SURAH (47) MUHAMMAD (AYA 1 to 10)
Sura (47) MUHAMMAD (The Prophet Muhammad) Aya 1 to 38 in 4 Sections
Revealed at Madina
SECTION 1
Belief in the Apostle Muhammad removes the evil
The deeds of those who disbelieve and obstruct others from belief, are
annulled---Those who do believe in the Apostle Muhammad and do good, get their
evils wiped out---ALLAH (SWT) will help those who help His cause---ALLAH (SWT)
is the Guidance of the believers and they shall not be any guidance for the
disbelievers.
الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
أَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ {47:1}
[Q47:1] Allazeena kafaroo wa saddoo'an
sabeeliL Laahi adalla a'maalahum.
[Q47:1] (As for) those who disbelieve and turn away from ALLAH (SWT)'s way, He shall render their works ineffective.
[Q47:1] (As for) those who disbelieve and turn away from ALLAH (SWT)'s way, He shall render their works ineffective.
[Q47:1] Orang-orang yang kafir serta
menghalangi (dirinya dan orang lain) dari jalan ALLAH (SwT), ALLAH (SwT)
sia-siakan segala amal mereka.
GOOD DEEDS WITHOUT SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF ALLAH
(SWT) (ISLAM) WILL BE RENDERED NULL AND VOID ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. TOTAL SUBMISSION IMPLIES OBEDIENCE TO ALL
COMMANDS OF ALLAH (SWT) AND THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad).
In addition to
the disbelievers, those also who came in the fold of Islam and
worshipped ALLAH (SWT) in the manner and style shown to them by the HOLY
PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)
concerning salat, sawm, zakat, hajj
etcetera, BUT went against the commands of
ALLAH (SWT) and the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) by not
accepting the wilayah and imamah of Ali ibne Abi Talib in
order to establish a social order contrary to the principles laid down in the
Qur’an, are not
entitled to receive the reward of their deeds.
In view of the deviation from and violation of the final and
decisive settlement of the vicergency of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), to be strictly followed by his followers after him, covenanted at Ghadir Khum (see commentary of Ma-idah 5:67), they have forfeited the right to be
called true Muslims. This deviation led to harassment, persecution and
murder of the children of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).
As stated above total submission to the will of ALLAH (SWT) implies
belief in [1} His oneness (tawhid), in [2} His book and in [3} His messenger. A
TRUE BELIEVER ACCEPTS AS TRUE EVERY VERSE REVEALED TO THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD), OTHERWISE HE WILL BE IN THE POSITION OF A DISBELIEVER. THEREFORE
THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE DECLARATION MADE BY THE HOLY
PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI
MUHAMMAD) AT GHADIR KHUM WHEN VERSE 67 OF AL MA-IDAH (5) WAS REVEALED TO HIM. WITHOUT
THE BELIEF IN ALI'S WILAYAH AND IMAMAH, THE FAITH IS NEITHER COMPLETE NOR WILL
IT BE ACCEPTED ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
Å The repeated reference to the belief in the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) excludes the people of the book (Jews and Christians) from "the believers", though
they may believe in ALLAH (SWT) BECAUSE they do not believe in the final
revelation (the Qur’an) revealed to the last messenger of ALLAH (SWT), the HOLY
PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).
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(47:1) Allah has caused the works of those who
disbelieve *1 and hinder people from the way of Allah *2 to
go to waste. *3
*1 "Those
who disbelieved": Those who refused to accept the teachings and guidance
presented 'by Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings).
*2 The verb sadd (from which saddu of the original is derived) is used both as a transitive and as an intransitive verb in Arabic. Therefore, the sentence would mean "they themselves refrained from adopting Allah's Way" as well as they prevented others from adopting this way." There are several ways of preventing others from adopting Allah's Way: (1) That one should forcibly prevent another from believing; (2) that one should so persecute the believers that it should become difficult for them to remain steadfast on the Faith and for others to embrace the Faith in view of the dreadful conditions; (3) that one should mislead the people against the Religion and its followers in different ways and create doubts in the hearts so that the people may become suspicious of the Religion itself. Besides, every disbeliever prevents others from the way of Allah in the sense that he brings up his children on the way of disbelief, and then it becomes difficult for his future generation to give up the ancestral faith and accept Islam. Likewise, every unbelieving society is an obstruction to the Way of AIlah, for it creates obstacles in the way of the progress of the Faith by its system of education and training, its government and its customs and prejudices.
*3 The words adalla a 'mala-hum (led their deeds astray, Iet them go to waste) are very comprehensive in meaning. Their one meaning is: AIIah deprived them of the grace that their efforts and their labours should be spent in the right way: now, whatever they do, they will do that for wrong aims and objects in wrong ways: aII their endeavors will be directed to the way of error and deviation - instead of guidance. Their second meaning is: The works that they have been performing as pious deeds, e.g. guardianship of the Ka'bah, entertaining the guests, treating the kindred well, and such other works, which are counted among religious services and noble actions morally, were rendered fruitless by AIIah; they will get no reward for them, for when they refuse to accept Tauhid and to adopt the way of Allah's service and worship and stop others also from adopting Islam none of their works can be acceptable to Allah. The third meaning is AIIah rendered fruitless an$ vain the efforts they were making to obstruct the way of the Truth and to keep their creed of disbelief alive in Arabia as against the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings): all their designs and endeavours now are aimless: they will never attain their goals by these designs.
*2 The verb sadd (from which saddu of the original is derived) is used both as a transitive and as an intransitive verb in Arabic. Therefore, the sentence would mean "they themselves refrained from adopting Allah's Way" as well as they prevented others from adopting this way." There are several ways of preventing others from adopting Allah's Way: (1) That one should forcibly prevent another from believing; (2) that one should so persecute the believers that it should become difficult for them to remain steadfast on the Faith and for others to embrace the Faith in view of the dreadful conditions; (3) that one should mislead the people against the Religion and its followers in different ways and create doubts in the hearts so that the people may become suspicious of the Religion itself. Besides, every disbeliever prevents others from the way of Allah in the sense that he brings up his children on the way of disbelief, and then it becomes difficult for his future generation to give up the ancestral faith and accept Islam. Likewise, every unbelieving society is an obstruction to the Way of AIlah, for it creates obstacles in the way of the progress of the Faith by its system of education and training, its government and its customs and prejudices.
*3 The words adalla a 'mala-hum (led their deeds astray, Iet them go to waste) are very comprehensive in meaning. Their one meaning is: AIIah deprived them of the grace that their efforts and their labours should be spent in the right way: now, whatever they do, they will do that for wrong aims and objects in wrong ways: aII their endeavors will be directed to the way of error and deviation - instead of guidance. Their second meaning is: The works that they have been performing as pious deeds, e.g. guardianship of the Ka'bah, entertaining the guests, treating the kindred well, and such other works, which are counted among religious services and noble actions morally, were rendered fruitless by AIIah; they will get no reward for them, for when they refuse to accept Tauhid and to adopt the way of Allah's service and worship and stop others also from adopting Islam none of their works can be acceptable to Allah. The third meaning is AIIah rendered fruitless an$ vain the efforts they were making to obstruct the way of the Truth and to keep their creed of disbelief alive in Arabia as against the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings): all their designs and endeavours now are aimless: they will never attain their goals by these designs.
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
وَآمَنُوا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۙ
كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ {47:2}
[Q47:2] Wallazeena
aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati wa aamanoo bimaa nuzzila 'alaa Muhammadinw-wa
huwal haqqu mir Rabbihim kaffara 'anhum saiyiaatihim wa aslaha baalahum.
[Q47:2] And (as for) those who believe and do good, and believe in what has been revealed to Muhammad, and it is the very truth from their Lord, He will remove their evil from them and improve their condition.
[Q47:2] And (as for) those who believe and do good, and believe in what has been revealed to Muhammad, and it is the very truth from their Lord, He will remove their evil from them and improve their condition.
