism.
reminded his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. The Muslims adopted these morals so that they became their nature. These morals affected a group of the honorable captives and encouraged them to convert to Islam. Abu ‘Azeez converted immediately after the Battle of Badr and the arrival of the captives to Madeenah, and As-Saa’ib bin ‘Ubayd also embraced Islam after he ransomed himself. The Islamic Da’wah touched their hearts and purified their souls. These captives returned to their tribes and families to talk about Muhammad his noble manners, his loving heart, his tolerance and his Da’wah that entailed righteousness, piety, reformation and goodness. The good treatment of the captives shows lofty morals as the Muslims showed the enemies of Islam the highest degrees of noble morals, and that is altruism. D. Ransoming Al-‘Abbaas, the paternal uncle of the Prophet
The Quraysh sent messages to the Prophet in order to ransom their captives. So, every tribe ransomed its captive according to what they had agreed upon. Al-‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “O Prophet! I am a Muslim.” The Prophet responded: “Allah is more knowledgeable of your Islam. If what you say is true, then Allah will reward you. However, your outward actions showed that you are against us. Hence, you should ransom yourself and your nephews, Nawfal bin Al-Haarith bin ‘Abd Al-Muttalib and ‘Aqeel bin Abu Taalib bin ‘Abd Al-Muttalib, and your ally ‘Utbah bin ‘Amr, who belongs to Banu Al-Haarith bin Fihr.” Al-‘Abbaas said, “O Prophet, I do not have this amount of money.” The Prophet said: “Where is the money that you buried with [your wife] Umm Al-Fadhl? You told her that if you are victorious in this outing then this money will be for my sons ‘Abdullaah and Qutham.” Al-‘Abbaas said, “By Allah, I now know that you are the messenger of Allah as this secret was known only to me and Umm Al-Fadhl. Therefore, take away [from my ransom] the booty that you took from me, of eight hundred dirhams. The Prophet : said: “[No], that was money that was given to us from you by Allah.” Thus, Al-‘Abbaas ransomed himself, his two nephews and his ally. Allah The Almighty then revealed the verse (what means): {O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the captives, “If Allah knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” But if they intend to betray you - then they have already betrayed Allah before, and He empowered [you] over them. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.} [Quran 70, 71] Al-‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Allah the Almighty gave me instead of these eight hundred dirhams, after embracing Islam, twenty slaves who had a lot of money and I aspire for the forgiveness of Allah The Exalted.” [Al-Bukhari]
in order to ransom their captives. So, every tribe ransomed its captive according to what they had agreed upon. Al-‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “O Prophet! I am a Muslim.” The Prophet responded: “Allah is more knowledgeable of your Islam. If what you say is true, then Allah will reward you. However, your outward actions showed that you are against us. Hence, you should ransom yourself and your nephews, Nawfal bin Al-Haarith bin ‘Abd Al-Muttalib and ‘Aqeel bin Abu Taalib bin ‘Abd Al-Muttalib, and your ally ‘Utbah bin ‘Amr, who belongs to Banu Al-Haarith bin Fihr.” Al-‘Abbaas said, “O Prophet, I do not have this amount of money.” The Prophet said: “Where is the money that you buried with [your wife] Umm Al-Fadhl? You told her that if you are victorious in this outing then this money will be for my sons ‘Abdullaah and Qutham.” Al-‘Abbaas said, “By Allah, I now know that you are the messenger of Allah as this secret was known only to me and Umm Al-Fadhl. Therefore, take away [from my ransom] the booty that you took from me, of eight hundred dirhams. The Prophet : said: “[No], that was money that was given to us from you by Allah.” Thus, Al-‘Abbaas ransomed himself, his two nephews and his ally. Allah The Almighty then revealed the verse (what means): {O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the captives, “If Allah knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” But if they intend to betray you - then they have already betrayed Allah before, and He empowered [you] over them. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.} [Quran 70, 71] Al-‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Allah the Almighty gave me instead of these eight hundred dirhams, after embracing Islam, twenty slaves who had a lot of money and I aspire for the forgiveness of Allah The Exalted.” [Al-Bukhari]A text of religious authority is construed in accordance with its general indication without restricting it to any relevant circumstances or causes. Hence, this noble verse, despite being revealed specifically with regards to Al-‘Abbaas, applies to all captives.
Some of the Ansaar wanted to take the permission of the Prophet to not take ransom from Al-‘Abbaas. They said, “O Prophet, allow us to not take ransom from our cousin Al-‘Abbaas.” The Prophet said: “By Allah, do not forsake any dirham that he has to pay as ransom.” This shows the politeness and respect of the Ansaar with the Prophet as they called Al-‘Abbas their cousin, so that the favor would seen as for them. They did not call him the Prophet’s uncle, so that the favor would not be for the Prophet . This shows the tact of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. However, the Prophet refused to allow any favoritism concerning the ordinances of the religion.
to not take ransom from Al-‘Abbaas. They said, “O Prophet, allow us to not take ransom from our cousin Al-‘Abbaas.” The Prophet said: “By Allah, do not forsake any dirham that he has to pay as ransom.” This shows the politeness and respect of the Ansaar with the Prophet as they called Al-‘Abbas their cousin, so that the favor would seen as for them. They did not call him the Prophet’s uncle, so that the favor would not be for the Prophet . This shows the tact of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. However, the Prophet refused to allow any favoritism concerning the ordinances of the religion.This was a significant lesson for the captives and all Muslims so as to learn not to favor their relatives. Moreover, the Prophet made the ransom of Al-‘Abbaas, his uncle, greater than the ransom of the others.
made the ransom of Al-‘Abbaas, his uncle, greater than the ransom of the others.After paying his ransom and the ransom of his nephews, Al-‘Abbaas returned to Makkah and concealed his Islam. He skillfully ran the intelligence of the Islamic state in Makkah until his role ended with the Conquest of Makkah and he declared his Islam only a few days before this conquest.
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