Can Muslims torture prisoners of war?
The sections of this article are:
- Can Muslims torture prisoners of war?
- Did Prophet Muhammad ever abuse his Captives or take personal revenges from them?
- Muslims are commanded by Allah Almighty to treat their Captives with kindness
and to feed them!
- When is the captured enemy must not be considered a "Captive" or
"Prisoner of
War"? And how can Muslims punish them? Is Ethnic Cleansing allowed in
Islam?
- So what are those times where Muslims must not
accept any captive?
- Further explanations from Sheikh (Minister) Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
- Conclusion.
For the Captives of war, absolutely not! But for the enemy who has treacherous designs against the Muslims, there is a punishment that he must face as shown below in the article. Those "treacherous designs" are the tricky and deceiving evil actions such as causing a war between the Muslims and other non-Muslim tribes by using tricks and deceptions. Another example is when some of the hypocrites during Prophet Muhammad's times used to falsely embrace Islam to be accepted among the Muslims, and then later try to create conflicts among Muslim men and cause them to revenge from each others, because they belonged to tribes that had bloody wars with each others before they embraced Islam. The punishment for such enemy is Noble Verses 5:33-34 as shown below in this article.
Let us look what Allah Almighty Said regarding the captives or the prisoners of wars:
"O Prophet! say to those who are captives in your hands: 'If Allah findeth any good in your hearts, He will Give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will Forgive you: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. But if they have treacherous designs against thee, (O Messenger!), they have already been in treason against Allah, and so hath He given (thee) power over them. And Allah is He who hath (Full) knowledge and wisdom. (The Noble Quran, 8:70-71)"
The following explanation of Noble Verses 8:70-71 was taken from the commentary of Sheikh (Minister) Abdullah Yusuf Ali's (may Allah Almighty rest his soul) English translation:
"This is a consolation to the prisoners of war. In spite of their previous hostility, Allah will forgive them in His mercy if there was any good in their hearts, and confer upon them a far higher gift than anything they have ever lost. This gift in its highest sense would be the blessing of Islam, but even in a material sense, there was great good fortune awaiting them, e.g., in the case of Al-Abbas (who was among the unbelievers and was taken as a prisoner of war).
Note how comprehensive is Allah's care. He encourages and strengthens the Muslims, at the same time condemning any baser motives that may have entered their minds. He consoles the prisoners of war and promises them better things if there is any good in them at all. And He offers comfort to those who have left their homes in His Cause, and knits them into closer fellowship with those who have helped them and sympathized with them.
If the kindness shown to them is abused by the prisoners of war when they are released, it is not a matter of discouragement to those who showed the kindness. Such persons have in their treachery shown already their treason to Allah, in that they took up arms against Allah's Prophet, and sought to blot out the pure worship of Allah. The punishment of defeat, which opened the eyes of some of their comrades, evidently did not open their eyes. But Allah knows all, and in His wisdom will order all things for the best. The Believers have done their duty in showing such clemency as they could in the circumstances of war. For them "Allah sufficeth" (Noble Verse 8:62)" [2].
Note: For the captives, paying money is not always the way to freedom. It is true that they would lose their weapons and other equipment such as their carts, horses, camels, etc..., but to gain their way out of captivity doesn't always have to be through paying money.
When the Muslims won the first battle of Islam against the Pagans, the battle Badr, our Prophet peace be upon him told his captives that whoever wants to earn his freedom he must teach 10 illiterate Muslims how to read and write, and he will then be set free.
Did Prophet Muhammad ever abuse his Captives or take personal revenges from them?
Absolutely not! Our Prophet peace be upon him forgave the enemies of Islam. When the Muslims liberated Mecca from the Pagan Arabs, and the Pagans' army gave up, because they were widely out numbered by the Muslims, our Prophet peace be upon him said his very famous word that was taught to us in schools:
"Go, you are free."
Please visit Prophet Muhammad never took any personal revenge. This article covers this issue.
Muslims are commanded by Allah Almighty to treat their Captives with kindness and to feed them!
Let us look what Allah Almighty said in the Noble Quran:
"They perform (their) vows, and they fear a Day Whose evil flies far and wide. And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive -- (Saying), 'We feed you For the sake of Allah alone: No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.' (The Noble Quran, 76:7-9)"
In these Noble Verses, we clearly see how Allah Almighty orders the Muslims to treat their captives with kindness and to not expect anything back in return. Muslims must do it for the love of Allah Almighty, hence they have to feed their captives in kindness and love.
Notice here how Allah Almighty is so Great, Merciful and Gracious, that even the captives are given His Love. Allah Almighty's door for Mercy and Forgiveness is always open.
Please visit The Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah Almighty.
When is the captured enemy must not be considered a "Captive" or "Prisoner of War"? And how can Muslims punish them? Is Ethnic Cleansing allowed in Islam?
What power did Allah Almighty give to Prophet Muhammad over the enemies who had treacherous designs against Islam; "....and so hath He given (thee) power over them.....(The Noble Quran, 8:71)"?
The captured enemy can not be considered a captive or prisoner of war if he had treacherous designs against the Muslims. There is a punishment that this enemy must face as show below in Noble Verses 5:33-34. Those "treacherous designs" are the tricky and deceiving evil actions such as causing a war between the Muslims and other non-Muslim tribes by using tricks and deceptions. Another example is when some of the hypocrites during Prophet Muhammad's times used to falsely embrace Islam to be accepted among the Muslims, and then later try to create conflicts among Muslim men and cause them to revenge from each others, because they belonged to tribes that had bloody wars with each others before they embraced Islam. The punishment for such enemy is Noble Verses 5:33-34 as shown below in this article.