[Q47:2] Dan (sebaliknya) orang-orang
yang beriman dan mengerjakan amal yang soleh serta beriman kepada Al-Quran yang
diturunkan kepada Nabi Muhammad s.a.w yang ialah kebenaran dari Tuhan mereka, ALLAH
(SwT) mengampunkan dosa-dosa mereka dan menjayakan keadaan mereka (di dunia dan
di akhirat).
BELIEF IN ALLAH (SWT) necessarily
includes [1] the belief in His Word, i.e., the Holy Qur’an,
AND [2] the belief in
what was sent down to the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) WOULD MEAN SOMETHING PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT AND DIFFERENT
FROM THE GENERAL REVELATIONS. A reference to this special revelation is
found in verse 5:67 under which the HOLY
PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) declared Ali to be the ‘Maula’ or the
Master or the Lord of the Believers.
THUS THIS VERSE WOULD MEAN [1] that
those who believe in ALLAH (SWT), [2] in the Holy
Qur’an, [3] and do good deeds, in addition to all those who believe (i.e., abide by what was
declared by the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) under the special revelation of verse 5:67) i.e., in the Imamat of Ali which is the truth, WHATEVER
EVIL THEY WOULD HAVE WROUGHT IN THEIR PAST LIFE, WOULD BE WIPED OUT OF THE
RECORDS OF THEIR DEEDS.
IT MUST BE REMEMBERED
THAT IT WAS ONLY AT THE DECLARATION OF ALI AS THE SUCCEEDING MASTER OR THE
LORD OF THE BELIEVERS, IN PLACE OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA
SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD), THAT THE RELIGION
ISLAM WAS DECREED TO HAVE BEEN PERFECTED. THUS WITHOUT THE BELIEF IN ALI’S SUCCESSION TO THE HOLY PROPHET
(ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD), THE FAITH IS NEITHER COMPLETE
NOR WOULD IT BE ACCEPTABLE.
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(47:2) As for those who attained to faith and did
righteous works and believed in what was revealed to Muhammad *4 –
which indeed is the Truth from their Lord *5 – Allah has remitted their evil
deeds and has set their condition right. *6
*4 Although
after saying alladhina amanu (those who believed) there was no need to say wa amanu bi-ma nuzzila 'ala Muhammed-in (and
accepted that which has been sent down to Muhammad), for belief by itself
implies believing in the Holy Prophet Muhammad and in the teachings sent down
to him, YET MAKING A SEPARATE MENTION of it is PARTICULARLY MEANT TO
ASSERT this: After the appointment of
Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) to Prophethood, a person's
belief in Allah and the Hereafter and the former Messengers and the Books
cannot be beneficial until he also believes in him and the teachings brought
by him. This explanation was necessary because after the emigration,
the Muslims had also to deal with those people, who recognized and accepted all
the requirements of the Faith but refused to acknowledge and accept the
Prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and
blessings).
*5 This has two meanings: (l) That Allah wiped off from their record all those sins which they had happened to commit in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance: now, they will not at alI be held accountable for them; and (2) that Allah removed from them the evils of creed, thought, morals and action in which they were involved. Now their minds were changed; their creed and ideas were changed; now there was faith in their hearts instead of ignorance and righteous acts instead of the immoral evil.
*6 This also has two meanings: (1) That Allah changed their previous condition and put them on the right path and improved and bettered their lives for them; and (2) that AIlah has taken them out of the condition of weakness and helplessness and oppression in which they were placed till then; now He has created for them such conditions in which instead of being persecuted they will defend themselves against the oppressors; instead of living as subjects, they will now live and order their lives as free people, and will have the upper hand instead of being subdued and suppressed.
*5 This has two meanings: (l) That Allah wiped off from their record all those sins which they had happened to commit in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance: now, they will not at alI be held accountable for them; and (2) that Allah removed from them the evils of creed, thought, morals and action in which they were involved. Now their minds were changed; their creed and ideas were changed; now there was faith in their hearts instead of ignorance and righteous acts instead of the immoral evil.
*6 This also has two meanings: (1) That Allah changed their previous condition and put them on the right path and improved and bettered their lives for them; and (2) that AIlah has taken them out of the condition of weakness and helplessness and oppression in which they were placed till then; now He has created for them such conditions in which instead of being persecuted they will defend themselves against the oppressors; instead of living as subjects, they will now live and order their lives as free people, and will have the upper hand instead of being subdued and suppressed.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اتَّبَعُوا
الْبَاطِلَ وَأَنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْحَقَّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ
كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ أَمْثَالَهُمْ {47:3}
[Q47:3] Zaalika
bi annal lazeena kafarut taba'ul baatila wa annal lazeena aamanut taba'ul haqqa
mir Rabbihim; kazaalika yadribuL Laahu linnaasi amsaalahum.
[Q47:3] That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood, and those who believe follow the truth from their Lord; thus does ALLAH (SWT) set forth to men their examples.
[Q47:3] That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood, and those who believe follow the truth from their Lord; thus does ALLAH (SWT) set forth to men their examples.
[Q47:3] Berlakunya yang demikian,
kerana sesungguhnya orang-orang yang kafir menurut perkara yang salah dan
sesungguhnya orang-orang yang beriman menurut perkara yang benar dari Tuhan
mereka. Demikianlah ALLAH (SwT) menerangkan kepada umat manusia akan sifat dan
akibat bawaan mereka masing-masing.
(see commentary for verse 1)
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(47:3) That is because those who disbelieved followed
falsehood whereas those who believed followed the Truth that came to them from
their Lord. Thus does Allah set forth to people parables showing their true
state. *7
*7 That
is, "He makes both the parties aware of their positions. One party insists
on following falsehood; therefore, Allah has brought all its endeavors to
naught: and the other party has adopted obedience of the Truth; therefore,
AIIah has purified it of its evils and corrected its condition."
فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ
الرِّقَابِ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا
بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّىٰ تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَوْ
يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لَانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ ۗ
وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ{47:4}
[Q47:4] Fa-izaa
laqeetumul lazeena kafaroo fadarbar riqaab, hattaaa izaa askhan tumoohum
fashuddul wasaaq, fa immaa mannnam ba'du wa immaa fidaaa'an hattaa tada'al
harbu awzaarahaa; zaalika wa law yashaaa'uL Laahu lantasara minhum wa laakil
laiyabluwa ba'dakum biba'd; wallazeena qutiloo fee sabeeliL Laahi falany
yudilla ‘a’maalahum.
[Q47:4] So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates. That (shall be so); and if ALLAH (SWT) had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others; and (as for) those who are slain in the way of ALLAH (SWT) , He will by no means allow their deeds to perish.
[Q47:4] So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates. That (shall be so); and if ALLAH (SWT) had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others; and (as for) those who are slain in the way of ALLAH (SWT) , He will by no means allow their deeds to perish.
[Q47:4] Dengan yang demikian, apabila
kamu berjuang menentang orang-orang kafir (dalam peperangan jihad) maka
pancunglah lehernya, sehingga apabila kamu dapat membunuh mereka dengan
banyaknya (serta mengalahkannya) maka tawanlah (mana-mana yang hidup) dan
ikatlah mereka dengan kukuhnya. Setelah selesai pertempuran itu maka
(terserahlah kepada kamu) samada hendak memberi kebebasan (kepada orang-orang
tawanan itu dengan tiada sebarang penebusnya) atau membebaskan mereka dengan mengambil
penebusnya. (Bertindaklah demikian terhadap golongan kafir yang menceroboh)
sehinggalah berakhir peperangan jihad itu (dan lenyaplah sebab-sebab yang
memimbulkannya). Demikianlah (diperintahkan kamu melakukannya) dan sekiranya ALLAH
(SwT) menghendaki, tentulah Dia membinasakan mereka (dengan tidak payah kamu
memeranginya); tetapi Dia (perintahkan kamu berbuat demikian) kerana hendak
menguji kesabaran kamu menentang golongan yang kufur ingkar (yang mencerobohi
kamu) dan orang-orang yang telah berjuang serta gugur syahid pada jalan ALLAH
(SwT) (mempertahankan agamanya), maka ALLAH (SwT) tidak sekali kali akan
mensia-siakan amal-amal mereka.
