Forty Gems of Beauty — Page 98
98 Besides, as is clear from the A ha d i th, the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him) commanded that the aged of the belligerent enemy, and such of them as having dedicated themselves to religious service, irrespective of their religion or race, should be left unmolested, and as the Holy Quran says in S u rah Mu h ammad, forbade the slaying of prisoners-of-war. On the contrary, he ordered that they be either set free as a gesture of generosity or on payment of ransom, and that in any case, after the cessation of hostilities, their period of captivity should not be prolonged. During the period of their captivity, Islam has been so emphatic about the decent treatment of prisoners-of-war that the non-Muslim prisoners-of-war testified that their Muslim captors gave them a good diet while they contented themselves with poor fare, and provided them with camel mounts but themselves walked on foot. Did any people in any period of world history treat the belligerent enemy any better? In so far as equitable and just treatment of the enemy is concerned, the Holy Quran lays down in this behalf: | E , _ Y /i E I IG; A ( / 5 / 5X 9S 0 V 9W=+ " ,WR “and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness. ” 22 It is a pity that the world has failed to value this glorious teaching. 22 The Holy Quran, Ch: 5 (Al-Mā’idah), V: 9