Fath al-Rabbani

Narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: On the day of Badr, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked towards his companions, while they were a little more than three hundred, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) looked towards the polytheists and they were more than a thousand, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards the Qiblah, stretched out both his hands, while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was wearing a cloak and an izar, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) made this supplication: O Allah! Where is what You promised me? O Allah! Fulfill what You promised me. O Allah! If You destroy this group of Muslims, You will never be worshipped on earth. He (peace and blessings be upon him) kept seeking help from his Lord and kept supplicating, until his cloak fell off. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came, picked up his cloak, placed it on him (peace and blessings be upon him), and held him from behind, then said: O Prophet of Allah! What you have asked from your Lord is sufficient for you, He will soon fulfill what He has promised you. At that time Allah revealed this verse: {إِذْ تَسْتَغِیثُونَ رَبَّکُمْ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَکُمْ أَ نِّی مُمِدُّکُمْ بِأَلْفٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِکَۃِ مُرْدِفِینَ۔} … Remember when you were calling upon your Lord for help, and He answered you: “I will help you with a thousand angels, following one another.” (Surah Al-Anfal: 9) Then, when the two armies clashed that day, Allah defeated the polytheists in such a way that seventy of them were killed and seventy were taken captive. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) consulted Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Ali, and Sayyiduna Umar about the captives. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Prophet of Allah! These people are the sons of our uncles, our relatives and brothers. My opinion is that you take ransom from them, with that wealth our strength against the disbelievers will increase, and it is also possible that Allah may later guide them, thus they will become our support. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Ibn Khattab! What is your opinion about this? He said: By Allah! I do not agree with the opinion of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). My opinion is that so-and-so, who is my relative, should be handed over to me, I will behead him; Aqeel should be handed over to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he will kill him; so-and-so should be handed over to Sayyiduna Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him), he will behead him, so that Allah may know that there is no mercy in our hearts for the polytheists. These captives are the chiefs, rulers, and leaders of the polytheists. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) liked the opinion of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and did not like the opinion of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), so he (peace and blessings be upon him) took ransom from them. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The next day when I went to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) were both sitting and weeping. I said: O Messenger of Allah! Tell me about the thing that is making you and your companion weep. If I am able to weep, I will weep too, and if I am not able to weep, I will make a weeping face because of your weeping. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Because of the opinion your companions gave about taking ransom, your punishment was presented to me, which is near that tree. By this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) meant a nearby tree. At that time Allah revealed these verses: {مَا کَانَ لِنَبِیٍّ اَنْ یَّکُوْنَ لَہٗٓ اَسْرٰی حَتّٰییُثْخِنَ فِی الْاَرْضِ تُرِیْدُوْنَ عَرَضَ الدُّنْیَا وَاللّٰہُ یُرِیْدُ الْاٰخِرَۃَ وَاللّٰہُ عَزِیْز’‘ حَکِیْم’‘۔ لَوْ لَا کِتٰب’‘ مِّنَ اللّٰہِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّکُمْ فِیْمَآ اَخَذْتُمْ عَذَاب’‘ عَظِیْم’‘} It is not for a Prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly subdued the land. You desire the goods of this world, but Allah desires the Hereafter. And Allah is Mighty, Wise. Had it not been for a decree from Allah that had already preceded, you would have been touched for what you took by a great punishment. (Surah Al-Anfal: 67) Then, the spoils of war were made lawful for them. When the Battle of Uhud took place the following year, the punishment for taking ransom on the day of Badr was given, and seventy companions were martyred, and the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fled from him, his teeth were martyred, his helmet was broken on his head, and blood began to flow on his face. Then Allah revealed this verse: {اَوَلَمَّآ اَصَابَتْکُمْ مُّصِیْبَۃ’‘ قَدْ اَصَبْتُمْ مِّثْلَیْھَا قُلْتُمْ اَنّٰی ھٰذَا قُلْ ھُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اَنْفُسِکُمْ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیْئٍ قَدِیْر’‘۔} (What is the matter that when on the day of Uhud) a calamity befell you, although you had inflicted twice as much (on the enemy), you said: “From where is this?” Say: “It is from yourselves.” Surely Allah is Able to do all things. (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 165) That is, because of taking ransom.