THIS VERSE COMMANDS EVERY BELIEVER TO KILL
OR BE KILLED WHEN HE FIGHTS DISBELIEVERS. If slain the rewards from ALLAH (SWT)
are many.
» According to Baqarah 2:154 and Ali Imran
3:169 to 171 the martyrs are
not dead, they are alive, getting sustenance from ALLAH (SWT), rejoicing in the
grace and mercy of ALLAH (SWT); and
» Hajj 22:58 and 59 say
that they occupy the highest position near ALLAH (SWT).
If the believer prevails over the
enemies of ALLAH (SWT), he destroys the power base of evil, disorder and
corruption.
µ
Those WHO DESERTED the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad
wa ala ali Muhammad) in the battles of Uhad and Hunayn (see commentary of Bara-at 9:25 to 27
and other references mentioned therein) AND RAN AWAY to save their lives
must be
identified and condemned in view of this verse.
THE ORDINANCE
TO KILL THE DISBELIEVERS IS APPLICABLE WHEN THEY LAUNCH AN ATTACK ON THE
BELIEVERS, NOT WHEN THEY HAVE SURRENDERED. Islam prescribes effective defense in the
event of an unprovoked aggression. Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:190
to 193.
v When once the enemy is brought under control,
*The release of prisoners with
or without ransom is recommended.
*The slaughter of captives
was never allowed by Islam.
v How a believer deals with the captives is a test.
*Some
take ransom,
*Some
let them go for the sake of ALLAH (SWT); and
*Some
take care of them, shelter them and feed them with no strings attached.
EVERY
DEFENSIVE EXPEDITION WAS SENT BY THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI
MUHAMMAD), UNDER
THE COMMAND OF ALI AND EVERY TIME ALI WAS VICTORIOUS. The HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), could not have brought only defeat to the cause
the of ALLAH (SWT), and death and destruction of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) about his Ahlul Bayt and the Holy Qur’an, been
adhered to, the Muslims must never have been divided into groups nor the Holy
Ahlul Bayt would have been subjected to the miseries they suffered nor the
tragedy to the wholesome massacre at Karbala would have been enacted. The ordinance
refers to the action when the enemy attacks AND
not when the enemy surrenders. There is a
wishful thinking of some, about the suggestions given in this verse about the
captives, that it was the suggestions of a companion which raises his
position even above that of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala
Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and will mean ALLAH (SWT) lacks the wisdom of men. (Refer to ‘Fiqh’)
Å THIS VERSE BEARS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE THAT IN
NO STAGE THE KILLING OF CAPTIVES WAS EVER APPROVED BY ISLAM. Hence narration contradicting this is spurious.
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(47:4) When
you meet the unbelievers (in battle), smite their necks until you have crushed
them, then bind your captives firmly; thereafter (you are entitled to) set them
free, either by an act of grace, or against ransom, until the war ends. *8 That
is for you to do. If Allah had so willed, He would have Himself exacted
retribution from them. (But He did not do so) that He may test some of you by
means of others. *9 As
for those who are slain in the way of Allah, He shall never let their works go
to waste. *10
*8 The
words of this verse as well as the context in which it occurs clearly show that
it was sent down after the revelation of the command for fighting and before
the actual fighting began. The words, "When you meet the disbelievers in
the battlefield ...",indicate that the fighting has not yet taken place and
the Muslims are being instructed that when it does take place, what they should
do. The words of verse 20 below testify that this Surah was sent down at a
time when the command for fighting had already been given in Surah AI-Hajj: 39
and AI-Baqarah: 190, and the hypocrites of Madinah and the people of the weak
faith had been so upset that it seemed as if they were actually facing
death.
Besides, vv. 67-69 of the Surah AI-Anfal also testify that this verse had been sent down before the Battle of Badr. There it has been said: "lt does not behove a Prophet to have captives until he has crushed down the enemies in the land. You desire the gains of this world, but Allah desires the Hereafter, and Allah is All-Powerful, All-Wise. Had not a decree already been issued by AIlah, you would have incurred a severe chastisement in consequence of what you have done. So eat of what you have taken as spoils because it is lawful and pure."
A careful study of this passage, especially of its italicized portions, shows that what had displeased AIIah on this occasion was that before crushing down the enemy completely in the Battle of Badr, the Muslims had started taking the enemy soldiers as captives, whereas the instruction given them in Surah Muhammad before the actual fighting was this: "When you have crushed them completely, then bind the captives tight. " However, as the Muslims had been permitted, among other things in Surah Muhammad, to accept ransom from the prisoners, AIIah declared the money taken from the captives of Badr as lawful and did not punish them for that. The words "Had not the decree already been issued by AIIah." are clearly pointing to the fact that the command for permission to accept ransom had already been given in the Qur'an before this event, and obviously, there is no other verse in the Qur'an beside this verse of Surah Muhammad, which contains this command. Therefore, it will have to be admitted that this verse had been sent down before the above-cited verse of the Surah AI-Anfal. (For explanation, see E. N 49 on AI-Anfal).
This is the first verse of the Qur'an in which preliminary instructions have been given about the laws of war. Below is given a resume of the injunctions that are derived from this verse and the Holy Prophet's and his Companions' practice according to it and the juristic inferences as based on this verse and the Sunnah: (1) The real aim of the Muslim army in war is to break the fighting power of the enemy till it is crushed and the war lays down its arms. Under no circumstances, should the Muslim's lose sight of this aim and start taking the enemy soldiers as captives. Captives should be taken after the enemy has been completely crushed and its numbers thinned down. The Arabs have been so instructed at the outset lest in the greed for ransom and taking slaves they should forget and overlook the real aim of the war. (2) About the prisoners taken in war it has been said: "You have the option whether you show them favour or accept ransom from them." This gives the general law that the prisoners of war should not be put to death. Hadrat `Abdullah bin `Umar, Hasan Basri, `Ata' and Hammad bin Abi Sulaiman favour this view, which is quite valid. They say that a man can be killed only during the war. When the war is over and one has been made a prisoner, it is not lawful to kill him, Ibn Jarir and Abu Bakr alJassas have related that Hajjaj; bin Yusuf handed over one of the prisoners of war to Hadrat `Abdullah bin `Umar and commanded him to put him to death. He refused to obey and cited this verse and said: "We are not allowed to kill a man when he is a prisoner." Imam Muhammad in As-SiyaT al-Kabir also has rcelated that `Abdullah bin 'Amir had commanded Hadrat `Abdullah bin `Umar to kill a prisoner of war, and he had refused to obey the command for this reason. (3) But since in this verse it has neither been clearly forbidden to kill the prisoner the -Holy Prophet understood this intention of Allah's Command, and also acted accordingly, that if there was a special reason for which the ruler of an Islamic government regarded it as necessary to kill a particular prisoner (or prisoners), he could do so. This is not the general law, but an exception to it, which would be applied only when necessary. Thus, the Holy Prophet put to death only `Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ait and Nadr bin al-Harith from among the 70 prisoners taken at Badr, and only the poet Abu `Azzah from the prisoners taken at Uhud. Since the Bani Quraizah had surrendered on the condition that they would accept whatever decision Hadrat Sa`d bin Mu'adh would give in their regard, and he had decreed that all the males of the Quraizah should be killed, the Holy Prophet had them executed. From among the prisoners taken at Khaiber only Kinanah bin Abi al-Huqaiq was put to death because of his violating the agreement. At the conquest of Makkah, the Holy Prophet commanded in respect of only a few particular persons from among all the inhabitants of Makkah that any one of them who was captured should be put to death. Apart from these exceptions, the Holy Prophet never killed prisoners of war, and the same also continued to be the practice of the righteous Caliphs. During their times also killing of prisoners of war was rare, which was resorted to only for a special reason. Hadrat, `Umar bin `Abdul `Aziz also during his caliphate put to death only one prisoner of war for the reason that he had persecuted the Muslims very cruelly. On this very basis the majority of the jurists have held the view that the Islamic government can put a prisoner to death if necessary. But it is for the government to take such a decision; every soldier is not permitted to kill any prisoner he likes. However, if there is the danger of a prisoner's running away or of his committing a dangerous mischief, the guard can kill him. In this connection, the jurists of Islam have also made three other points: (a) That if a prisoner accepts Islam, he cannot be killed; (b) that the prisoner can be killed only as long as he is in the government's custody; if he has been allotted to, or given in somebody else's possession by sale, he cannot be killed; and (c) that if the prisoner has to be killed, he should be killed in a straightforward way; he should not be tortured to death (4) The general command that has been given about the prisoners of war is: "Show them favour, or accept ransom from them. "
FAVOR includes four things: (a) That they should be treated well as prisoners; (b) that instead of killing them or keeping them in captivity for lifetime, they should be handed over to the individual Muslims as slaves; (c) that they should be put under jizyah and trade dhimmis; and (d) that they should be set free without ransom.
