Reports on the captives

Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the day of Badr the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever among you is able should take the Banu Abd al-Muttalib captive (that is, not kill them), for they have been brought out by force."
Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it, and the narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him) and others narrate: A man from the Ansar came bringing Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), whom he had taken captive. Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, he did not take me captive; someone else took me captive. I was apart, and the appearance of the one who captured me was such-and-such." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to that man: "Allah Almighty has helped you through a noble angel."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu al-Yusr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the day of Badr I saw Sayyiduna al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) standing as if he were an idol, with tears flowing from his eyes. When I looked at him, I said: "May Allah Almighty repay you with evil from your kin! Are you fighting your nephew together with his enemy?" He asked: "What has happened? Has he been killed?" I said: "Allah Almighty is mightier for him and a greater helper to him than that." He asked: "What do you want?" I said: "I want to take you captive, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has forbidden killing you." He said: "This is not the first time he has honoured the ties of kinship." The narrator says: So I took him captive and brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Abd al-Aziz bin Imran, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: I asked my father: "O my dear father, how did Sayyiduna Abu al-Yusr (may Allah be pleased with him) take you captive? Had you wished, you could have held him in one palm of your hand." He said: "O my son, do not say that. A man came before me who in my eyes was bigger than (the mountain called) al-Khandamah."
Al-Tabarani and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Ali bin Zayd, who has a poor memory; the remaining narrators of this narration have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: On the occasion of the Battle of Badr, Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was taken captive, and no shirt could be found for him that would fit his body.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Muslim bin Khalid, who is da'if (weak), though he has been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Al-Mujadhdhar bin Ziyad said to Abu al-Bakhtari bin Hisham: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has forbidden that you be killed."
Al-Bazzar recorded it from Abdullah bin Shabib, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The one who captured Sayyiduna al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) was Sayyiduna Abu al-Yusr bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him); his name was Ka'b bin Amr, and he belonged to Banu Salimah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: "O Abu al-Yusr, how did you capture him?" He replied: "A man helped me against him, the like of whom in appearance I had never seen before or since; his appearance was such and such." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A noble angel helped you against him." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Abbas, ransom yourself, your nephew Aqil bin Abi Talib, Nawfal bin al-Harith, and your ally Utbah bin Jahdam, who belongs to Banu al-Harith bin Fihr." He said: "I had already become a Muslim before this; they brought me by force." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah knows best about your affair. If what you claim is true, Allah will reward you for it; but as for your outward situation, it was against us (so the rulings apply accordingly). So ransom yourself." The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had taken twenty uqiyahs of gold from him. He said: "O Messenger of Allah, count it toward my ransom." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, that is something Allah Almighty has given us from you." He said: "I have no wealth." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then where is the wealth that you left with Umm al-Fadl in Makkah when you set out, when there was no one with the two of you besides yourselves, and you said: 'If I am killed on this journey, then al-Fadl shall have such-and-such, Qutham such-and-such, and Abdullah such-and-such'?" Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By the One who sent you with the truth, no one knew about this wealth except me and my wife, and I know that you are the Messenger of Allah."
Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains a narrator who is not named, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu Aziz bin Umayr, the brother of Sayyiduna Mus'ab bin Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: On the day of Badr I was among the captives. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Accept the counsel to treat the captives well." The narrator says: I was among some of the Ansar, and whenever they had their morning or evening meal, they would eat the dates themselves and feed me wheat; that was because of the instruction of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the day of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What do you say about these captives?" The narrator says: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, they are your people and your family; take ransom from them and let them go; perhaps Allah Almighty will grant them repentance." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, they forced you to leave (Makkah) and they belied you; have them brought forward and strike their necks." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, look for a valley with plenty of firewood, put these people (into that valley), and then set it on fire around them." The narrator says: Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You have severed your ties of kinship." The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went inside and gave them no reply. Some people said: "He will accept the advice of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)." Some said: "He will accept the advice of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)." Others said: "He will accept the advice of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him)." The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to them and said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty makes the hearts of some men so soft that they become softer than milk, and Allah Almighty makes the hearts of some men so hard that they become harder than stone. O Abu Bakr, your example is like that of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who said: 'Whoever follows me is of me, and whoever disobeys me, then indeed You are Forgiving, Merciful.' O Abu Bakr, your example is like that of Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) (Allah Almighty has stated) that he said: 'If You punish them, they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, then indeed You are the Mighty, the Wise.' O Umar, your example is like that of Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him) (whose supplication is mentioned in the Qur'an in these words): 'My Lord, do not leave upon the earth a single dweller from among the disbelievers.' O Umar, your example is like that of Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), who said (as is mentioned in the Qur'an): 'Harden their hearts so that they do not believe until they see the painful punishment.'" (Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) "You are in need; none of them shall go except with a ransom or by having his neck struck." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, except Suhayl bin Bayda', for I have heard him speak of Islam." The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. He says: I have never felt more afraid for myself than on that day; I feared that stones would come down upon me from the sky, until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Except Suhayl bin Bayda'." Then Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "Had there not been a prior decree from Allah (that He would not punish you), a great punishment would have touched you for what you took (from the captives of Badr)." This verse (also relates to it): "It is not fitting for a Prophet that he should have captives (and take ransom) until he has inflicted a massacre in the land. You desire the goods of this world, while Allah desires (for you the good of) the Hereafter, and Allah is Mighty (and) Wise." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Al-Tirmidhi recorded part of this narration.
Ahmad recorded it.

