"Your example, O ‘Abu Bakr, is like that of ‘Ibrahim"

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

After the Muslims' victory at the Battle of Badr, they captured seventy prisoners of war. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then asked, “What do you suggest regarding these captives?” ‘Abu Bakr as-Siddiq responded, “O Messenger of Allah, they are your people and kin.

Spare them and deal kindly with them, perhaps Allah will guide them to repentance.” On the other hand, ^Umar said, “O Messenger of Allah, they expelled you and rejected your message. Bring them forward and strike their necks.” ^Abdu l-Lahibnu Rawahah added, “O Messenger of Allah, find a valley filled with firewood, place them in it, and set it alight upon them.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered without giving any response. Some people said, "He will follow's suggestion," while others said, "He will follow ^Umar's suggestion," and others said, "He will follow ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu Rawaha's suggestion." Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and said: "Indeed, Allah softens the hearts of certain men for His sake until they become softer than milk, and He hardens the hearts of certain men regarding Him until they become harder than stone. Your example, O ‘Abu Bakr, is like that of ‘Ibrahim (Abraham), who said:

﴿فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾

'Whoever follows me, he is of me; but whoever disobeys me — then indeed, You are Forgiving and Merciful' [Qur'an 14:36]. And your example, O ‘Abu Bakr, is like that of ^Isa (Jesus) who said:

﴿إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ﴾

'If You punish them — indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them — indeed it is You who is "Al-^Aziz – the Almighty, Who is never overcome –; Al-Hakim – the All-Wise, Who creates with perfect wisdom, for He knows the outcome of all things." [Qur'an 5:118].

And your example, O ^Umar, is like that of Nuh (Noah) who said:

﴿رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ دَيَّارًا﴾

'My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant' [Qur'an 71:26]. And your example, O ^Umar, is like that of Musa (Moses), who said:

﴿رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَأَهُ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَالًا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِكَ رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلَىٰ أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاشْدُدْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ﴾

' [Qur'an 10:88]." (This was said after Musa knew that Pharaoh and his soldiers would not believe.)

Then he declared: "You are in need of wealth, so none of them should be released except for a ransom or by striking their necks." ^Abdu l-Lah Ibnu Mas^ud said: "O Messenger of Allah, except for Suhayl ibnu Bayda’, for he is inclined toward Islam." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained silent. Ibnu Mas^ud recounted: "I had never felt more afraid that stones from the sky would fall upon me than on that day until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Except Suhayl ibnu Bayda’."

How the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his companions treated their prisoners

The treatment of the prisoners by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was handled in various ways:

• Some were executed.
• For others, he accepted compensation in exchange for their release.
• Some were shown clemency and released without any compensation.
• And others were required to teach ten Muslim children in exchange for their release.

The captives who the Muslims executed after the Battle of Badr were ^Uqbah ibnu ‘Abi Mu^ayt and An-Nadr ibnu l-Harith. They were both among the prominent agitators for war against Islam, and their continued existence posed a significant threat to Islam. Indeed, An-Nadr ibnu l-Harith actively harmed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and harboured enmity toward him. He had travelled to Al-Hirah, where he learned the tales of the Persian kings and the stories of Rustam and Isfandiyar. Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ held a gathering to remind the people of Allah and warn them of the divine punishments that had befallen previous nations, An-Nadr would disrupt the assembly after the Messenger left. He would boast to the Quraysh: 'O Quraysh, by Allah, I have better stories than his. Come to me, and I will tell you more captivating tales.' He would then recount stories of the Persian kings, Rustam, and Isfandiyar, challenging: 'What makes Muhammad’s stories better than mine?' After his capture, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered his execution, which was carried out by ^Aliyy ibnu ‘Abi Talib."

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ' advice on treating captives

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned to Medina, he distributed the captives among his companions and advised them, saying: “Treat the captives well.” It has been narrated by ‘Abu ^Aziz ibnu ^Umayr, the brother of Mus^ab ibnu ^Umayr, who said: “I was among the captives on the day of Badr. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Treat the captives well.’ I was with a group of the ‘Ansar, and whenever they served their lunch or dinner, they would eat dates themselves and give me wheat, following the Messenger of Allah ﷺ' advice.”

‘Abu l-^As ibnu r-Rabi^ said: "I was among a group of the ‘Ansar, may Allah reward them well. Whenever we had dinner or lunch, they would favour by offering me bread, while they ate dates, as their bread was scarce and their dates were their main sustenance. So much so that if a man held a piece of bread, he would pass it to me. Al-Walid ibnu l-Walid ibnu l-Mughirah recounted a similar experience, adding: "They would carry us while they walked on foot."

Subsequently, Quraysh approached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to negotiate the ransom for their captives. Each tribe ransomed their captive according to what they deemed appropriate. However, some of the captives from the Battle of Badr had no means of ransom. Therefore, the Messenger ﷺ decreed that their ransom would be to teach the children of the ‘Ansar how to write. As a result, the captives began instructing the boys of Medina in reading and writing, and any captive who taught ten boys would secure his own release.

Following: (Episode 10) Not merely a military defeat for Quraysh, but also a significant moral blow