There are three ways of RANSOMing them: (a) That they should be set free on payment of a ransom; (b) that they should be set free after taking some special service from them; and (c) that they should be exchanged for the Muslim prisoners of war who are in the possession of the enemy.
The Holy Prophet and the Companions at different times acted in one or the other way as the occasion demanded. The Divine Law has not bound the Islamic government to act in only one particular way. The government can take any action it deems appropriate on a particular occasion. (5) The practice of the Holy Prophet and the Companions confirms that as long as a prisoner of war is in the government's custody, the government will be responsible for his food and clothing, and his treatment if he is ill or wounded. Islamic Law does not permit prisoners to be kept without food or clothing, or be subjected to torture. On the contrary, instructions also have been given to treat them well and generously, and precedents of this very practice are found in the Sunnah. The Holy Prophet distributed the prisoners of Badr in the houses of different Companions and gave the instruction: "Teat these prisoners well." One of those prisoners, Abu 'Aziz, has reported: "The Ansar Muslims, in whose house I was kept, gave me bread morning and evening, but as for themselves they had only dates to eat." About another prisoner; Suhail bin 'Amr, the Holy Prophet was told: "He is a fiery speaker, and has been making speeches against you: please have his teeth broken. "The Holy Prophet replied: "If I have his teeth broken, AIlah will break my teeth, although I am a Prophet." (Ibn Hisham). When Thumamah bin Uthal, the chief of Yamamah, was brought as a prisoner, he was provided with good food and milk on the Holy Prophet's orders as long as he remained a captive. (Ibn Hisham). The same was the practice in the time of the Companions. No precedent is found when a prisoner might have been mistreated in their time. (6) Islam has not permitted that the prisoners be kept in captivity for ever so that the government may subject them to forced labour as long as it likes. If they are not exchanged for other prisoners of war, or ransomed, the method enjoined of doing them favour is that they should be made slaves and given in possession of individuals, and their masters instructed to treat them well This method was acted upon during the time of the Holy Prophet as well as of the Companions, and the jurists of Islam have unanimously upheld it as permissible. In this regard, it should be borne in mind that a person who might have accepted Islam before being taken as prisoner, and then is somehow made a prisoner, will be set free, but the acceptance of Islam by a person who accepts it after being taken prisoner, or after being given in possession of somebody, will not gain him freedom automatically. A tradition has been related in Musnad Ahmad. Muslim and Tirmidhi on the authority of Hadrat `Imran bin Husain that a person from among the Bani 'Uqail was brought as a prisoner and he said: "I have accepted Islam." Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: "If you had said this when you were free, you would certainly have attained to success. The same thing was said by Hadrat `Umar: "When a prisoner becomes a Muslim after falling into the hands of the Muslims as a captive, he will not be killed, but will remain a slave." Oh this very point the jurists of Islam have unanimously ruled that the prisoner who becomes a Muslim after being taken captive cannot escape slavery. (Imam Muhammad, As-Siyar al-Kabir). And this also is quite reasonable. If our law had been that anyone who embraced Islam after being taken a captive, would be set free, no prisoner would be so foolish as not to win his freedom by pronouncing the Kalimah. (7) The third manner of doing favor with the prisoners according to the Law of Islam is that they may be put under jizyah and made dhimmi subjects of the Islamic state and allowed to live as free citizens of dar a/Islam (abode of Islam) just like the Muslims. Imam Muhammad writes in his As-Siyar a/-Kabir: "Any person who can be made a slave, can also be made a dhimmi and put under jizyah. ° At another place he says: "The ruler of the Muslims has the right to levy jizyah on than and a tax on their lands and set than absolutely free." This method has been practised generally in the condition when the territory of the people who have been made prisoners, is' conquered and annexed to the Islamic state. The Holy Prophet, for instance, practiced this method in the case of the people of Khaiber, and then Hadrat `Umar followed and practiced it extensively on the conquest of `Iraq and other territories. Abu `Ubaid writes in his Kitab al-Amwal: "After the conquest of `Iraq a deputation of the leading men of that country came before Hadrat `Umar and submitted: `O Commander of the Faithful, before this the people of Iran had subdued us: they subjected us to harsh treatment and committed all sorts of excesses against us. Then, when God sent you, we became very pleased, and we neither put up any resistance against you nor participated in the war. Now, we hear that you want to make us slaves.' Hadrat `Umar replied: `You have the option either to become Muslims, or accept to pay jizyah and remain free.' They agreed to pay the jizyah and they were granted full freedom. "At another place in the same book. Abu `Ubaid says: Hadrat `Umar wrote to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari: Set free every farmer and peasant from among the people who have been captured in the war."
(8) The fourth favour is that the prisoner be set free without ransom. This is a special concession that the Islamic government can give only in case the special conditions of a prisoner demand it, or when it is expected that the concession will win the prisoner's gratitude for ever, and help turn him a friend from an enemy, or a believer from a disbeliever; otherwise, obviously it would in no way be a wise thing to set free a person of the enemy camp, who could again return to fight the Muslims. This is why the Muslim jurists generally have opposed it, and imposed the condition: "If the ruler of the Muslims finds it expedient to set the prisoners, or some of them, free as a favour, there is no harm in doing so." (As-SiyaT al-Kabir). Many precedents of this are found in the time of the Holy Prophet, and in almost every case expediency seems to be the reason.
About the prisoners taken at Badr, he said: "If Mut'im bin `Adi were alive, and had spoken to me in respect of these treacherous people, I would have Iet them go for his sake." (Bukhari, Abu Da'ud, Musnad Ahmad). The Holy Prophet said this because when he had returned from Ta'if to Makkah, Mut'im at that time had given him refuge, and his armed sons had escorted him to the Ka`bah. Therefore, he wanted to repay his debt of gratitude in this way.
According to Bukhari, Muslim and Musnad Ahmad, when Thumamah bin Uthal, the chief of Yamamah, was brought as « prisnoner, the Holy Prophet asked him: "Thumamah, what do you say?" He replied: "If I am killed, then such a one would be killed, whose blood has some value: if I am shown favour, then favour would be shown to a person, who appreciates favour; and if you want wealth, ask for it, you will be given it." For three days the Holy Prophet asked him the same thing and he gave the same reply. At last, the Holy Prophet ordered that Thumamah be set free. On attaining freedom, he went to a nearby oasis, washed himself and came back, pronounced the kalimah and became a Muslim, saying: Before this day nobody was more detestable than you and no religion more odious than your religion in my sight, but now for me no man is more lovable than you and no religion more lovable than your religion." Then he went to Makkah for 'Umrah and gave the people of Quraish a notice to the effect: "After this no grain will reach you from Yamamah unless Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) permits it." So, he stopped the grain supply and the people of Makkah had to request the Holy Prophet that he should not stop the supply of grain for them from Yamamah.
From among the prisoners of the Bani Quraizah, the Holy Prophet forgave Zabir bin Bata and 'Amr bin Sa'd (or Ibn Su'da), the former because he had given refuge to Hadrat Thabit bin Qais Ansari in the Battle of Bu'ath, in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance; therefore, he handed him over to Hadrat Thabit that he may repay him for his favour. And he forgave 'Amr bin Sa`d because it was he who was exhorting his tribe not to be treacherous when the Bani Quraizah were committing breach of the trust with the Holy Prophet.
