The truth. Nothing but the truth

Taking prisoners

About the Lawfullness of Taking Captives

Tabari VII p. 80
When the events of Badr were over, Allah revealed al-Anfal (Surah 8) in its entirety concerning it. As usual, we see that the Quran is given as a commentary on events in the life of Muhammad. On the day of Badr, the two armies met, and Allah defeated the polytheists. Seventy of them were killed, and seventy were taken captive. It is important to remember that this war was holy, as was the killing. Allah is credited directly. Umar b. al-Khattab relates: On that day Muhammad consulted Abu Bakr, Ali and Umar. Abu Bakr said: "O Prophet of Allah, these people are cousins, fellow clansmen and nephews. I think that you should acccept ransom for them so that what we take from them will strenghten us, and perhaps Allah will guide them aright so that they may be an assistance for us." Abu Bakr (future caliph) is being pragmatic here. Getting ransom for the prisoners would compensate the lack of booty the Muslims suffered when the caravan they initially meant to plunder got away. Also, if some of the prisoners were to join them in their quest, it would be helpful in future battles. Other religions convert people for the benefit of the converts. But this is Islam. Muhammad said: "What do you think, Ibn al-Khattab?" I said: "I say no, by Allah! I am not of the same opinion as Abu Bakr. I think that you should hand so-and-so over to me so that I can cut off his head, and that you should hand Hamzah's brother over to him so that he can cut off his head, and that you should hand over Aqil to Ali (his brother) so that he can cut off his head. Thus Allah will know that there is no leniencey in our hearts towards the unbelievers. These are their chiefs, their leaders, and their foremost men." This is, by any standard, brutal. The religious zeal of Ibn al-Khattab is nothing short of amazing. Worth noting is that Muhammad at this time still takes council among his leaders. Later he would only ask Allah for decisions in important matters. Muhammad liked what Abu Bakr said and did not like what I said, and accepted ransoms for the captives. Pragmatism wins out. Muhammad gets some badly needed income, and his clansmen get to return home. The next day I went to Muhammad in the morning. He was sitting with Abu Bakr, and they were weeping. This is unusual. Nowhere else did we see Muhammad moved to tears, nor Abu Bakr. It will be interesting to see what touches them so. I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me, what has made you and your companions weep? If I find cause to weep, I will weep with you, and if not, I will pretend to weep because you are weeping." Muhammad said: "It is because of the taking of ransoms which has been laid before your companions. It was laid before me that I should punish them, more nearly than this tree (and he pointed to a nearby tree)." Allah revealed: Quran 8:67: It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had made a great slaughter in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allâh desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Clear enough. Allah desires death more than money. Interestingly, though, the Quran continues: Quran 8:68: Were it not a previous ordainment from Allâh, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took. Quran 8:69: So enjoy what you have gotten of booty in war, lawful and good, and be afraid of Allâh. Certainly, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. So the Muslims are almost punished for taking booty, but Allah forgives and makes the booty lawful and good. This is a win-win situations. The Muslims get to both kill the infidels and take the booty. Religious indeed. After that, Allah made booty lawful to them. A reference to Quran 8:69, which is not directly quoted by Tabari. In the following year, at Uhud, they were punished for what they had done. Seventy men of the companions of Muhammad were killed, and seventy were taken captive. The punishment for the mildness of taking prisoners and ransoming them is severe indeed. It took a while for Muhammad and the Muslims to get the lesson, though. Only after the battle of the Trench did they switch to a strategy of perpetual offensive action. Until then they were content with sending raiding parties and capturing booty only as needed. The hadith continues to describe the punishment for their lenience: Muhammad's lateral incisor was broken, his helmet was shattered over his head, and the blood flowed over his face; Muhammad's companions fled and took to the mountain. Allah revealed: Quran 3:165: When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: "From where does this come to us?" Say: "It is from yourselves." And Allâh has power over all things. Looks like the poor humans are unable to do anything right. The logical consequence is to submit their will to Allah and Muhammad instead of making their own decisions. And this other verse was revealed: Quran 3:153: when you ran away without even casting a side glance at anyone, and the Messenger was in the rear calling you back. There did Allâh give you one distress after another by way of requital to teach you not to grieve for that which had escaped you, nor for that which had befallen you. And Allâh is Well-Aware of all that you do. Either we are witnessing a miracle here, or the chronology has been messed up somewhat, for this verse describes events at Uhud. Given that more than a century passed before the events were committed to writing, the latter options seems more likely. It is hardly surprising that the Muslims are being reviled for leaving the (somewhat stout) Muhammad behind. This kind of behaviour could all too easily result in martyrdom for Muhammad, something he did not seek. Let us look at a couple more verses in this context: Quran 3:154: Then after the distress, He sent down security upon you. Slumber overtook a party of you, while another party was thinking about themselves and thought wrongly of Allâh – the thought of ignorance. They said, "Have we any part in the affair?" Say: "Indeed the affair belongs wholly to Allâh." They hide within themselves what they dare not reveal to you, saying: "If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here." Say: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death," but that Allâh might test what is in your breasts; and to purify that which was in your hearts, and Allâh is All-Knower of what is in (your) breasts. This is convoluted. But the bottom line is that Allah is well aware of who shies away from battle and will give them death anyway. This threat seems somewhat shallow, though, as no case of mass death was reported among those who went home before the battle of Uhud. Quran 3:155: Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met (i.e. the battle of Uhud), it was Shaitân (Satan) who caused them to backslide because of some (sins) they had earned. But Allâh, indeed, has forgiven them. Surely, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing. Let us see if we can get this right. Sins (not defined here) causes Satan to restrain people from war. Allah, on the other hand, forgives the sins so the Muslims can return to war and kill more infidels? Something is turned upside down here. Other religions consider killing one of the worst sins and forbid it. Does Satan really spare life more willingly than Allah does? The most rational explanation seems to be that 'sin' means 'disobedience to Muhammad', not 'killing' or 'stealing'.