In one narration the wording is: Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, these are the enemies of Allah; they belied you, they drove you out and they fought against you, and you are in a valley with plenty of firewood."

In one narration the wording is: "Allah Almighty will save them from Hellfire through you. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'O Messenger of Allah, they are your clan and your people; pardon them, and Allah Almighty will save them from Hellfire through you.'"
Abu Ya'la recorded something similar,
and al-Tabarani also recorded it. Its chain contains Abu Ubaydah, who did not hear from his father (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)); however, its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

In a narration of al-Tabarani the wording is: "Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'If you kill them, they will enter Hellfire, and if you take ransom from them, (perhaps later on) they will become our supporters.' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I think that you should bring them forward and then strike their necks, for these are the leaders of disbelief and the chiefs of disbelief. By Allah, they were not content with forcing us to leave, until they became the first of the Arabs to wage war against us.'"
This narration is muttasil (connected); its chain contains Musa bin Mutayr, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) and al-Hasan al-Basri narrate: On the day of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) consulted the people about the captives. He said: "Allah Almighty has given you power over them." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, strike their necks." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from him, then he repeated his words and said: "O people, Allah Almighty has given you power over them, and only yesterday they were your brothers." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, strike their necks." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from him. The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated it and said something similar to the people, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if you see fit, pardon them and accept ransom from them." The narrator says: The distress that had been on the face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went away; he pardoned them and accepted the ransom. The narrator says: Then Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "Had there not been a prior decree from Allah (that He would not punish you), (a great punishment) would have touched you for what you took (from the captives of Badr)."
Ahmad recorded it from his teacher Ali bin Asim bin Suhayb, who made many mistakes and errors and would not retract when told what was correct; the rest of Ahmad's narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Ikrimah narrates: Sayyiduna Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him), the freed slave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said: I was a slave of Sayyiduna al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him). We had accepted Islam: I had accepted Islam, Sayyidah Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) had accepted Islam, and Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) had accepted Islam, but he was afraid of his people and used to conceal his Islam. Abu Lahab, may Allah curse him, did not take part in Badr; he sent al-As bin Hisham bin al-Mughirah in his place. That is how they used to do it: when a man could not take part in the battle, he would send someone else in his place. When the news reached us, Allah Almighty humiliated and disgraced him, and we felt strength within ourselves. The narrator says: After this he mentioned the whole hadith. At this point in the writing of Ya'qub there is a mursal report without a chain, in which he stated: "He belonged to Banu Salim bin Awf. Among the captives was Abu Wada'ah bin Subayrah al-Sahmi. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'He has a son in Makkah who is a shrewd, wealthy merchant; he will soon come for his father's ransom.' Meanwhile Quraysh had said: 'Do not be hasty in ransoming your captives, otherwise Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions will deal harshly and unfairly with you.' Al-Muttalib bin Abi Wada'ah said: 'You are right; do just that.' Then he slipped away at night, came to Madinah, ransomed his father for four thousand dirhams and took him away. Then Mikraz bin Hafs bin al-Akhyaf came for the ransom of Suhayl bin Amr, who had been taken captive by Sayyiduna Malik bin al-Dukhshum (may Allah be pleased with him) of Banu Malik bin Awf."
Ahmad recorded it in this abridged form; part of it is mursal, and the narrators of the part that is not mursal are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I was a slave of Sayyiduna al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him). I had accepted Islam, Sayyidah Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) had also accepted Islam, and Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) had also accepted Islam, but he used to conceal his Islam out of fear of his people. Abu Lahab could not take part in Badr; he sent in his place al-As bin Hisham, who owed him a debt. He had said to al-As bin Hisham: "Take part in this battle in my place, and I will waive what you owe me," and he did so. When the news (of the outcome of the battle) came, Allah Almighty humiliated Abu Lahab. I was a weak man, and I used to shape arrow-shafts in the chamber of Zamzam. By Allah, I was sitting in the chamber shaping arrow-shafts, and Sayyidah Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) was with me, when the wicked Abu Lahab came dragging his feet. I was watching him until he sat down by the tent-rope, with his back towards