After the Battle of Bani al-Mustaliq, when the prisoners were brought and distributed among the people, the Holy Prophet paid Hadrat Juwairiyah's ransom to the person to whom she was allotted to secure her freedom and then married her himself. At this aII the Muslims set their own prisoners free, saying: "Now they have become the Holy Prophet's relatives." Thus, the prisoners of a hundred families became free. (Musnad Ahmad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa`d, Ibn Hisham).
On the occasion of the treaty of Hudaibiyah, at about dawn, 80 men came from the direction of Tan'im with the intention of launching a sudden attack on the Muslim camp, but were all captured, and the Holy Prophet set aII of them free lest it became a cause of war on that critical occasion. (Muslim, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad).
At the conquest of Makkah, the Holy Prophet forgave aII the people of Makkah except only a few men, and did not kill more than three or four of even those who had been made an exception. The whole of Arabia was well aware of what atrocities the people of Makkah had committed against the Holy Prophet and the Muslims; yet the large-heartedness with which he forgave them after attaining complete victory over them, gave the Arabs the satisfaction that they had not been overpowered by a tyrant but by a merciful, affectionate and generous leader. That is why after the conquest of Makkah the Arabian Peninsula did not take longer than two years to be completely subdued.
After the Battle of Hunain, when the Hawazin deputation came to secure the freedom of their prisoners, the prisoners had already been distributed. The Holy Prophet called the Muslims together and said: "These people have come with repentance, and I am of the opinion that their men should be rearmed to them. The one who would like to set the prisoner allotted to him free willingly without ransom, should set him free, and the one who would like to take ransom, shall be paid it out of the first income that is received in the Public Treasury." Thus, six thousand prisoners were set free, and those who wanted to take ransom, were given it by the government. (Bukhari, Abu Da'ud, Musnad Ahmad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd). This also shows that the government is not authorised to set the prisoners free after they have been distributed; this can be done by the willing approval of those in whose possession the prisoners have been given, or by paying them the ransom.
After the Holy Prophet, precedents of setting the prisoners free as a favour continue to be found throughout the period of the Companions also. Hadrat Abu Bakr set fret Ash'ath bin Qais al-Kindi and Hadrat 'Umar granted freedom to Hurmuzan and the prisoners of Manadhir and Maisan. (Abu 'Ubaid, Kitab alAmwal). (9) The precedent of setting the prisoners free on payment of the ransom in the time of the Holy Prophet is found only on the occasion of Badr, when the prisoners were set free on payment of one thousand to four thousand dirhams each. (Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Amwal). No precedent of this is found in the time of the Companions; and the jurists of Islam have generally disapproved it, for it means that we should take money and set a man free so that he may again rise against us with the sword. But since taking of ransom has been permitted in the Qur'an, and the Holy Prophet also acted according to it once, it is not absoluutely forbidden. Imam Muhammad writes in his As-Siyar al-Kabir that if the need arises the Muslims can free their prisoners on payment of the ransom. (10) The criterion of freeing a prisoner for a service rendered is also found in connection with the Battle .of Badr. For those of the Quraish prisoners who had no ransom the Holy Prophet imposed the condition that they should teach reading and writing to ten Ansar children each to win their freedom. (Musnad Ahmad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa`d, Kitab al-Amwal. (11) Several instances of the exchange of prisoners are found in the time of the Holy Prophet. Once he dispatched Hadrat Abu Bakr on an expedition and he brought some captives, including a beautiful woman, who fell to the lot of Hadrat Salamah bin Akwa'. The Holy Prophet urged him to give her back, then sent her to Makkah and had several ' Muslim prisoners released, in exchange for her. (Muslim, Abu Da'ud, Tahawi Kitab al-Amwal of Abi `Ubaid, Tabaqat Ibn Sa`d). Hadrat 'Imran bin Husain relates that once the tribe of Thaqif arrested two men of the Muslims. Some time later, a man of the Bani 'Uqail, who were allies of the Thaqif, was arrested by the Muslims. The Holy Prophet sent him to Ta'if and got both the Muslims released in exchange for him. (Muslim, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad). From among the jurists Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad, Imam Shafe`i, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad hold the exchange of the prisoners as permissible. A ruling of Imam Abu Hanifah is that exchange should not be practised, but according to another ruling of his exchange can be practised. However, there is a consensus that the prisoner who becomes a Muslim should not be handed over to the disbelievers for the purpose of exchange. This explanation makes it abundantly clear that Islam has fomulated a comprehensive code in respect of the prisoners of war, which contains provision for this problem in every age under aII sorts of conditions. Those people who take this Qur'anic verse in its simple meaning that the prisoners of war should "either be shown favour and set free or freed for ransom", do not know what different aspects the question of the , prisoners of war has, and what problems it has been creating in different ages and can create in the future.
*9 That is, "If Allah had only wanted to crush the worshippers of falsehood, He did not stand in need of your help for this. He could have done this through an earthquake or a tempest in no time, But what he wills is that the followers of the Truth among the people should enter into a confict with the. worshippers of falsehood and fight them so that the qualities and characteristics of each are brought out clearly by means of the test and each is given the place and rank that he deserves according to his conduct. "
*10 It means this: "A person's being slain in the way of Allah dces not mean that he lost his life and as far as his person was concerned all his lifework was wasted. It is wrong to think that the sacrifices of the martyrs are not beneficial for themselves but only for those who live after them in the world, and take advantage of their sacrifices. The fact is that even for the martyrs themselves it is a bargain of profit, not of loss at alI "
Besides, vv. 67-69 of the Surah AI-Anfal also testify that this verse had been sent down before the Battle of Badr. There it has been said: "lt does not behove a Prophet to have captives until he has crushed down the enemies in the land. You desire the gains of this world, but Allah desires the Hereafter, and Allah is All-Powerful, All-Wise. Had not a decree already been issued by AIlah, you would have incurred a severe chastisement in consequence of what you have done. So eat of what you have taken as spoils because it is lawful and pure."
A careful study of this passage, especially of its italicized portions, shows that what had displeased AIIah on this occasion was that before crushing down the enemy completely in the Battle of Badr, the Muslims had started taking the enemy soldiers as captives, whereas the instruction given them in Surah Muhammad before the actual fighting was this: "When you have crushed them completely, then bind the captives tight. " However, as the Muslims had been permitted, among other things in Surah Muhammad, to accept ransom from the prisoners, AIIah declared the money taken from the captives of Badr as lawful and did not punish them for that. The words "Had not the decree already been issued by AIIah." are clearly pointing to the fact that the command for permission to accept ransom had already been given in the Qur'an before this event, and obviously, there is no other verse in the Qur'an beside this verse of Surah Muhammad, which contains this command. Therefore, it will have to be admitted that this verse had been sent down before the above-cited verse of the Surah AI-Anfal. (For explanation, see E. N 49 on AI-Anfal).
