True Justice and Peace — Page 29
29 their relative in captivity. If the prisoner did not have any close relatives then distant relatives would act in this manner. At times an individual would not have the means to pay the ransom. Thus, the Holy Qur’an states: اًرْيَخ١ۖۗ َّو ْمُهْوُتٰا ْنِّم ِلاَّم ِهّٰللا ْۤيِذَّلا ْمُكىٰتٰا َو َنْيِذَّلا َنْوُغَتْبَي َبٰتِكْلا اَّمِم ْتَكَلَم ْمُكُناَمْيَا ْمُهْوُبِتاَكَف ْنِا ْمُتْمِلَع ْمِهْيِف “And such as desire a deed of manumission in writ- ing from among those whom your right hand possesses, write it for them if you know any good in them; and give them out of the wealth of Allah which He has be- stowed upon you. ” [21] In other words, among the prisoners of wars there will be some whom you can neither release as a favour, nor can they be freed by their own people paying their ransom. However, if they seek their freedom by earning it through their own skills or talents and thus become able to pay their ransom, then they should be freed, providing it is felt that they will be able to earn a live- lihood if set free. In fact, [the Holy Qur’an] goes one step further and enjoins doing good to such prisoners by stating that one should also contribute towards their efforts. Muslims should make a contribution from their own wealth and through financial support they should