my back. The people said: "Here is Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith (coming)." Abu Lahab said: "Come here to me, O my nephew." Abu Sufyan came and sat beside him, and the people came and stood around the two of them. Abu Lahab said: "O my nephew, how did matters go with the people?" He replied: "Nothing. By Allah, when we met them it was as if we offered them our shoulders, so that they killed us however they wished and took us captive however they wished. By Allah, I do not blame the people for it." Abu Lahab asked: "Why is that?" Abu Sufyan said: "I saw some white men mounted on handsome horses; by Allah, nothing was soft for them and nothing could stand before them." Sayyiduna Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I lifted the rope of the chamber and said: "By Allah, those must have been the angels." Abu Lahab rose, raised his hand and slapped me on the face. I attacked him too, but he lifted me up and threw me to the ground, until he was on top of me. Sayyidah Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) got up, took one of the posts of the chamber and struck Abu Lahab with it, raising a large swelling on his head. Sayyidah Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O enemy of Allah, you thought him weak when you saw that his master is not here!" Abu Lahab got up humiliated. By Allah, he lived only seven days after that, until Allah Almighty afflicted him with the adasah (a pustular disease) and caused his death. His sons left him for two or three nights without burying him, until his body began to stink. A man of Quraysh said to his two sons: "Are you not ashamed that your father lies stinking in his house?" The two said: "We fear this sore," for Quraysh used to avoid the adasah just as they avoided the plague. A man said: "Go, the two of you, and I will be with you." The narrator says: By Allah, they did not wash him; they threw water on him from a distance, then carried him and threw him beside a wall in the upper part of Makkah, and threw stones over him.
Al-Tabarani and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Husayn bin Abdullah bin Ubaydullah, whom Abu Hatim and others declared thiqah (trustworthy) and a group declared da'if (weak); the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) and I took al-Walid bin al-Walid captive on the day of Badr. Hisham bin al-Walid came to pay his ransom; I gave him my share as a gift, and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) took his share.
Al-Bazzar recorded it from his teacher Abdullah bin Shabib, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Today I shall certainly have a man of Quraysh bound and killed." The narrator says: Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt called out at the top of his voice: "O people of Quraysh, why is it that from among all of you I am to be bound and killed?" The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(It will be done) because of your disbelief in Allah Almighty and your fabricating lies against the Messenger of Allah."
Al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains Yahya bin Salamah bin Kuhayl, who is da'if (weak), though Ibn Hibban declared him thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called out to the captives of Badr; the ransom of each of them was four thousand. Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt was killed before the ransom was taken: Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) rose and went to him and killed him while he was bound. He said (before dying): "O Muhammad, who will look after the children?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Fire."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

It is reported about Masruq that he said to the son of Ibn Abi Mu'ayt: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to us, and he was not one who lied; he told us that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that your father's neck be struck while he was bound. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by him, and he asked: "Who will look after the children after me?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Fire will be theirs." (Then Masruq said to the son of Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt:) "Sufficient for you is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleased with for you."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: On the day of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had three men bound and killed: he had al-Nadr bin al-Harith killed, who belonged to Banu Abd al-Dar; he had Tu'aymah bin Adi of Banu Nawfal killed; and he had Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt killed.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Abdullah bin Hammad bin Numayr, whom I do not know, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fixed the ransom of each of the captives of Badr from among the polytheists at four thousand.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir; its chain contains al-Waqidi, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: At first Quraysh lamented over their slain, then they regretted it and said: "Do not lament over them! If news of this reaches Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions, they will rejoice at it." The narrator says: Among the captives was a man, Abu Wada'ah bin Subayrah al-Sahmi. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He has a son in Makkah who is a shrewd, wealthy merchant; he is surely about to come for his father's ransom." When Quraysh expressed their position about the ransom, al-Muttalib said: "You are right. By Allah, if you do that, they will deal harshly with you." Then he slipped away at night, came to Madinah and paid four thousand dirhams as his father's ransom.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).