This is the first verse of the Qur'an in which preliminary instructions have been given about the laws of war. Below is given a resume of the injunctions that are derived from this verse and the Holy Prophet's and his Companions' practice according to it and the juristic inferences as based on this verse and the Sunnah: (1) The real aim of the Muslim army in war is to break the fighting power of the enemy till it is crushed and the war lays down its arms. Under no circumstances, should the Muslim's lose sight of this aim and start taking the enemy soldiers as captives. Captives should be taken after the enemy has been completely crushed and its numbers thinned down. The Arabs have been so instructed at the outset lest in the greed for ransom and taking slaves they should forget and overlook the real aim of the war. (2) About the prisoners taken in war it has been said: "You have the option whether you show them favour or accept ransom from them." This gives the general law that the prisoners of war should not be put to death. Hadrat `Abdullah bin `Umar, Hasan Basri, `Ata' and Hammad bin Abi Sulaiman favour this view, which is quite valid. They say that a man can be killed only during the war. When the war is over and one has been made a prisoner, it is not lawful to kill him, Ibn Jarir and Abu Bakr alJassas have related that Hajjaj; bin Yusuf handed over one of the prisoners of war to Hadrat `Abdullah bin `Umar and commanded him to put him to death. He refused to obey and cited this verse and said: "We are not allowed to kill a man when he is a prisoner." Imam Muhammad in As-SiyaT al-Kabir also has rcelated that `Abdullah bin 'Amir had commanded Hadrat `Abdullah bin `Umar to kill a prisoner of war, and he had refused to obey the command for this reason. (3) But since in this verse it has neither been clearly forbidden to kill the prisoner the -Holy Prophet understood this intention of Allah's Command, and also acted accordingly, that if there was a special reason for which the ruler of an Islamic government regarded it as necessary to kill a particular prisoner (or prisoners), he could do so. This is not the general law, but an exception to it, which would be applied only when necessary. Thus, the Holy Prophet put to death only `Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ait and Nadr bin al-Harith from among the 70 prisoners taken at Badr, and only the poet Abu `Azzah from the prisoners taken at Uhud. Since the Bani Quraizah had surrendered on the condition that they would accept whatever decision Hadrat Sa`d bin Mu'adh would give in their regard, and he had decreed that all the males of the Quraizah should be killed, the Holy Prophet had them executed. From among the prisoners taken at Khaiber only Kinanah bin Abi al-Huqaiq was put to death because of his violating the agreement. At the conquest of Makkah, the Holy Prophet commanded in respect of only a few particular persons from among all the inhabitants of Makkah that any one of them who was captured should be put to death. Apart from these exceptions, the Holy Prophet never killed prisoners of war, and the same also continued to be the practice of the righteous Caliphs. During their times also killing of prisoners of war was rare, which was resorted to only for a special reason. Hadrat, `Umar bin `Abdul `Aziz also during his caliphate put to death only one prisoner of war for the reason that he had persecuted the Muslims very cruelly. On this very basis the majority of the jurists have held the view that the Islamic government can put a prisoner to death if necessary. But it is for the government to take such a decision; every soldier is not permitted to kill any prisoner he likes. However, if there is the danger of a prisoner's running away or of his committing a dangerous mischief, the guard can kill him. In this connection, the jurists of Islam have also made three other points: (a) That if a prisoner accepts Islam, he cannot be killed; (b) that the prisoner can be killed only as long as he is in the government's custody; if he has been allotted to, or given in somebody else's possession by sale, he cannot be killed; and (c) that if the prisoner has to be killed, he should be killed in a straightforward way; he should not be tortured to death (4) The general command that has been given about the prisoners of war is: "Show them favour, or accept ransom from them. "
FAVOR includes four things: (a) That they should be treated well as prisoners; (b) that instead of killing them or keeping them in captivity for lifetime, they should be handed over to the individual Muslims as slaves; (c) that they should be put under jizyah and trade dhimmis; and (d) that they should be set free without ransom.
There are three ways of RANSOMing them: (a) That they should be set free on payment of a ransom; (b) that they should be set free after taking some special service from them; and (c) that they should be exchanged for the Muslim prisoners of war who are in the possession of the enemy.
The Holy Prophet and the Companions at different times acted in one or the other way as the occasion demanded. The Divine Law has not bound the Islamic government to act in only one particular way. The government can take any action it deems appropriate on a particular occasion. (5) The practice of the Holy Prophet and the Companions confirms that as long as a prisoner of war is in the government's custody, the government will be responsible for his food and clothing, and his treatment if he is ill or wounded. Islamic Law does not permit prisoners to be kept without food or clothing, or be subjected to torture. On the contrary, instructions also have been given to treat them well and generously, and precedents of this very practice are found in the Sunnah. The Holy Prophet distributed the prisoners of Badr in the houses of different Companions and gave the instruction: "Teat these prisoners well." One of those prisoners, Abu 'Aziz, has reported: "The Ansar Muslims, in whose house I was kept, gave me bread morning and evening, but as for themselves they had only dates to eat." About another prisoner; Suhail bin 'Amr, the Holy Prophet was told: "He is a fiery speaker, and has been making speeches against you: please have his teeth broken. "The Holy Prophet replied: "If I have his teeth broken, AIlah will break my teeth, although I am a Prophet." (Ibn Hisham). When Thumamah bin Uthal, the chief of Yamamah, was brought as a prisoner, he was provided with good food and milk on the Holy Prophet's orders as long as he remained a captive. (Ibn Hisham). The same was the practice in the time of the Companions. No precedent is found when a prisoner might have been mistreated in their time. (6) Islam has not permitted that the prisoners be kept in captivity for ever so that the government may subject them to forced labour as long as it likes. If they are not exchanged for other prisoners of war, or ransomed, the method enjoined of doing them favour is that they should be made slaves and given in possession of individuals, and their masters instructed to treat them well This method was acted upon during the time of the Holy Prophet as well as of the Companions, and the jurists of Islam have unanimously upheld it as permissible. In this regard, it should be borne in mind that a person who might have accepted Islam before being taken as prisoner, and then is somehow made a prisoner, will be set free, but the acceptance of Islam by a person who accepts it after being taken prisoner, or after being given in possession of somebody, will not gain him freedom automatically. A tradition has been related in Musnad Ahmad. Muslim and Tirmidhi on the authority of Hadrat `Imran bin Husain that a person from among the Bani 'Uqail was brought as a prisoner and he said: "I have accepted Islam." Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: "If you had said this when you were free, you would certainly have attained to success. The same thing was said by Hadrat `Umar: "When a prisoner becomes a Muslim after falling into the hands of the Muslims as a captive, he will not be killed, but will remain a slave." Oh this very point the jurists of Islam have unanimously ruled that the prisoner who becomes a Muslim after being taken captive cannot escape slavery. (Imam Muhammad, As-Siyar al-Kabir). And this also is quite reasonable. If our law had been that anyone who embraced Islam after being taken a captive, would be set free, no prisoner would be so foolish as not to win his freedom by pronouncing the Kalimah. (7) The third manner of doing favor with the prisoners according to the Law of Islam is that they may be put under jizyah and made dhimmi subjects of the Islamic state and allowed to live as free citizens of dar a/Islam (abode of Islam) just like the Muslims. Imam Muhammad writes in his As-Siyar a/-Kabir: "Any person who can be made a slave, can also be made a dhimmi and put under jizyah. ° At another place he says: "The ruler of the Muslims has the right to levy jizyah on than and a tax on their lands and set than absolutely free." This method has been practised generally in the condition when the territory of the people who have been made prisoners, is' conquered and annexed to the Islamic state. The Holy Prophet, for instance, practiced this method in the case of the people of Khaiber, and then Hadrat `Umar followed and practiced it extensively on the conquest of `Iraq and other territories. Abu `Ubaid writes in his Kitab al-Amwal: "After the conquest of `Iraq a deputation of the leading men of that country came before Hadrat `Umar and submitted: `O Commander of the Faithful, before this the people of Iran had subdued us: they subjected us to harsh treatment and committed all sorts of excesses against us. Then, when God sent you, we became very pleased, and we neither put up any resistance against you nor participated in the war. Now, we hear that you want to make us slaves.' Hadrat `Umar replied: `You have the option either to become Muslims, or accept to pay jizyah and remain free.' They agreed to pay the jizyah and they were granted full freedom. "At another place in the same book. Abu `Ubaid says: Hadrat `Umar wrote to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari: Set free every farmer and peasant from among the people who have been captured in the war."
(8) The fourth favour is that the prisoner be set free without ransom. This is a special concession that the Islamic government can give only in case the special conditions of a prisoner demand it, or when it is expected that the concession will win the prisoner's gratitude for ever, and help turn him a friend from an enemy, or a believer from a disbeliever; otherwise, obviously it would in no way be a wise thing to set free a person of the enemy camp, who could again return to fight the Muslims. This is why the Muslim jurists generally have opposed it, and imposed the condition: "If the ruler of the Muslims finds it expedient to set the prisoners, or some of them, free as a favour, there is no harm in doing so." (As-SiyaT al-Kabir). Many precedents of this are found in the time of the Holy Prophet, and in almost every case expediency seems to be the reason.
About the prisoners taken at Badr, he said: "If Mut'im bin `Adi were alive, and had spoken to me in respect of these treacherous people, I would have Iet them go for his sake." (Bukhari, Abu Da'ud, Musnad Ahmad). The Holy Prophet said this because when he had returned from Ta'if to Makkah, Mut'im at that time had given him refuge, and his armed sons had escorted him to the Ka`bah. Therefore, he wanted to repay his debt of gratitude in this way.