A more detailed account

Tabari VII p. 82
Another account in Tabari reads: When it was the day of Badr and the captives were brought, Muhammad asked: "What do you say concerning these captives?" Abu Bakr replied: "O Messenger of Allah, they are your people and your family. Spare them and give them time. Perhaps Allah will relent against them." Umar said: "O Messenger of Allah, they have called you a liar and driven you out. Bring them forward and cut off their heads. The two future caliphs have quite different approaches. Cutting off the heads of ones family is generally considered a bad thing to do. But Umar feels justfied, because they were of the opinion that Muhammad was a false prophet. This, of course, is an indirect way for Umar to show Muhammad his loyalty and faith in Muhammad being a true prophet. Abd Allah b. Rawahaha said: "O Messenger of Allah, look for a wadi with a lot of firewood in it, put them in it and set fire to it around them." Burning the infidel part of the family alive seems even more brutal than merely chopping off their heads.
Al-Abbas said to him: "Your own kin have severed the bonds of kinship." One would think that kinship and family ties go a bit deeper than this. But Islam has arrived, and it supercedes the bonds of blood. Muhammad was silent and did not answer them. Then he went indoors. When Muhammad came out again, he said: "Allah softens the hearts of men in each, so that they become softer than milk, and Allah hardens the hearts of men in each so that they become harder than stones. Abu Bakr, you are like Abraham, who said: "Whoso follows me, he verily is of me. And whoso disobeys me - still you are forgiving, merciful."" A reference to this Quran verse, which is from the Meccan period: Quran 14:36: "O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoso follows me, he verily, is of me. And whoso disobeys me, still You are indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. There seems to be some confusion as to who is talking here. It appears that Muhammad is talking to his Lord. This would imply that he calls people to obey himself, and calls forgiveness for those who do. And Abu Bakr, you are like Jesus, who said: Quran 5:118: "If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." Muhammad seems to have gotten something wrong. This is a quote from the Quran, not from the Gospels. You, Umar, are like Noah, who said: Quran 71:26-27: And Nûh (Noah) said: "My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers on the earth! If You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers." And you are like Moses, who said: Quran 10:88: And Mûsâ (Moses) said: "Our Lord! You have indeed bestowed on Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his chiefs splendour and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord! That they may lead men astray from Your path. Our Lord! Destroy their wealth, and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful torment." It takes some severe reshaping of the Biblical figures to make the proposal of Abu Bakr for ransom seem mild. Casting his three companions into the roles of the ancient prophets would seem deeply delusional to most. But not to Muhammad. Then Muhammad said: "You today are a single household. Let not one of them escape without paying a ransom or losing his head." If this is an attempt to imitate Jesus, Muhammad seems to have missed something. Abd Allah b. Masud said: "Except for Suhayl b. Bayda, for I heard him professing Islam." Muhammad was silent, and I do not think that I have ever been more fearful that stones would fall on me from Heaven than I was that day; but at last Muhammad repeated: "Except for Suhayl b. Bayda." Vintage Islam. If you submit to Islam and Muhammad, you avoid paying or losing your head. In respect to this, Allah revealed: Quran 8:67: It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had made a great slaughter in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allâh desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Quran 8:68: Were it not a previous ordainment from Allâh, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took. Quran 8:69: So enjoy what you have gotten of booty in war, lawful and good, and be afraid of Allâh. Certainly, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. When this was revealed, Muhammad said: "If punishment were to descend from Heaven, none would escape from it but Sad b. Muadh, because he said: "O Prophet of Allah, extensive killing is dearer to me than sparing men's lives."" The ideological outcome of Badr hardly needs further comment.

You ask, we dig

Have a question? Looking for a detail? Ask us, and we'll try to find an authentic reply for you. Write to us at Digservice, and we will do our best.

Valid CSS!

These pages are verified HTML/CSS. Internet Explorer, however, does not display the pages correctly. While we are looking for a workaround, we suggest using a better browser.
© 2007 www.realmuhammad.info. Template design by Arcsin