The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 160
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 160 in comparison to the ones mentioned first. 1 ُ وَاللّٰه ُ اَعْلَم In any case, if there was any individual who was executed from among the prisoners, it was Naḍr bin Ḥārith, who was executed as an act of retribution. In this respect, it is also narrated that after his execution, when the Holy Prophet sa heard the painful couplets of his sister, he said, “Had these couplets reached me earlier, I would have forgiven Nadr. ” 2 In any case, except for Naḍr, no other prisoner was executed; rather, as mentioned above, the Holy Prophet sa emphatically commanded that the prisoners should be treated with kindness. Upon returning from Badr, the Holy Prophet sa sent Zaid bin Ḥārith ra in advance so that he could convey the good news of victory to the people of Madīnah. Hence, he reached there prior to the Holy Prophet sa , and conveyed the good news of victory to the people of Madīnah. Although the Companions of Madīnah were immensely jubilant over the grand victory of Islām, they were somewhat disappointed that they had been deprived of the spiritual reward of this magnificent Jihād. This good news also lessened the grief which had struck the Muslims of Madīnah in general, and Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmān ra specifically, shortly before the arrival of Zaid bin Ḥārithah ra by the demise of Ruqayyah ra , the daughter of the Holy Prophet sa. The Holy Prophet sa had left her behind for the Ghazwah of Badr, due to her illness and it is for this reason that Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmān ra was unable to participate in this Ghazwah. When the Holy Prophet sa returned to Madīnah, he sought counsel as to what should be done with the prisoners. Generally, it was a practice in Arabia to execute prisoners or make them permanent slaves. However, the disposition of the Holy Prophet sa was averse to such harsh measures. Moreover, no divine injunctions in this respect had been revealed either. Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra submitted, “In my opinion, they should be released on ransom, because after all, they are our brethren and kindred. Who knows, if tomorrow, devotees of Islām are born from among these very people. ” However, Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra opposed this view and said: “ There should be no consideration of kinship in a matter of religion. These people have become deserving of execution due to their actions. My opinion is that all of them should be executed. As a matter of fact, the Muslims should execute their respective relatives by their own hands. ” 1 And Allāh knows best [Publishers] 2 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, pp. 510-511, Mā Qīla Minash- Shi‘ri Fī Yaumi Badr / Shi‘ru Qutailah bint Al-Ḥārith, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)