According to Bukhari, Muslim and Musnad Ahmad, when Thumamah bin Uthal, the chief of Yamamah, was brought as « prisnoner, the Holy Prophet asked him: "Thumamah, what do you say?" He replied: "If I am killed, then such a one would be killed, whose blood has some value: if I am shown favour, then favour would be shown to a person, who appreciates favour; and if you want wealth, ask for it, you will be given it." For three days the Holy Prophet asked him the same thing and he gave the same reply. At last, the Holy Prophet ordered that Thumamah be set free. On attaining freedom, he went to a nearby oasis, washed himself and came back, pronounced the kalimah and became a Muslim, saying: Before this day nobody was more detestable than you and no religion more odious than your religion in my sight, but now for me no man is more lovable than you and no religion more lovable than your religion." Then he went to Makkah for 'Umrah and gave the people of Quraish a notice to the effect: "After this no grain will reach you from Yamamah unless Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) permits it." So, he stopped the grain supply and the people of Makkah had to request the Holy Prophet that he should not stop the supply of grain for them from Yamamah.
From among the prisoners of the Bani Quraizah, the Holy Prophet forgave Zabir bin Bata and 'Amr bin Sa'd (or Ibn Su'da), the former because he had given refuge to Hadrat Thabit bin Qais Ansari in the Battle of Bu'ath, in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance; therefore, he handed him over to Hadrat Thabit that he may repay him for his favour. And he forgave 'Amr bin Sa`d because it was he who was exhorting his tribe not to be treacherous when the Bani Quraizah were committing breach of the trust with the Holy Prophet.
After the Battle of Bani al-Mustaliq, when the prisoners were brought and distributed among the people, the Holy Prophet paid Hadrat Juwairiyah's ransom to the person to whom she was allotted to secure her freedom and then married her himself. At this aII the Muslims set their own prisoners free, saying: "Now they have become the Holy Prophet's relatives." Thus, the prisoners of a hundred families became free. (Musnad Ahmad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa`d, Ibn Hisham).
On the occasion of the treaty of Hudaibiyah, at about dawn, 80 men came from the direction of Tan'im with the intention of launching a sudden attack on the Muslim camp, but were all captured, and the Holy Prophet set aII of them free lest it became a cause of war on that critical occasion. (Muslim, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad).
At the conquest of Makkah, the Holy Prophet forgave aII the people of Makkah except only a few men, and did not kill more than three or four of even those who had been made an exception. The whole of Arabia was well aware of what atrocities the people of Makkah had committed against the Holy Prophet and the Muslims; yet the large-heartedness with which he forgave them after attaining complete victory over them, gave the Arabs the satisfaction that they had not been overpowered by a tyrant but by a merciful, affectionate and generous leader. That is why after the conquest of Makkah the Arabian Peninsula did not take longer than two years to be completely subdued.
After the Battle of Hunain, when the Hawazin deputation came to secure the freedom of their prisoners, the prisoners had already been distributed. The Holy Prophet called the Muslims together and said: "These people have come with repentance, and I am of the opinion that their men should be rearmed to them. The one who would like to set the prisoner allotted to him free willingly without ransom, should set him free, and the one who would like to take ransom, shall be paid it out of the first income that is received in the Public Treasury." Thus, six thousand prisoners were set free, and those who wanted to take ransom, were given it by the government. (Bukhari, Abu Da'ud, Musnad Ahmad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd). This also shows that the government is not authorised to set the prisoners free after they have been distributed; this can be done by the willing approval of those in whose possession the prisoners have been given, or by paying them the ransom.
After the Holy Prophet, precedents of setting the prisoners free as a favour continue to be found throughout the period of the Companions also. Hadrat Abu Bakr set fret Ash'ath bin Qais al-Kindi and Hadrat 'Umar granted freedom to Hurmuzan and the prisoners of Manadhir and Maisan. (Abu 'Ubaid, Kitab alAmwal). (9) The precedent of setting the prisoners free on payment of the ransom in the time of the Holy Prophet is found only on the occasion of Badr, when the prisoners were set free on payment of one thousand to four thousand dirhams each. (Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Amwal). No precedent of this is found in the time of the Companions; and the jurists of Islam have generally disapproved it, for it means that we should take money and set a man free so that he may again rise against us with the sword. But since taking of ransom has been permitted in the Qur'an, and the Holy Prophet also acted according to it once, it is not absoluutely forbidden. Imam Muhammad writes in his As-Siyar al-Kabir that if the need arises the Muslims can free their prisoners on payment of the ransom. (10) The criterion of freeing a prisoner for a service rendered is also found in connection with the Battle .of Badr. For those of the Quraish prisoners who had no ransom the Holy Prophet imposed the condition that they should teach reading and writing to ten Ansar children each to win their freedom. (Musnad Ahmad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa`d, Kitab al-Amwal. (11) Several instances of the exchange of prisoners are found in the time of the Holy Prophet. Once he dispatched Hadrat Abu Bakr on an expedition and he brought some captives, including a beautiful woman, who fell to the lot of Hadrat Salamah bin Akwa'. The Holy Prophet urged him to give her back, then sent her to Makkah and had several ' Muslim prisoners released, in exchange for her. (Muslim, Abu Da'ud, Tahawi Kitab al-Amwal of Abi `Ubaid, Tabaqat Ibn Sa`d). Hadrat 'Imran bin Husain relates that once the tribe of Thaqif arrested two men of the Muslims. Some time later, a man of the Bani 'Uqail, who were allies of the Thaqif, was arrested by the Muslims. The Holy Prophet sent him to Ta'if and got both the Muslims released in exchange for him. (Muslim, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad). From among the jurists Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad, Imam Shafe`i, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad hold the exchange of the prisoners as permissible. A ruling of Imam Abu Hanifah is that exchange should not be practised, but according to another ruling of his exchange can be practised. However, there is a consensus that the prisoner who becomes a Muslim should not be handed over to the disbelievers for the purpose of exchange. This explanation makes it abundantly clear that Islam has fomulated a comprehensive code in respect of the prisoners of war, which contains provision for this problem in every age under aII sorts of conditions. Those people who take this Qur'anic verse in its simple meaning that the prisoners of war should "either be shown favour and set free or freed for ransom", do not know what different aspects the question of the , prisoners of war has, and what problems it has been creating in different ages and can create in the future.
*9 That is, "If Allah had only wanted to crush the worshippers of falsehood, He did not stand in need of your help for this. He could have done this through an earthquake or a tempest in no time, But what he wills is that the followers of the Truth among the people should enter into a confict with the. worshippers of falsehood and fight them so that the qualities and characteristics of each are brought out clearly by means of the test and each is given the place and rank that he deserves according to his conduct. "
*10 It means this: "A person's being slain in the way of Allah dces not mean that he lost his life and as far as his person was concerned all his lifework was wasted. It is wrong to think that the sacrifices of the martyrs are not beneficial for themselves but only for those who live after them in the world, and take advantage of their sacrifices. The fact is that even for the martyrs themselves it is a bargain of profit, not of loss at alI "
سَيَهْدِيهِمْ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ {47:5}
[Q47:5] Sa-yahdeehim
wa yusihu baalahum,
[Q47:5] He will guide them and improve their condition.
[Q47:5] He will guide them and improve their condition.
[Q47:5] ALLAH (SwT) akan memimpin
mereka yang berjuang (ke jalan mendapat sebaik-baik balasan) dan menjadikan
keadaan mereka baik dan berguna (di dunia dan di akhirat)
These verses refer to martyrs.
See commentary of verse 4.
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(47:5) He will guide them and set their
condition right
وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ {47:6}
[Q47:6] Wa
yudkhiluhumul jannata 'arrafahaa lahum.
[Q47:6] And cause them to enter the garden which He has made known to them.
[Q47:6] And cause them to enter the garden which He has made known to them.
[Q47:6] Serta memasukkan mereka ke
dalam Syurga yang telah dijanjikan dan diterangkan sifat-sifatnya kepada
mereka.
