Islam views on Prisoners of War

Treat Them Kindly

Prisoners of War

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''Treat the prisoners of war kindly.”

No, this is not a statement in the Geneva Conventions summarizing the rights of POWs. This is the Prophet Muhammad’s instruction to his Companions more than 1400 years ago. Islam has set down rules for warfare, detailing when Muslims should fight, whom they should fight, and how they should fight.

In the time of the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslims set an unprecedented standard for the ethics of dealing with captured enemies. They treated prisoners of war in a manner that has yet to be imitated in history. Islam set the basic rule that the captive is protected by his captivity and the wounded by his injury.

Islam instructs Muslims either to free captives who cannot offer ransom (in the form of money or an equivalent number of Muslim captives) or to ransom prisoners of war.

Prisoners of war are not to be humiliated or degraded in any way. They have the right to their human dignity and the right to be protected from sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. Sufficient health care should be provided for prisoners who need it. Proper food and clothing should also be provided, as well as sanitary facilities. The Prophet also instructed his Companions to shelter their prisoners from the summer sun and to provide them with water to drink.

Captives are invited to learn about Islam, but they are under no pressure whatsoever to convert. [There is no compulsion in religion] (Al-Baqarah 2:256) means that sincerity is an essential requirement of one’s faith, so, therefore, no one can be coerced to become a Muslim nor should anyone convert to seek some worldly benefit.

The Qur’an describes the righteous:

[And they, though they hold it dear, give sustenance to the indigent, the orphan and the captive. (Saying) we feed you for the sake of God alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.] (Al-Insan 76:8-9)

Relating how the Companions complied strictly with the Prophet’s instructions on treating POWs, one of the prisoners of the Battle of Badr[2], Huzayr ibn Humayr, said: “I was with one of the Ansari families, after being taken as captive. Whenever they had lunch or dinner, they used to give me preference by providing me with bread while they’d eat only dates, in compliance with the Prophet’s order to treat prisoners well.”

Another, Thamama ibn Athal, was taken prisoner and brought to the Prophet, who said, “Be good to him in his captivity.” When the Prophet went home, he asked that any food in his house be collected and sent to Thamama.

Each human being has inherent value and distinction as God’s creation.

Later, the Prophet approached him respectfully and inquired whether Thamama could ransom himself: “What have you, Thamama?” He replied, “Actually I have a lot going for me. If you kill me, you kill a man whose blood will surely be avenged. If you are generous, then you are generous to a man who knows how to be grateful. If you are after money, then ask of me whatever amount you like.”

The Prophet left him and on the second day when he approached him, Thamama said basically the same thing. On the third day, the Prophet said, “Let Thamama go.”

They unbound him and let him go. He went on his way, quickly took a bath and returned, declaring, “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah. O Muhammad! I swear to Allah that there was no man on the face of the Earth whom I hated more than you. Now you have become to me the dearest of men. And I swear by Allah that there was no religion on earth more loathsome to me than your religion, but now it is the most beloved to me of all religions. There was no country on earth more despised by me than your country, yet now I love it more than any other country in the world.

The Islamic ethics of treating prisoners of war is part of the whole system of Islamic ethics, which places utmost importance on the preservation of human dignity and rights. This principle extends from the rights of the unborn child to the rights of women, the elderly, non-Muslims living in a Muslim country, to aggressive enemies captured as prisoners of war. Each human being has inherent value and distinction as God’s creation.

http://www.islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/politics/System/article05.shtml

 

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So what? Ideals mean nothing. Communism was supposed to usher in a classless society, yet the Soviet Union was a rigid bureaucracy. Christian scripture attacks the wealthy, yet the Catholic Church built the Sistine Chapel. Islam bans the mistreatment of prisoners of war, yet Iraqis have executed them.

 

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Shall I begin compiling historical accounts of muslim treatment of prisoners of war for you PM slaves, concubines, refusal to convert meaning death by beheading. There is a wealth of info out there on the historical treatment of islamic POWs.

 

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Maybe those killers did not think berg was a prisoner of war !!

 

Huh? So Islam sets unprecedent ethics for dealing with prisoners of war and then, by a semantic trick, feels free to ignore those ethics? If I cared to look through your post history, I'm sure I could find you condemning the U.S. doing the same at Guantanamo Bay.

 

PMS, that's a beautiful ideal, however, what is the reality in predominately muslim countries? Amnesty international shows a great many listings for the middle east region, ( I know, the US is listed there, too). Does this creed translate into real action? What are the differences between rival sects in Islam towards the treatment of infidels?

 

The problem is that Islam says more than what PM is showing us. Mohammed actually slaughtered all the men in a captured jewish town. Islam also allows the raping of female prisoners of war. And many more.

 

033.050
YUSUFALI: O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makka) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her;- this only for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess;- in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.


Thus Allah has given Muhammad, his appointed prophet, the right to shag his female captives.

 

It is amazing to see you judge Islam by the actions of few ! shall I call all americans torturers and rapists and homos ?????

 

It is worth noting that not a single middle eastern nation applies Islamic law or Sharia, all of them applies man-made western corrupt laws.

We dont have sects in Islam, we have different school of thoughts, all of them agree and follow what the prophet muhammad(pbuh ) said regarding the treatmemt of the infidels, let me give you some examples from the saying of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh ):

He who believes in God and the Last Day should honour his guest, should not harm his neighbour, should speak good or keep quiet." (Bukhari, Muslim)

"Whoever hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys God." (Bukhari)

"He who hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state, I am his adversary, and I shall be his adversary on the Day of a Judgement." (Bukhari)

"Beware on the Day of Judgement; I shall mysefl be complainant against him who wrongs a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state or lays on him a responsibility greater than he can bear or deprives him of anything that belongs to him." (Al-Mawardi)

"Anyone who kills a Non-Muslim who had become our ally will not smell the fragrance of Paradise." (Bukhari)

 

This is rubbish, the verse is talking about MARRYING them if they agree to, remember my friend, adultery is not allowed in Islam.

 

A little sample from Indian history

here

Ah such compassion and empathy for your fellow human beings

 

What a credible source !!

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Here is something muslims did to India:

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some more, That taj mahal is built on the bones of hindus

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A blip from Spain

Ah such compassion and empathy for your fellow human beings. We could go on and on here but do you really want to?

 

One building hardly replaces the losses suffered by the indian people

PS do you even know what the Taj Mahal is?? Go look it up! How did it serve indians?

 

You are such a vile person, your avatar says a lot about who you are ! filth.

 

What your avatar is a muslim warrior who kills people which is worse?
So what was the Taj Mahal built for PM?

 

My avatar is the picture of SALAHU DIN ( Saladin ), the Noble Prince of Islam who showed incredible tolerance toward the christians.

Your avatar is very vile, dont you realize that minors might come here ? dont you have any shame ???? dont you think your 2 kids might look at it ??

 

My avatar is a man from the animal welfare bureau giving the heimlich manueover to a choking goat, what did you think it was

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BTW the goat is fine now he had tried to eat a shoe.

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Again, what is the Taj Mahal's purpose, why was it built?

 

Incredible tolerance toward the christians...

AHUMMM...AHUMMM....

Did anyone say: I contradict myself and I am nothing but a propaganda machine equal in skill to the former minister of information of the republic of Iraq?