And yes, Ethnic cleansing can be applied to that person or group of treacherous people. Ethnic cleansing is not allowed in Islam for any other case! Normal people can not be Ethnically cleansed as the Yugoslav Serbs did to the Muslim Kosovars just because they differ in religion or race. Only the treacherous people or individuals can be Ethnically cleansed or exiled.
Let us look at what Allah Almighty Said in the Noble Quran:
"The punishment of those who wage war against God and His Apostle, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter; Except for those who repent before they fall into your power: in that case, know that God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (The Noble Quran, 5:33-34)"
There are times when Muslims must accept no captives. This is the time when the Muslims are ordered to punish the enemy severely.
So what are those times where Muslims must not accept any captive?
When they had been betrayed by the enemy. Let us look at some incidents where Noble Verse 5:33 had been applied to the enemy:
The first incident is when the Muslims were just starting Islam in Madina. Along with the Muslims there, there were some Christians and three big Jewish tribes: Bani Al-natheer, Bani Qaynuqaa, and Bani Quraytha. When the Pagans of Mecca wanted to end Islam once and for all, they finally agreed along with several other Pagan tribes out side Mecca to attack the Muslims in Madina.
Prior to this, the Muslims had already signed a treaty of united defense of Madina with the Jews. When the Pagans of Mecca and their allies finally started marching to Madina, the Muslims became aware of it. One of our beloved Prophet's close companions, Salman Al-Farisi (may Allah Almighty be pleased with him, rest his soul and grant him Paradise), suggested that the Muslims should dig a big trench to along all of the plain areas of Madina to disable the Pagans from attacking the Muslims.
The Jews' tribes were stationed in the North side of Madina. They didn't need to dig any trench because they had such high mountains that they could easily defend by stationing their troops on top of the mountains, which would then disable the Pagans from entering Madina from the North. But the Jews will always remain Jews no matter what. They betrayed our Prophet and told the Pagans that they could attack them from the North along with the Jewish army. Allah Almighty had blessed the Muslims with a big victory after long battles and Allah Almighty's blessings of the winds that blocked the eye sights of the enemies of Islam.
After the Pagans withdrew back to Mecca, our Prophet peace be upon him executed Noble Verse 5:33 and exiled Bani Quraytha, the first Jewish tribe to betray the Muslims, from Madina. Later on, the other two Jewish tribes were exiled too.
The second incident is in the following narration about our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, which further explains in details when the Muslims need to apply Noble Verse 5:33 to the enemy:
Narrated Abu Qilaba: "Anas said, "Some people of 'Ukl or 'Uraina tribe came to Medina and its climate did not suit them. So the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch) camels and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they went as directed and after they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of the Prophet and drove away all the camels. The news reached the Prophet early in the morning and he sent (men) in their pursuit and they were captured and brought at noon. He then ordered to cut their hands and feet (and it was done), and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron, They were put in 'Al-Harra' and when they asked for water, no water was given to them." Abu Qilaba said, "Those people committed theft and murder, became infidels after embracing Islam and fought against Allah and His Apostle. (Sahih Bukhari, Ablutions (Wudu'), Volume 1, Book 4, Number 234)"
Notice in the above incidents that the enemy had betrayed the Muslims. In the first incident, the Jews betrayed the Muslims by breaking up the treaty and fighting along side with the Pagans. In the second incident, the Pagans killed the Shepherd and and stole all of the Camels after they gained the Muslims' trust by embracing Islam. These are the only times where Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him ever applied Noble Verse 5:33 to anyone.
Please visit Did Prophet Muhammad prescribe Camel Urine as Medicine? See from Medical proofs that several of our medicines today are indeed extracted from animal urines.
The point is that Muslims are not allowed to kill ordinary "Prisoners of War" as it is clearly stated in Noble Verses 8:70-71. The sever punishment for the enemy and the refusal to accept any captives is when the Muslims had been betrayed by the enemy (Noble Verse 5:33).
Note: Notice also in Noble Verse 5:34 that the door for mercy and forgiveness for the sincere enemy is open. The Muslims can not do any harm to the enemy if the enemy repents.
Further explanations from Sheikh (Minister) Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
The following explanation of Noble Verse 5:33 comes from the Noble Quran that I used, which was translated by Sheikh (Minister) Abdullah Yusuf Ali; may Allah Almighty rest his soul:
"For the double crime of treason against the State, combined with treason against Allah, as shown by overt crimes, four alternative punishments are mentioned, any one of which is to be applied according to circumstances, viz., execution (cutting off of the head), crucifixion, maiming, or exile." [3].
Conclusion:
Islam is a merciful religion and Allah Almighty gives the enemies of Islam the opportunity to be forgiven when they're captured in the battle field. Muslims must always treat their captives with kindness and feed them.
If the enemy was caught after they played a very dirty trick on the Muslims and caused the Muslims much damage from their evil deceptions and tricks as the Jews and some of the people of Tribe of Urania did to our Prophet and the Muslims, then Noble Verse 5:33 must be applied for their punishment.
The door for mercy and forgiveness is always open for the treacherous enemy as clearly stated in Noble Verse 5:34, but depending on the situation, if the enemy is so obviously not willing to sincerely repent even if they declare it, then Noble Verse 5:34 can not be applied to them and the punishment of Noble Verse 5:33 must be applied.
Bibliography:
1- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an.
Author: Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
Published by: Amana Publications, 10710 Tucker Street, Suite B, Beltsville, Maryland
20705-2223 USA.
Telephone: (301) 595-5777.
Fax: (301) 595-5888.
ISBN: 0-91597-59-0 (HC).
2- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an [1]. Foot notes #1237 and #1238, page 432.
3- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an [1]. Foot note #738, page 257.
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