(see commentary for verse 5)
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(47:6) and will admit them to Paradise with which He
has acquainted them. *11
*11 This is the
profit that the martyrs falling in the way of Allah will gain. Its three grades
have been stated: (1) That AIlah
will guide them; (2) that He will
set their condition right; and (3) that He will
admit them to the Paradise with which He has acquainted them beforehand.
Guidance here obviously implies guiding to Paradise; setting the condition
right implies that before their entry into Paradise, AIlah will adorn them with
robes of honour and remove every filth which had polluted them in the life of
the world; and the third stage means that even in this world they have been
told through the Qur'an and the Holy Prophet what kind of Paradise it is that
has been prepared for them; when they enter that Paradise they will enter a
place with which they will already be familiar and they will come to know that
they have been blessed precisely with the same that had been promised to them
in the world.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا
اللَّهَ يَنْصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ {47:7}
[Q47:7] Yaaa
ayyuhal lazeena aamanooo in tansurul laaha yansurkum wa yusabbit aqdaamakum.
[Q47:7] O you who believe! If you help (the cause of) ALLAH (SWT), He will help you and make firm your feet.
[Q47:7] O you who believe! If you help (the cause of) ALLAH (SWT), He will help you and make firm your feet.
[Q47:7] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman,
kalau kamu membela (agama) ALLAH (SwT) nescaya ALLAH (SwT) membela kamu (untuk
mencapai kemenangan) dan meneguhkan tapak pendirian kamu.
Ø
Study this verse in the light of verses 8:11 and 12 of Anfal and verse 14:27 of
Ibrahim.
The undertaking to firmly plant the
feet of believers is conditional---if the believers serve the cause of ALLAH
(SWT).
ALLAH (SWT) IS
ABLE TO DO ALL THINGS, BUT HE WANTS TO TEST THE METTLE OF EVERY BELIEVER AND
DISTINGUISH HIS CALIBER IN THE EYES OF THE PEOPLE.
°
When his qualities are manifested to the highest
degrees, he is chosen to carry out and fulfill His will.
°
Those who fail to serve the cause of ALLAH (SWT)
their feet falter and run on the road leading to cowardice, desertion and
confusion.
See commentary of Bara-at 9:25 to
27 and other references mentioned therein.
History is
witness to the fact that the feet of the Imams of Ahlul Bait were firmly planted in
the ground of submission to the will of ALLAH (SWT), so they never deviated or
drifted from the right path in lure of worldly gains. Neither persecution nor death could sway
them from the way of ALLAH (SWT).
µ The HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA
SALLI ALAA MUHAMMAD WA ALI MUHAMMAD)said:
"My
Ahlul Bait are like the ark of Nuh. Whosoever sails on it is saved and
whosoever holds back is drowned and lost forever."
The greatest
evidence of steadfastness in the cause of ALLAH (SWT) was established by Imam
Husayn and his relatives in Karbala and after Karbala.
To preserve and keep alive goodness
and righteousness in thought and action in the worst circumstances is the
surest sign of firmness in faith. The weak in faith stumble at the
slightest hint of inconvenience or by the faintest glimpse of advantage.
This fact is proved from the rebellious conduct, of
the people in their covetous hunt for undue power and position, immediately as
the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) left this world. NONE OF THE
HOLY IMAMS OF THE AHLUL BAYT EVER CARED FOR ANY TEMPORAL POWER OR THE WORLDLY
GLORY. THEY SUFFERED THE MOST TORTURES,
PERSECUTION AND PAINFUL DEATH AT THE HANDS OF THEIR ASSASSINS BUT NEVER IN THE
LEAST DID THEY SWERVE FROM THE PATH OF THE LORD.
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(47:7) Believers, if you aid Allah, He will come to
your aid *12 and will plant your feet firmly.
*12 "If you
help AIIah": "If you participate in the work of raising Allah's Word
with your life and wealth." But this has a deeper meaning too, which we
have explained in E. N. 50 of Surah Al-`Imran above.
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَتَعْسًا لَهُمْ وَأَضَلَّ
أَعْمَالَهُمْ {47:8}
[Q47:8] Wallazeena
kafaroo fata's al lahum wa adalla a’maalahum.
[Q47:8] And (as for) those who disbelieve, for them is destruction and He has made their deeds ineffective.
[Q47:8] And (as for) those who disbelieve, for them is destruction and He has made their deeds ineffective.
[Q47:8] Dan (sebaliknya) orang-orang
yang kafir, maka kecelakaanlah bagi mereka dan (ALLAH (SwT)) mensia-siakan
amal-amal mereka.
As said in the commentary
of verses 1
to 3 and 4 of this surah, all good deeds of the [1] disbelievers,
[2] hypocrites and [3] deviators are rendered null and void BECAUSE
they have disobeyed the commands of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad)
which amounts to disobedience to ALLAH (SWT).
VERSE 9 SAYS THAT THE GOOD DEEDS OF THOSE WHO DISLIKE ANY
REVELATION, OR EVEN ITS PART, ARE RENDERED NULL AND VOID.
Tabari
has reported the following conversation between Ibn Abbas and the second
caliph:
"The elders of Quraysh did not like prophethood as well as
caliphate to be given to the house of Hashim, so they chose their own
candidate." said Umar.
v Ibn Abbas quoted this verse and said:
"No wonder the Qur’an had already pointed out those who dislike the
revelations from ALLAH (SWT). If they had chosen the man whom ALLAH (SWT) had
chosen, it would have been better for them." See
commentary of verse
30 of this Surah.
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(47:8) As
to those who disbelieve, perdition lies in store for them *13 and Allah has reduced their works to nought.
*13 Literally,
to 's is to stumble and fall down on the face.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ
فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ {47:9}
[Q47:9] Zaalika
bi annahum karihoo maaa anzalaL Laahu faahbata a’maalahum.
[Q47:9] That is because they hated what ALLAH (SWT) revealed, so He rendered their deeds null.
[Q47:9] That is because they hated what ALLAH (SWT) revealed, so He rendered their deeds null.
[Q47:9] Berlakunya yang demikian,
kerana sesungguhnya mereka tidak menyukai apa yang diturunkan oleh ALLAH (SwT)
(mengenai ajaran tauhid dan hukum-hukum syarak yang diterangkan di dalam
Al-Quran), lalu ALLAH (SwT) menggugurkan amal-amal mereka.
(see commentary for verse 8)
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(47:9) That was because they were averse to what Allah
had revealed; *14 so He let their works go to waste.
*14 That is,
"They preferred the whims, superstitions, customs and moral perversion of
their former ignorance and did not like the teaching that Allah had revealed to
guide them to the right way.
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا
كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ دَمَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ
وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ أَمْثَالُهَا {47:10}
[Q47:10] Afalam
yaseeroo fil ardi fayanzuroo kaifa kaana 'aaqibatul lazeena min qablihim; dammaraL
Laahu 'alaihim wa lilkaafireena ‘amsaaluhaa.
[Q47:10] Have they not then journeyed in the land and seen how was the end of those before them: ALLAH (SWT) brought down destruction upon them, and the unbelievers shall have the like of it.
[Q47:10] Have they not then journeyed in the land and seen how was the end of those before them: ALLAH (SWT) brought down destruction upon them, and the unbelievers shall have the like of it.
[Q47:10] Maka tidakkah mereka telah
mengembara di muka bumi, serta mereka memerhatikan bagaimana akibat orang-orang
kafir yang terdahulu dari mereka? ALLAH (SwT) telah menghancurkan orang-orang
itu dan orang-orang kafir (yang menurut jejak mereka) akan beroleh akibat-akibat
buruk yang seperti itu.
(see commentary for verse 8)
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(47:10) Have they not journeyed through the land to see
the end of those who went before them? Allah utterly destroyed them. These
unbelievers are doomed to the same end. *15
*15 This
sentence has two meanings: (1) The same
destruction that was met by those disbelievers now awaits these disbelievers,
who are not accepting the invitation of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace
and blessings); and (2) 'the ruin of
those people does not end with the torment of the world; the same doom also
awaits Them in the Hereafter"
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